Dallas school district students in grades 3 through 8 mostly mirrored in how they performed on this past spring鈥檚 standardized State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, test.
Some, though, did worse.
For example, among Dallas 7th grade math test takers, only 14% met the grade level expectations. That means those 14% of students were the only ones with 鈥渟trong knowledge of course content 鈥�.prepared to progress to the next grade.鈥�
Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said her staff is looking into why that grade underperformed.
鈥淲e have campuses that did not follow this trend, right? In aschool district this size, data can mask some really great outcomes,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd we need to find those islands of excellence so we can find out what did we do there and how did we get those results?鈥�
Elizalde said the district鈥檚 research will take some time.
Granted, 7th graders state-wide did not do much better in math. Only 35% - basically a third - met the grade standard.
Elizalde noted some other Dallas ISD student groups, like her 5th graders, actually outperformed the state average, if only by a percentage point.
鈥淭here is no gap between Dallas ISD performance that 鈥榓pproaches鈥� math or, - really important, the 鈥榤eets level,鈥� because we all know that's really the measuring stick, right?鈥� she said. 鈥淲e need to make sure our students are on or above grade level.鈥�
Elizalde said she and her staff are still taking about the challenges of COVID declines, even as Dallas and Texas are recovering faster than the rest of the country. She also said what Texas school leaders have said many times through the years - that Dallas ISD teachers are refraining from 鈥渢eaching to the test,鈥� in order to be more creative in the classroom and more successful with academic outcomes.
And she emphasized a continued focus on early childhood education.
鈥淲e know it pays off,鈥� said Elizalde.
