CFISD officials expect 'Recognized' rating

Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District officials say they expect to see the district achieve a Recognized" rating for the third straight year and are inspired that the district came very close to capturing the state's top-notch Exemplary" rating.
Our increases were significant throughout the district, and we are very proud of the efforts made by our administrators and classroom teachers, and the performance of our students," said David Anthony, Cy-Fair ISD superintendent.
The Texas Education Agency has not yet released the official 2010 accountability ratings, but preliminary data on students' Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test scores has been sent to the district, said Roy Garcia, Cy-Fair ISD's Associate Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction and School Administration.
Cy-Fair ISD was largest school district in Texas to achieve the Recognized rating in 2008 and 2009.
Internally we aggregated the (2010) data and we made our predictions based on that information," Garcia said. We feel confident with the internal work we do with the data, and feel that Recognized' is the rating that will come out in late July."
The TEA is expected to release the official results on the district's overall rating and individual school ratings on July 30.
In order to achieve that rating, 80 percent of all students must pass the TAKS test overall and on each of five subsections (Reading
ELA, Writing, Social Studies, Mathematics, and Science); in addition, each subgroup" (African American, Hispanic, White, and Economically Disadvantaged) must also meet the 75 percent criterion overall and in each subsection.
This year, the preliminary TAKS data indicates that the district hit the Exemplary" mark in 24 of those 25 TAKS-related areas. Garcia said that 24th indicator a math subgroup was at the Recognized" level and the district is proud of that achievement also.
Though the district achieved the Exemplary" level in all but one subgroup, the overall district rating is based on the lowest score achieved by any student group, thus the Recognized" rating.
Garcia said that there are two additional indicators that factor into that overall rating the high school completion rate and the annual dropout rate but that information has not been released by the TEA.
The dropout rate is the percentage of students in the seventh and eighth grades who drop out during that school year; and the completion rate is the percentage of students from a class of beginning ninth graders who graduate or continue in high school.
Garcia said he is confident that the dropout and completion rate data will not affect the district's overall rating. However, it could affect some high school ratings.
This year the TAKS data indicates that three of our high schools will have an Exemplary rating, however two of those could be close when the completion rate data is factored in," Garcia said. If that data is under 95 percent, then those ratings would fall to Recognized."
Overall, Garcia said, the district's students, teachers, staff and administration were instrumental in several major achievements, including 74 out of 76 campuses or 97 percent that are expected to carry the Recognized" or Exemplary" ratings.
We are tremendously pleased with our students' TAKS gains across the board namely increasing the number of indicators reaching the Exemplary level," Garcia said.
We credit our students for their dedication to personal academic achievement, as well as our teachers and administrators who were committed to making these advancements."
In 2009, 63 out of 74 campuses were declared Recognized or Exemplary; and in 2008 49 out of 70 achieved those ratings.
Garcia said 10 more schools are expected to achieve the Exemplary" rating in 2010 than in 2009, including three high schools where there were none last year; one additional middle school, which brings the total to three; and six additional elementary schools, which brings that total to 26.
He said that the district is not yet releasing information on individual campus ratings. Garcia said it is important to note that these improvements were made amidst some external challenges. The district tested 2,850 students this year that were not in the school district in 2008-09.
More than anything, it starts with the focus our teachers have in the classroom," he said. This illustrates the power of the classroom, and the strength of our teachers' dedication and focus."
He said campus and district administrators also provide guidance and leadership needed to reach increasingly difficult goals.
They do what they need to do day in and day out to make it happen," Garcia said.
The campus improvement plans are an important part of the planning process, as well, he said.
There is no beginning and end it is a continuous process," Garcia said. We maintain a focus on implementing best practices from inside and outside of Cy-Fair ISD so that we are constantly improving."