The Texas Education Agency (TEA) assigns grades from A to F each year to evaluate the performance of public schools and districts in the state. These grades help parents and the community understand the educational quality of each school, allowing schools to clearly recognize their strengths and areas needing improvement to enhance their educational programs.

Recently, the TEA has raised the standards used to calculate school grades. For example, previously, a school received an A grade if 60% of its students were prepared for college, employment, or the military, but under the new standards, this percentage has increased to 88%. Additionally, the graduation rate standard has been raised from 96% to 98%. As a result of these changes, schools that previously held an A grade are now at greater risk of being downgraded to a B grade.

Through this evaluation, parents and the community can assess the educational quality of each school, and schools can clearly identify their strengths and areas needing improvement to enhance their educational programs.

There are several criteria for evaluating high school academic achievement in the United States.

Key Criteria

  1. Test Scores

    • Notably, there are national assessment tests like NAEP. This allows comparison of how well students in each state perform in subjects like math, reading, and science.
    • Also, SAT and ACT scores are important, as they are necessary for college admission, and the average of these scores is used to assess achievement.

  2. Graduation Rates

    • The percentage of students who graduate from high school is also important. Successfully completing high school is a key indicator of academic achievement.

  3. Special Programs

    • Schools are evaluated on how many challenging courses like AP (Advanced Placement) or IB programs they offer and how well students participate, as this is related to college readiness.

  4. Educational Resources

    • Factors such as how much money is spent per student, the teacher-to-student ratio, and the availability of digital tools or textbooks are also considered, as these significantly impact the academic environment.

  5. Efforts to Close Gaps

    • It is also important to assess how well minority or low-income students are supported and how effective efforts to reduce gaps are.

  6. College Readiness

    • Evaluation factors include whether graduates prepared for the SAT/ACT, received good scores in AP or IB subjects, and the college enrollment rate.