Latest news with #schoolperformance
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Five Texas school districts at risk of a state takeover after ratings' release
A record five Texas school districts are now at risk of the state replacing their democratically-elected school board with the latest release of school performance ratings. Connally, Lake Worth, Beaumont, Wichita Falls and Fort Worth school districts have all amassed five consecutive failing grades at one or more of its campuses, the threshold to trigger state action, a Texas Education Agency spokesperson confirmed with The Texas Tribune on Friday. TEA Commissioner Mike Morath has made no decisions yet on the future of these districts, the spokesperson said. The state could also order the underperforming schools to shut down instead of replacing school district boards. The state has replaced a district's school board and superintendent with a board of managers about 10 times since 2000. The record high number of districts at risk of sanctions comes from three years' worth of ratings released this year — the state released school ratings for the 2023-24 school year and the 2024-25 school year on Friday and 2022-23 school year data in April. A ruling from a state appeals court last month cleared the state to make the scores public, overturning a lower court decision that had tied the state's hands from releasing ratings for years. A similar ruling from the same high court freed the state to release ratings for the 2022-23 school year in the spring. Connally ISD's Connally Elementary School and Lake Worth ISD's Marilyn Miller Language Academy reached the threshold for state sanctions when ratings were released for the most recent school year. After years of underperformance at Kirby Middle School, Wichita Falls ISD closed the campus and moved the students to Hirschi Middle School. That alone won't be enough to stop TEA from stepping in. At Fort Worth ISD, Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade shut down before TEA released its fifth F rating. District leaders initially believed they weren't at risk of a takeover but Morath said in a letter the closure doesn't absolve them of 'compulsory' state action. A district spokesperson has told the Fort Worth Report they intend to appeal the rating. Schools have an option to enter a partnership with a charter school network to avoid state sanctions. Beaumont ISD entered such a partnership with Third Future Schools for one of its struggling campuses, Fehl Price Elementary. For its second struggling campus, Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, the board of trustees unanimously ordered its closure in 2024. The Beaumont school district has faced state intervention before. About a decade ago, the state stepped in after a series of financial scandals. The districts only regained local control in 2020. Most recently, TEA took over control of Houston ISD, the largest district in the state. Its state-appointed superintendent Mike Miles has had a controversial tenure — boasting a boost in test scores that came at the cost of drops in enrollment and widespread staff layoffs. The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on education pathways coverage. More all-star speakers confirmed for The Texas Tribune Festival, Nov. 13–15! This year's lineup just got even more exciting with the addition of State Rep. Caroline Fairly, R-Amarillo; former United States Attorney General Eric Holder; Abby Phillip, anchor of 'CNN NewsNight'; Aaron Reitz, 2026 Republican candidate for Texas Attorney General; and State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin. Get your tickets today! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase. Solve the daily Crossword
South China Morning Post
02-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong education chief puts onus on schools amid competition for students
Hong Kong's education minister has said that schools struggling with insufficient student enrolment must evaluate their own performance in meeting parents' expectations rather than relying on government intervention. Advertisement Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin also said the education sector should not insist on keeping the existing number of schools and emphasised a need for 'metabolism' to ensure its vitality. In an interview with local media last Friday, she said that the recent policy allowing schools that managed to operate four Form One classes to apply to run one more in the coming academic year was to 'address parents' needs and choice'. Choi urged those schools with insufficient enrolment to reflect on their own performance, instead of simply hindering the development of more popular institutions. 'Schools finding it difficult to admit students throughout many years could not address parents' and students' needs. Why do they define themselves as weak schools and only ask authorities to take care of them? It should not be like this,' she said. Advertisement 'Have they thought about the needs of the parents in their districts? What are the students' needs and what could they provide for them and get their votes for the schools?'
Arabian Business
16-06-2025
- General
- Arabian Business
Abu Dhabi launches school performance plaques to boost education transparency for parents
Abu Dhabi has introduced school performance plaques to boost transparency and empower parents of private education pupils. In a move to improve transparency and parental engagement, the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has launched official School Performance Plaques for every private school in the emirate. Displayed at school entrances, the plaques will provide clear, accessible insights into a school's quality, helping parents make informed decisions about their child's education. Abu Dhabi school ratings The plaques prominently feature two key metrics: the Irtiqa'a rating, ADEK's school inspection framework, and the National Identity Mark, which assesses how well schools instil Emirati values, culture, and citizenship. Sulaiman Al Ameri, Acting Private Education and Charter Schools Sector Executive Director at ADEK, said: 'These plaques represent more than just a rating — they reflect a school's commitment to academic excellence and to nurturing a strong sense of national identity in our students. 'By making performance outcomes visible, we're encouraging continuous improvement and giving parents a transparent, at-a-glance understanding of school quality.' What parents need to know about private schools in Abu Dhabi 1. Irtiqa'a ratings assesses schools across six vital areas: Student achievement Personal and social development Teaching and assessment Curriculum quality Student care and wellbeing Leadership and management 2. National Identity Marks evaluate how effectively schools promote Emirati heritage, values, and civic understanding within their educational environment. 3. Wellbeing Marks, which are coming soon will also include the Wellbeing Mark, highlighting schools' efforts to support the emotional, social, and physical wellbeing of students and staff. The initiative supports ADEK's long-term vision of building a world-class education ecosystem in Abu Dhabi. By providing clear and reliable school performance indicators at the point of entry, the plaques make quality assurance visible to all — not just in policy documents, but in the daily experience of families and school communities. Parents are encouraged to look for the plaques when visiting schools and to explore more about the Irtiqa'a and National Identity frameworks on the ADEK website or via its dedicated parent app, Rayah.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Yahoo
Sumter County School District created 'shell schools' to boost school grade, increase funding
A state investigation found that the Sumter County School District falsified student data to boost some schools' scores. The state says this happened while former Superintendent Richard Shirley was leading the district. In a statement posted on the district's Facebook, current Superintendent Logan Brown called the previous leadership's alleged actions 'a deliberate and unethical attempt to manipulate school performance metrics at the expense of our students.' The 53-page report from the Florida Department of Education's Office of Inspector General says the district moved approximately 200 low-performing students out of classrooms in their zoned school and into virtual classes. The investigation found that in some cases, the district never notified parents. The state says it received a tip back in November 2023. The tipster claimed the Sumter County School District 'falsified student data and reporting' and created 'shell schools' to remove low-performing students from school grades in order to increase funding from the state. The so-called shell schools were virtual programs known as SOAR. The report says between 2016 and 2021, roughly 200 students were taken out these 4 Sumter County Schools: Wildwood Elementary, Wildwood Middle High, South Sumter Middle, and Webster Elementary. The report says Wildwood Elementary achieved a 'B grade' for the 2016/17 school year, but the school would have scored a 'C grade' if the district didn't remove low-performing students. The report says that former Superintendent Shirley and former Assistant Superintendent Deborah Moffitt 'provided and approved the instruction to the district to withdraw low-performing SOAR students from their traditional zoned schools and enroll them in virtual school. However, former Superintendent Shirley states in the report that SOAR was intended to help students. He said the improved school grade was not the purpose of SOAR, but it was a 'side benefit.' Shirley retired last year shortly after the state launched an investigation into the district. Current Superintendent Brown released a statement calling the alleged actions 'serious misconduct by the previous leadership.' Brown is set to speak more about the investigation and the district's plan moving forward at a news conference Monday morning. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
