2 days ago
Fort Worth ISD reports 2024 STAAR results, prioritizes literacy in ongoing overhaul
The Brief
Fort Worth ISD announced preliminary 2024 STAAR results showing gains in reading and most subjects across grades 3-8.
The district surpassed its strategic plan literacy goal and saw improvements in 4th and 5th-grade reading and math, and US History and Biology EOCs.
FWISD acknowledges challenges in English I and II and plans a full curriculum redesign and new literacy/math frameworks for the 2025-26 school year.
FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth ISD (FWISD) announced their preliminary 2024 STAAR results on Tuesday and states their intentional focus on literacy is already resulting in gains for students across the district.
Big picture view
On Tuesday, during the regularly scheduled Board of Trustees meeting included FWISD Superintendent Dr. Karen Molinar. Dr. Molinar presented preliminary STAAR scores from spring testing.
The preliminary data showed reading performance scores are on the rise. FWISD not only met its strategic plan literacy goal but surpassed it by four percentage points.
What they're saying
"Beyond third grade reading, we are also seeing gains in nearly every tested subject in third through eighth grades, a strong signal that our instructional strategies and support systems are driving meaningful outcomes for students across the district," Superintendent Dr. Karen Molinar said.
"Our work does not stop here. In fact, it's only just begun. Moving forward, we have to remain focused on literacy and be willing to make changes in areas we are not performing as we should be," Molinar added.
By the numbers
Results for the grades 3-8 STAAR showed no decreases in reading scores for all grades, with gains ranging from 2-7%. Preliminary scores also show:
• 4th grade reading and math scores went up at all levels – Approaches, Meets, and Masters.
• 5th grade reading scores improved at the Meets and Masters levels, while the Approaches level stayed the same. The biggest gain was at the Meets level, with a 5% increase.
• The percentage of students achieving the Masters level in US History increased to 25%, reflecting growth among our highest-performing students.
• 85% of students taking the Biology EOC scored at Approaches Grade Level or higher, and the percentage meeting or exceeding grade level expectations rose significantly.
Dig deeper
FWISD says they recognize the challenges in English I and II performance and are diving deeper into the data to act with urgency to address performance challenges.
Superintendent Dr. Molinar is putting new measures in place to address these deficiencies, such as demo classrooms with instructional modeling, and a full curriculum redesign with tiered support tailored to student needs.
What's next
As FWISD moves into the 2025-26 school year and implements the District Wide Strategic Plan, every decision Fort Worth ISD makes will focus on what truly drives student success.
The district is already launching a bold and aggressive redesign of literacy and math frameworks. This includes more instructional time in middle schools, a new phonics program for kindergarten through second grade, and enhanced dyslexia tools.
"We will continue to work to give every student in Fort Worth ISD the tools they need to succeed. I am proud of our teachers and students and what they accomplished this year, but we will hit the ground running in August and continue to improve. Every second and every student counts", said Molinar.
The Source
Information in this article was provided by the Fort Worth Independent School District.
