The IISD is forecasting two Exemplary Schools and 19 Recognized Schools. John Haley Elementary School and Schulze Elementary School have been identified as Exemplary Schools. Nineteen Recognized Schools include: Irving High School, MacArthur High School, Singley Academy, Austin Middle School, Bowie Middle School, Crockett Middle School, de Zavala Middle School, Houston Middle School, Lamar Middle School, Travis Middle School, Brandenburg Elementary School, Britain Elementary School, Brown Elementary School, Farine Elementary School, Good Elementary School, Keyes Elementary School, Lively Elementary School, Stipes Elementary School, and Townley Elementary School. All other schools are expected to be Academically Acceptable although additional testing data to be released could potentially improve a school rating.
School ratings are based on student performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge & Skills tests, which include reading, writing, social studies, mathematics and science at various grade levels. Additional rating factors include the completion rate and annual dropout rate at the secondary school level. According to testing data, Irving ISD met all the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) standards for the Recognized rating, but fell below the 85 percent Completion Rate I standard by one percentage point (IISD had an 84 percent completion rate) in one of five accountability groups. IISD also had 151 (one more than allowed) students listed by TEA as “underreported” in 2009. TEA allows a maximum of 150 underreported students for Recognized or Exemplary ratings.
“It is most important to note that our TAKS scores have improved in four of the five tested areas and we have good grounds for appeal to improve the Academically Acceptable rating,” according to Dr. Dana T. Bedden, superintendent of schools. “We may appeal on the basis of discrepancies found between the IISD data and the data supplied by TEA for both Completion Rate I and underreported students.”
For a school to earn the Exemplary rating, students must average 90 percent on all tests. In addition, high schools must have a four-year completion rate of 95 percent and middle schools must have an annual dropout rate of 1.8 percent or less. For a school to attain the Recognized rating, students must average 80 percent on all tests. In addition, high schools must have a four-year completion rate of 85 percent and middle schools must have an annual dropout rate of 1.8 percent or less.
