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LISD rankings improve

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The Texas Education Agency posted its 2008 accountability ratings report last week, giving Leander ISD many reasons to cheer, as well as a few concerns.

Most individual campuses had higher ratings this year. LISD’Äôs biggest concern is the completion rate ’Äî the percentage of students who begin high school and finish with a diploma or a GED (graduation equivalency diploma).

LISD rated academically acceptable for the third year in a row. The district showed significant improvement in the overall number of highly-rated campuses, with 22 of 30 (73 percent) ranking either recognized or exemplary. In 2007, only 16 of 27 (59 percent) held those ratings.

Eight LISD campuses went up in the ratings this year, including two that rose from recognized to exemplary over the past year (Cypress and Steiner Ranch elementaries).

Two campuses fell, including one that dropped from exemplary to recognized (Faubion Elementary) and one that dropped from recognized to academically acceptable (Henry Middle School).

No LISD campuses were ranked academically unacceptable.

Ratings are based in part on performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), as well as on graduation and dropout rates.

LISD students showed improvement in every TAKS subject among all students and all subgroups. District-wide performance went up in all five subgroups in all five TAKS subjects. Students also scored at a recognized level in 22 of 25 academic areas.

Superintendent Dr. Bret Champion attributed the district’Äôs positive ratings to its ’Äúwhole student’Äù teaching strategy and its focus on increasing academic challenges. He said LISD also needs to address the challenges pointed out in the new ratings.

Although science scores in three subgroups ’Äî African-American, Hispanic and Economically Disadvantaged ’Äî¬Ýkept LISD from qualifying for districtwide recognized status, the district is beginning to reap benefits from a recent change in its science curriculum. Those three subgroups scored higher on TAKS science by 11, 11 and 10 percentage points, respectively.

’ÄúClearly we are seeing the results from the change in science instruction instituted across Leander ISD in the last year or two,’Äù said Champion. ’ÄúWe still have challenges ahead, but it looks to me that we have an improved curriculum and significant momentum on our side as we begin the 2008-09 school year.’Äù

LISD fell short of the state’Äôs ’Äúcompletion rate’Äù standard in the Economically Disadvantaged subgroup.

The standard was made more rigorous this year to align with the dropout definition of the federal No Child Left Behind law and the National Center for Education Statistics. The new definition considers any student who does not graduate within four years, receive a GED, or remain in school, to be a ’Äúnon-completer.’Äù

Even though most of its performance measures were ranked as recognized, LISD risked being classified as academically unacceptable over the dropout rate.

However, the TEA extended its ’ÄúSchool Leaver Provision’Äù for 2008. The provision states that a campus or district can’Äôt be rated lower because of the completion rate alone.

Exemplary campuses

’Ä¢¬ÝCypress Elementary (up from recognized)

’Ä¢ Steiner Ranch Elementary (up from recognized)

’Ä¢¬ÝCanyon Ridge Middle School (third year in a row)

’Ä¢ Laura Welch Bush Elementary (third year in a row)

’Ä¢ River Place Elementary (new campus)

Recognized campuses

’Ä¢ Cedar Park High School (up from acceptable)

’Ä¢¬ÝCedar Park Middle School (second year in a row)

’Ä¢ Leander Middle School (up from acceptable)

’Ä¢¬ÝRunning Brushy Middle School (second year in a row)

’Ä¢¬ÝKnox Wiley Middle School (up from acceptable)

’Ä¢¬ÝWhitestone Elementary (up from acceptable)

’Ä¢¬ÝAda Mae Faubion Elementary (down from exemplary)

’Ä¢¬ÝBlock House Creek Elementary (third year in row)

’Ä¢¬ÝC.C. Mason Elementary (up from acceptable)

’Ä¢¬ÝLois F. Giddens Elementary (third year in row)

’Ä¢¬ÝPauline Naumann Elementary (fourth year in a row)

’Ä¢¬ÝCharlotte Cox Elementary (fourth year in a row)

’Ä¢¬ÝPleasant Hill Elementary (third year in a row)

’Ä¢¬ÝRutledge Elementary (third year in a row)

’Ä¢¬ÝJim Plain Elementary (up from acceptable)

’Ä¢¬ÝWilliam J. Winkley Elementary (up from acceptable)

Acceptable campuses

’Ä¢ Leander High School (unchanged)

’Ä¢ Vista Ridge High School (unchanged)

’Ä¢ Artie L. Henry Middle School (down from recognized)

’Ä¢ Bagdad Elementary (unchanged)

’Ä¢¬ÝPatricia Knowles Elementary (unchanged)

’Ä¢¬ÝGrandview Hills Elementary (new campus)

E-mail charles@hillcountrynews.com

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