Leander and Round Rock ISD School Rankings Zoom to the Top!

The Texas Education Agency released its Accountability Ratings for Texas public schools and school districts. There was considerable progress in student learning and achievement evident in Round Rock and Leander ISD's campus ratings, and in their district-level measures, as well. 

 The 2008 TEA Accountability Ratings showed 22 of 30 rated Leander ISD campuses ranked either Recognized or Exemplary (73%). This is a significant improvement over our 2007 ratings, when LISD had a total of 16 of 27 rated campuses ranked Recognized or Exemplary (59%).  The Accountability Ratings are based on spring 2008 student performance on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAKS) statewide testing program, as well as on dropout and completion rates for students. The ratings are assigned by TEA, and are based on as many as 35 indicators, with the lowest score determining your ranking in one of four categories. They are - from highest to lowest - Exemplary, Recognized, Academically Acceptable and Academically Unacceptable.  Texas public school students are tested in five subject areas: Reading/English Language Arts, Writing, Social Studies, Mathematics and Science. 

Eight of Leander ISD's campuses went up in the ratings from last year:

• Cedar Park High School (Academically Acceptable to Recognized)
• Wiley Middle School (Academically Acceptable to Recognized)
• Mason Elementary (Academically Acceptable to Recognized)
• Plain Elementary (Academically Acceptable to Recognized)
• Whitestone Elementary (Academically Acceptable to Recognized)
• Winkley Elementary (Academically Acceptable to Recognized) 
•  Cypress Elementary (Recognized to Exemplary) 
•  Steiner Ranch Elementary (Recognized to Exemplary)  

Two Leander campus' went down in the ratings, with Faubion Elementary dropping from Exemplary to Recognized, and Henry Middle School dropping from Recognized to Academically Acceptable. Six of Leander ISD's campuses (Canyon Ridge Middle School, Bush Elementary, Cypress Elementary, Deer Creek Elementary, Steiner Ranch Elementary and River Place Elementary) earned TEA's highest rating for 2008 - Exemplary - and 16 saw student performance worthy of the Recognized ranking category. Seven LISD campuses are rated Academically Acceptable, with none on the Academically Unacceptable list.    

Round Rock ISD

Twenty-three of the 40 regular Round Rock ISD schools received the top two ratings of Exemplary or Recognized from the Texas Education Agency when it released the state accountability ratings Friday. Round Rock ISD maintained its Academically Acceptable rating. The district had 12 schools rated Exemplary, 11 rated Recognized and 17 rated Academically Acceptable. No RRISD school was rated Academically Unacceptable. To earn an Exemplary rating at least 90 percent of students tested must pass the test. To earn a Recognized rating at least 75 percent of students tested must pass the test. The Academically Acceptable standard varies by subject, while the Recognized and Exemplary standards are the same for all subjects.

The district saw seven campuses improve their accountability rating:

Within RRISD, the number of schools rated Exemplary increased from nine to 12. RRISD schools rated Exemplary are Brushy Creek ES, Cactus Ranch ES, Canyon Creek ES, Caraway ES, Deep Wood ES, Fern Bluff ES, Great Oaks ES, Laurel Mountain ES, Live Oak ES, Pond Springs ES, Spicewood ES and Canyon Vista MS.
 
The district had ratings decline at five campuses: Union Hill ES, Cedar Valley MS, Deerpark MS, and Grisham MS all went from being Recognized to Acceptable. Jollyville ES dropped from the Exemplary level to Recognized.
 
The district saw its largest academic gain in the science portion of the TAKS test. This year 85 percent of all students tested met science standards, compared to 81 percent in 2007. "We are very proud of our teachers and students. Despite higher state standards, our test scores continue to improve," said Superintendent Jesús Chávez.

Source:  Round Rock ISD and Leander ISD