Special to the Progress
Jacksonville Daily Progress
JACKSONVILLE —
The Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) official release of state accountability ratings on Friday brought a sense of jubilation to Jacksonville ISD officials.
TEA made preliminary results public in May, but the release of the official data confirmed the good news the district had known about for awhile.
West Side Elementary, Fred Douglass Elementary, Joe Wright Elementary and Nichols Intermediate School all received the highest TEA rating of “Exemplary.”
East Side Elementary and Jacksonville Middle School both earned the second highest mark of “Recognized”, while Jacksonville High School accomplished a rating of “Acceptable”.
The district continues building on the success attained last school year when JISD had three “Exemplary” campuses, two “Recognized” campuses and two campus ranked as “Academically Acceptable.”
Test scores across the district show significant improvement, and the number of students passing each section of the TAKS test has increased substantially.
Compared to last year, students improved or stayed the same in 57 of the 121 different areas tested this year.
West Side Elementary will be the first JISD campus to accomplish the feat of maintaining their “Exemplary” status for the third year in a row.
Both Fred Douglass Elementary and Joe Wright Elementary captured the highest rating of “Exemplary” for the second straight year.
Both West Side and Fred Douglass have the added distinction of being named as 2010-2011 Blue Ribbon Schools by the United States Department of Education.
Of the nearly 8,300 campuses in the state of Texas, only 26, or the top 1 percent, made it to this level of recognition.
Two JISD campuses managed to advance in the state ranking system.
Nichols Intermediate School moves from Recognized status to become the district’s fourth Exemplary campus, and Jacksonville Middle School’s dramatically improved scores move them from Acceptable to the Recognized level.
East Side Elementary showed improved student performance in every area tested and will be rated as a “Recognized” campus.
Jacksonville High School also earned notably improved scores across all the areas tested and is rated as “Academically Acceptable.”
“We are extremely excited about our latest accountability ratings. Four exemplary campuses are definitely something for us to be excited about,” said Judy Terry, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Curriculum, “especially when we have two recognized campuses and one acceptable campus that barely missed earning recognized.”
Although test scores across the district were high enough for the district to be named “Recognized”, the completion rate did not meet the recognized rating in one subgroup.
Thus, JISD did fall short of its goal of becoming a “Recognized” district this year.
However, the improved scores and overall advancement of the individual campuses wiped out any disappointment.
“These results are wonderful,” said JISD Superintendent Dr. Joe Wardell, adding, “The hard work and commitment of our students, parents and staff are clearly seen in our ratings.
“The improvement we’ve seen with students at every campus and in every different subgroup measured by the state assessment is a result of JISD’s continued dedication to academic achievement.”
With the first day of school just a few weeks away on Monday, August 23, Jacksonville ISD officials are expecting great things from their students in the coming year.
Added Mrs. Terry, “We are so proud of our students and staff and excited to see what the 2010-2011 year will bring.”
