A-F Ratings for Schools: Why Arlington ISD is Bracing for Impact

by Drew Shaw, Arlington Report
August 6, 2024

As school districts prepare to receive accountability ratings from the state later this month, Arlington ISD officials aren’t optimistic.

The Texas Education Agency grades school performance on an A-F scale, measuring data like graduation rates and standardized test scores. In 2023, TEA shifted how it calculates the grades — changes expected to be fully implemented this year.

Arlington ISD received a B in 2022, the most recent available score. Scores were not released in 2023 after several school districts, including Arlington ISD, were sued over the accountability changes.

TEA previously said the lawsuit would prevent school systems from improving and stunt academic growth of Texas students.

When Arlington ISD officials applied TEA’s new grading standards to the district’s 2022 data, its B score dropped 7 points to a C.

This suggests districts are being graded on harsher metrics than before, said Natalie Lopez, assistant superintendent of research and accountability, during an Aug. 1 meeting.

Arlington ISD trustees have lamented TEA’s new accountability metrics as unfair and unrealistic. At a meeting Aug. 1, several board members accused the state of raising its grading standards to intentionally erode voters’ faith in public schools.

“What does this data tell us about our district and what district are we?” said board President Justin Chapa.

When TEA introduced A-F ratings in 2018, Arlington ISD received a C. It received a B in 2019. Chapa said the new standards will hurt the district’s upward momentum and make recent progress seem like it’s a decline.

“I’m all for accountability, but this is a flawed system,” said trustee David Wilbanks.

A district’s performance is divided into four major categories. Each area is individually scored, then they’re combined into TEA’s final grade. The amount of points required to receive an A in each domain increased by 28 to 32 percentage points.

Previously, to receive an A in the domain measuring how many students graduate “College, Career and Military Ready,” 60% of students would need to obtain the distinction. TEA raised the standard to 88%.

Districts will also no longer be given positive points for certain industry-based certifications, which recognize students proficient in skills ranging from Adobe product savviness to plant science and car repair.

These changes will likely compound with multiple years of grim standardized test scores across the state. Schools have struggled to reverse lingering pandemic-induced learning loss, while adjusting to major changes in the

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