Based on preliminary results of 2010 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills testing, La Porte ISD will earn distinction as a Texas Recognized District this year, Superintendent of Schools Lloyd W. Graham announced on Tuesday.
To receive a Recognized rating, districts must have a pass rate of 80 percent or more, which could include the Texas Projection Measure (TPM), among all students who took the TAKS test district-wide. TPM is a growth model for determining whether or not schools will meet state and federal accountability standards.
In addition, at least 80 percent of the students in each sub-group—African American, Hispanic, White/Non-Hispanic, and Economically Disadvantaged—must also meet the standard for passing.
This is the first time that the district as a whole has met the standards for a
Recognized rating under the TAKS accountability system, which awarded its first ratings during the 2003-04 school year, Graham explained. LPISD previously earned a Recognized rating in 2002 as part of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills system.
“This is indicative, first and foremost, of the emphasis that La Porte ISD places on providing a top quality education to all students,” Graham said. “I am very proud of the children of La Porte ISD as well as the dedicated and high-performing staff of our school district. Our teachers, students and their families have worked extremely hard and are so deserving of this recognition.”
Graham explained that the district is subject to 25 TAKS indicators, and La Porte ISD saw growth and gains across the board this year. For example, the raw data received on May 21 (excluding TPM) showed that LPISD met the Exemplary standard of 90 percent or more passing on 13 of these indicators. In addition, the district met the Recognized standard (80 percent or more passing) on nine indicators and the Academically Acceptable standard on three.
When the TPM is applied to the data, the district meets the Exemplary standard on 24 of the 25 indicators and the Recognized standard (87 percent in one student sub-group) on the other.
Individual LPISD campuses also demonstrated outstanding performance on this year’s TAKS testing, according to the preliminary results.
“Without exception, every La Porte ISD campus rose to the challenge, and our schools’ successes are confirmation of the tremendous efforts of our children and their teachers,” Graham said.
La Porte High School, for example, will likely be a Texas Recognized School for the first time under the TAKS accountability system. LPHS earned Recognized honors twice in the history of modern-day accountability—in 2001 and 2002—under the TAAS system.
The Recognized rating is especially noteworthy, Graham said, considering that LPHS was required to work with a Technical Assistance Team in mathematics. This state oversight was required due to the potential for LPHS to have Academically Unacceptable scores in math if last year’s results were applied to this year’s higher standards.
Recognized campuses are those in which the group of “all students” and each student sub-group have a pass rate of 80 percent or more. LPHS has been rated Academically Acceptable each year under the TAKS accountability system.
The results show that Lomax Junior High School also met the standards for a Recognized rating, as have Bayshore Elementary and Jennie Reid Elementary School.
La Porte Elementary also moved from Academically Acceptable to Recognized for the first time under the TAKS system. The school previously earned distinction as a Recognized Campus in 2002.
The Baker Sixth Grade Campus also met the standards for a Recognized rating. Although all scores suggest an Exemplary rating, a trailing indicator in one sub-group appears to be holding the campus at Recognized. The district is verifying the number of state test-takers at this time, Graham said.
Lomax, Rizzuto, College Park and Heritage elementary schools have met the standards for Exemplary status, with 90 percent or more of all students and each student sub-group passing all tests. The pass rates of Lomax and Rizzuto were all higher than 90 percent, and College Park and Heritage met the Exemplary standards with the addition of TPM.
La Porte Junior High School, which has been in mandated state intervention for the past two years, came very close to earning a Recognized rating, Graham said. Out of 25 indicators, La Porte Junior High students met the Recognized standard on 24, with only one indicator at the Academically Acceptable level. The possibility exists that, when the results of re-testing in eighth-grade math are finalized, La Porte Junior High could move to Recognized status, he added.
“Principal Vicki Defee and her faculty have brought the LPJH campus out of school improvement, with students making tremendous gains in all subject areas,” Graham noted. “I could not be prouder of the progress made at La Porte Junior High.”
The demographics of La Porte ISD have shifted somewhat in the years since LPISD previously was a Recognized District. In 2002, LPISD had 7,745 students, with 8.6 percent African American, 24.5 Hispanic, 65.4 percent White/Non-Hispanic, 1.2 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, .and 3 percent Native American. Thirty percent of the district’s students were deemed Economically Disadvantaged, and 4 percent were Limited English Proficient (LEP).
Figures from the 2009-10 school year show that LPISD currently has 7,847 students, with 9.1 percent African American, 38.9 percent Hispanic, 50.27 percent White/Non Hispanic, 1.38 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, and .28 percent American Indian/Alaskan. A total of 43.94 percent of LPISD students are considered Economically Disadvantaged, and 7.93 percent are Limited English Proficient (LEP). |
