(August 15, 2018) – Accountability ratings released today by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) are one of the many tools Crowley ISD is using to identify targeted areas for academic improvement and to celebrate student success in a complicated accountability system.
This year, the rating system for public schools in Texas is changing. For the first time, school districts are receiving A-F letter grades. Campuses will receive letter grades for the first time in August 2019. The new A-F system is a hot topic across our state and nation, with many organizations speaking out against the new labels. Click the links below to read some of these perspectives:
• Texas Association of School Boards (TASB)
• Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA)
• Raise Your Hand Texas
• Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment
“Crowley ISD supports an accountability system that measures academic achievement, student progress and closing the achievement gap, but we strongly reject the politicized use of letter grades in this new system,” Superintendent Dr. Michael McFarland said.
“We believe that students, schools and districts are much more than a single letter grade derived from high-stakes, standardized tests and that A-F labels fail to tell the whole story about the great work happening in our classrooms,” McFarland said.
You can view Crowley ISD’s complete district and campus results from the TEA by visiting www.txschools.org.
Crowley ISD Accountability Overview
• 15 campuses rated “Met Standard”
• 4 campuses rated “Improvement Required”
(J.A. Hargrave Elementary, Meadowcreek Elementary, Sidney H. Poynter Elementary and David L. Walker Intermediate)
• 14 distinction designations awarded to 6 campuses (an increase from 10 distinctions last year)
• Crowley High School: Academic Growth
• North Crowley High School: Mathematics
• Sue Crouch Intermediate School: (received all available distinctions)
English/Language Arts/Reading, Mathematics, Science, Academic Growth, Postsecondary Readiness and Closing the Gaps
• Jackie Carden Elementary School: Mathematics, Postsecondary Readiness and Closing the Gaps
• Oakmont Elementary School: Mathematics
• Sycamore Elementary School: English/Language Arts/Reading and Postsecondary Readiness
Bright Spots
• Gains in a majority of tested areas at the elementary school level
• Gains in math and science at the intermediate school level
• Gains in science and social studies at the middle school level
• Gains in every End-of-Course (EOC) tested area at the high school level
Opportunities for Improvement
• Reading: The district is implementing an aligned writing process and reading strategies for all grade levels
• Math: The district is implementing a problem-solving process in math for all grade levels
Crowley ISD has hired 43 campus instructional support specialists to coach and support classroom teachers in each of the core content areas. Specialists will receive ongoing, intensive coaching and content training at the district level to take back to their campuses to improve teaching and learning in the following areas of focus:
Crowley ISD Instructional Areas of Focus
• Literacy: Students will use consistent reading and writing strategies across all disciplines
• Lesson Design and Delivery: Teachers will develop clear, measurable and rigorous learning targets with consistent use of research-based instructional strategies
• Learner-Centered Data Monitoring: Student data tracking and goal-setting will be used to identify personal learning goals for each learner
Read more about our strategies and systems for helping all students learn and achieve their full potential in the Crowley ISD Instructional Leadership Guide.
