Release of school accountability ratings is urgently needed

Texas has gone two years without publishing A-F academic accountability ratings, which are vital for fostering student progress, transparency, and continuous improvement in public schools. A coalition of Texas leaders representing parents, businesses and education nonprofits filed an amicus brief in Morath v. Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Independent School District urging the 15th Court of Appeals to lift the injunction preventing the release of these critical ratings.

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data underscore the need for clear information on public school performance to propel academic progress. Texas currently ranks in the bottom 25% of states in 4th grade reading, which drops to 12% for 8th grade. A-F ratings allow for comparisons between school districts across the state to identify bright spots that can be scaled and areas for improvement that need additional support.

“We can’t hope to improve our education system if we aren’t clear-eyed about our current outcomes,” said Commit Partnership Founding Chairman and CEO Todd Williams, “Without these letter grades, students remain on failing campuses that otherwise could have received greater resources and interventions – and we also lose the ability to celebrate the schools and systems that see remarkable improvement and sustained success.”

The amicus brief highlights the negative impacts of withholding A-F ratings, emphasizing the needs of stakeholders who depend on school performance data:

• Students: Accountability ratings track how well school systems are meeting student academic needs and drive improvements in learning outcomes to eliminate achievement gaps for students and prepare them for success after graduation.
• Parents: Clear, accessible information about their child’s school performance helps families make informed decisions and advocate for necessary educational resources.
• School Districts & Community Partners: The A-F system enables school districts and their network of partners to identify underperforming campuses and allocate resources to support better outcomes.
• Businesses: Employers rely on A-F ratings to attract and retain qualified workers in the communities where they operate and ensure a pipeline of qualified employees.
• The Public: The system provides every Texan with a tool to monitor progress and ensure public funds are used effectively to improve public education.

“For parents trying to make the best decisions for their children, for businesses hiring the next generation of workers, and for communities striving to strengthen their local schools, the A-F accountability system is a lifeline,” Good Reason Houston CEO Cary Wright said. “The impact of withholding these ratings is that Texans are left in the dark.”

While the organizations defer to the court system and the parties to the lawsuit to resolve the underlying dispute, they emphasized that depriving the public of performance information for the 1200-plus school districts in the state is not an appropriate solution.

“Parents, students and community leaders have not had access to these important measures of school performance since the 2018-19 school year,” said Texas 2036 Education and Workforce Policy Director Mary Lynn Pruneda. “Texas families should be able to know more about the performance of their schools following the disruptions caused by the pandemic. Continuing to withhold these performance scores is making a lasting impact on Texas families as they try to prepare the next generation for success as they graduate high school.”

To view the full amicus brief, click here.