Following a two-year court injunction, TEA has released the 2023 A-F ratings, giving the community the opportunity to see the progress and achievements of local schools.
In 2023, Texas launched a new version of the STAAR test nicknamed “STAAR 2.0.” This updated test included more interactive questions and added writing to all Reading Language Arts tests for grades 3–8. Scoring also changed to focus on total points earned, not just the number of correct answers.
That year, the Texas Education Agency also updated how schools are rated. District scores now consider how many students are at each campus. The standards for student success also changed. For example, to earn an A in college, career, and military readiness, schools now need a score of 88 instead of 60. The system also improved tracking student growth from year to year and focuses more on helping student groups who need the most support.
Harlingen CISD earned an overall rating of a B under the updated accountability rules. Despite the changes, twenty HCISD campuses achieved a combined total of 74 academic distinctions—with 37 earned by elementary schools and 37 by secondary campuses. This marks a 10% increase from 2022. Additionally, four campuses earned an A rating.
HCISD also outperformed the state in several key areas including College, Career, and Military Readiness, graduation rates, and the percentage of students meeting or exceeding the college readiness standard on the SAT, ACT, and TSIA.
The updated rating system puts more focus on how students are growing academically, how ready they are for life beyond high school, and how well schools are supporting all groups of students.
The 2024 ratings are still on hold and will be released once legal matters are resolved.
Overall, these accomplishments reflect the collective commitment of our students, educators, and staff to educational excellence across our district.
For more about the 2023 updates, visit the TEA website at www.txschools.gov.
