AUSTIN, Texas — Waco ISD Superintendent Dr. Susan Kincannon testified in the Accountability Ratings Hearing in Austin on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
Currently, there are more than 100 Texas school districts suing the Texas Education Agency (TEA) over what they believe to be an inadequate and inconsistent new rating system.
Superintendents testified at the hearing, saying Commissioner Mike Morath has broken trust by not giving them adequate notice. Now, districts are trying to figure out what exactly the change means.
According to some superintendents, scores may improve, but the grades will still drop. Districts have been projecting their scores and some could drop a letter grade or even two, despite improved grades from previous years.
Dr. Kincannon says this will overall have a negative impact on students, stating, "We've worked really hard since 2019 to put systems and structures in place to support our students, and many of our students were experiencing growth and feeling successful for the first time with school testing and accountability. And this, this causes students who are pretty vulnerable to lose hope and their ability to achieve the goals that we have for them. "
"Waco ISD increased 16 out of 20 areas overall in our students," Kincannon added. "They are improving. Our schools, they're seeing growth, and yet we are projecting low ratings. It's very confusing to students, confusing to our teachers and definitely confusing to the public."
There will reportedly be an amended plea by Friday, Oct. 13, and a plaintiff response by Oct. 20.
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