Latest news with #Morath
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Texas Education Agency releases Spring 2025 STAAR test results
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Results from the Spring 2025 STAAR tests were released Tuesday morning, showing Texans how well their students and districts performed on the end-of-year exams. There were only slight changes from the Spring 2024 results. The share of Texas students who met requirements in Algebra and Biology increased by two and five points, while English I and II fell by three and four points. U.S. History remains students' strongest section with a slight drop of one percentage point. A press release from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) celebrated students' growth in the Biology section. All groups, including economically disadvantaged, special education and emergent bilingual students, improved in the category. According to the graphic above, all students are roughly in line with the 2019 STAAR results. Special education and emergent bilingual students now exceed their 2019-2024 scores. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said that while students and educators worked hard, more is needed to help students. 'Texas students and educators continue to work hard to demonstrate academic excellence,' Morath said in the release. 'At the same time, we also recognize that too many students are still not where they need to be academically. Using a reliable system of assessments, we can continue making progress on the strategies that are most effective in improving student learning and long-term success.' To view your student's score, visit the TEA's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Houston ISD Faces Extended TEA Control Until 2027, New Board Appointed
(Texas Scorecard) – Houston Independent School District will remain under the control of the Texas Education Agency through at least June 1, 2027. Alongside the extended timeline, TEA also announced the replacement of four members of the state-appointed Board of Managers. TEA took control of Houston ISD in 2023 after years of chronic student underperformance and governance failures. The state replaced the elected school board, appointed Superintendent Mike Miles, and implemented a series of aggressive reforms. Since the takeover, Houston ISD has reduced the number of D- and F-rated campuses from 121 in 2023 to 41 in 2024, according to preliminary reporting. Despite progress, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath emphasized the need for continued state involvement to ensure long-term improvement. 'Houston ISD has always been a district with some of the highest performing schools in the country, but it was also a district that allowed some of its schools to fail students for over a decade,' Morath said. Ultimately, two years has not been enough time to fix district systems that were broken for decades. The extension of this intervention will allow the district to build on its progress and achieve lasting success for students once the board transitions back to elected leadership. To conclude the intervention, Houston ISD must eliminate all multi-year failing campuses, fully comply with state and federal special education laws, and demonstrate effective board governance. Earlier this year, Houston ISD spent hundreds of millions of dollars without the required board approval. Community reactions remain divided. Parent and advocacy groups praised the focus on student achievement, while critics have questioned the transparency of the appointment process and urged greater community input. The new Houston ISD Board appointees are: Edgar Colón: Legal expert and political science lecturer Lauren Gore: Harvard Law graduate and general partner at LDR Growth Partners Marty Goossen: Retired vice chairman of J.P. Morgan Private Bank Marcos Rosales: Trial lawyer at Beck Redden LLP Brina Morales, director of communications for the Greater Houston Partnership, celebrated the TEA extension, writing, 'Commissioner Morath is right to extend the period of reform to ensure these improvements take hold long-term, significantly impacting generations of students.'
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Texas Education Agency extends Houston school district takeover through 2027
The state takeover of the Houston Independent School District will continue for two more years, the Texas Education Agency announced Monday. Education Commissioner Mike Morath had until June 1 to decide next steps for the state's largest school district, whose former superintendent and elected school board members were ousted and replaced in 2023 due to years of poor academic outcomes at a single campus and allegations of leadership misconduct. Since then, state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles has led the district, a controversial figure in Houston who has ushered improvements on state exams while struggling to win over community support. Still, Morath decided to extend the intervention until June 1, 2027, applauding the district for its improvements but citing the need for more progress. That progress, he said, will have to include no school campuses with failing accountability scores across multiple years, compliance with special education requirements and improved school board governance. Morath on Monday also announced the appointment of four new school board members, replacing four he selected in 2023. 'With the changes made in the last two years, Houston ISD is well on its way to being a district where all of its schools provide students with the educational opportunities that will allow them to access the American Dream,' the commissioner said in a statement. 'Ultimately, two years has not been enough time to fix district systems that were broken for decades. The extension of this intervention will allow the district to build on its progress and achieve lasting success for students once the board transitions back to elected leadership.' The Houston Chronicle first reported the extension of the takeover. Under Miles' leadership, the district has experienced extraordinary staff turnover and plummeting student enrollment. Miles, who inherited a district that for years ran an overall well-performing school system, has faced accusations of shepherding a militaristic educational environment where teachers have limited freedom to teach in ways they see fit and children are exhausted and disengaged from learning. Miles, on the other hand, has touted student improvement on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR test, and progress in the district's A-F accountability ratings as proof that his model is effective, an achievement that Morath and state lawmakers have publicly commended. During the November election, Houston voters shot down a plan to approve $4.4 billion in academic and infrastructure improvements for the school district — the largest proposal of its kind in state history — which many saw as a litmus test for Miles' support. First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trail completion in Wichita Falls garners support and concerns
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — Wichita Falls City Councilors held a public hearing to discuss completing the decades-old Circle Trail, which remains incomplete. 'Circle Trail is truly a gem for the city,' Wichita Falls Parks and Recreation Director Kalee Robinson said. Wichita Falls council lifts Stage One water restrictions The trail lacks about .9 miles of completion. The city is set to use their own property adjacent to Lake Wichita to complete the last section. 'It is a key component of [the Parks Master Plan], and completing this will enhance our park accessibility. It will enhance the diverse recreation interests that we have in the city,' Robinson said. While support is strong among users. 'Many more residents that will benefit from and already support the completion of the trails for those.' Becky Raeke said. 'Trail itself has driven economic development,' Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce partner Moriah Williams said. Many Lake Shore Drive neighbors still raise concerns. 'I bought a lakefront property, so I never had to worry about people in my backyard.' Gary Morath said. 'Most of us are seniors over here and we feel and we feel like the bulldozers are cranked up and ready to go.' a lake shore drive neighors said. It's been a hot-button issue for neighbors in years past. The city has missed out on grants to fund the remaining section of the trail. Morath told councilors he has no problems with the trail, he just doesn't understand why it needs to be in his backyard. 'If we didn't want people coming on to our property, which they're going to have full access of. The whole reason for buying on the lake, if you've ever built on the lake, is so you didn't have to put up with fence,' Morath said. Assistant Public Works Director Tyson Traw said the trail will be an average of 150 feet from homes, with 60 feet being the closest. 'One thing we will certainly include in the design phase of this is to place bollards on the trail,' Traw said. 'Some loitering on from time to time. We think that the additional traffic from bicyclists and pedestrians will reduce that.' The city will keep the public input in mind as it works to improve park infrastructure. No action was taken regarding applying for grant funding. The city has until June 20 to apply. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
05-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Texas can take over Fort Worth ISD or close failing middle school, TEA says
The Texas Education Agency informed the Fort Worth Independent School District on Monday that the state may take over district operations or close a middle school campus following five consecutive years of failing academic ratings. TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said the Leadership Academy at Forest Oak 6th Grade received its fifth consecutive "unacceptable" academic rating for the 2022–2023 school year. According to the district's website, the school serves students in grades 6 through 8. Under Texas Education Code § 39A.111, five consecutive failing ratings trigger mandatory state intervention. The commissioner must either appoint a board of managers to oversee the district or order the closure of the campus. The campus has not earned an acceptable academic rating since the 2014–2015 school year, according to a letter sent to FWISD. That means eight consecutive sixth-grade cohorts have attended the school while it has been rated academically unacceptable. Delayed accountability ratings spark statewide pushback The release of the 2023 academic ratings was delayed due to lawsuits from several Texas school districts challenging the state's A–F accountability system. Those legal challenges were recently resolved in favor of the TEA. Fort Worth ISD had already received approval to close the campus at the end of the 2022–2023 school year. However, the TEA noted in its letter that the closure "has no bearing on, and does not abrogate, the compulsory action the statute requires the commissioner to take." Districtwide academic concerns add pressure In the letter, Morath cited broader academic struggles across the district. Based on 2023 preliminary ratings, Fort Worth ISD received an overall grade of D, with 77 campuses rated D or F. The district has 147 schools. Eight campuses have failed to meet minimum academic standards since at least 2018, though the letter did not name them. "The 2023 ratings are preliminary and subject to appeal," the TEA noted. Morath urged the district to take "immediate and aggressive action" to improve student performance, adding that he would closely evaluate district leadership and operations in the coming months. FWISD literacy efforts underway Earlier this year, Fort Worth ISD and city leaders passed a literacy resolution aimed at helping more students read at grade level. Literacy rates have been described by local officials as a civic crisis, with only 43% of students currently meeting grade-level standards. "Public schools exist to ensure students grow academically, so they are prepared to be engaged, productive citizens in our country. Schools must be safe and loving," Morath wrote. "They must also teach academic knowledge and skills—and do so successfully. I know of no school system leader, be it a school board member or a superintendent, who doesn't desire for students to thrive. But if that desire does not translate into student learning, the only moral response is to change practices." Morath is expected to make a final decision on possible state intervention after appeals are resolved in August. CBS News Texas has reached out to Fort Worth ISD for comment and is awaiting a response.
