HISD adding up to 40 failing schools to New Education System next year

HOUSTON – The Houston Independent School District is adding up to 40 more schools to its New Education System model in the 2024 academic school year, state-appointed superintendent Mike Miles announced Tuesday.

• SEE MORE: What is HISD’s New Education System schools?

The announcement came after the district released its 2022-2023 annual school ratings.

The data, which is usually released at the start of every new school year, was delayed due to the ongoing Texas Education Agency (TEA) lawsuit.

In October 2023, a Travis County judge temporarily blocked the Texas Education Agency from releasing the 2022-2023 annual school ratings after finding that the state’s new rating system is “unlawful and would harm districts across the state.”

• ORIGINAL STORY: Several school districts file lawsuit against TEA on recent changes to state’s public school accountability system

Currently, districts and their campuses are assigned an A to F grade based on student’s performance on the state’s standardized test, academic growth year-to-year, graduation rates, and how well schools prepare students for careers after high school.

“The data is calculated from the STAAR exam, the end-of-course exams, and college career military readiness data; and the state puts it together in an algorithm and uses a methodology to calculate the A through F rating,” Miles explained. “So basically, it’s based on last year’s STAAR.”

• RELATED: ‘We didn’t do well’: Houston ISD superintendent breaks down STAAR test results

Miles said the district used the data and methodology the state uses to calculate the ratings and letter grades for campuses, along with the district’s assessment, accountability, and compliance departments, to come up with this year’s ratings.

“We believe our numbers are very, very accurate,” Miles assured KPRC 2 reporter Candace Burns during a one-on-one interview.

• VOTE NOW: How do you feel about HISD’s decision to move up to 40 schools to the NES model?

According to the data, Houston ISD has 35 A-rated schools, 58 B-rated schools, 52 C-rated schools, 65 D-rated schools and 58 F-rated schools.

Miles said although the data was collected before he was appointed superintendent last year, the district used it to determine which schools it would add to the NES model in the fall of 2024, which includes six schools that received a low D-rating (60-64) and 20 schools that received an F-rating (59 or below) that are not already NES or NES-aligned campuses.

• SEE ALSO: Houston ISD asking for feedback on 2024-2025 school calendar options

NES was launched at 28 underperforming campuses in the fall of 2023, and in addition, 57 schools asked to be included in the NES model for the 2023-2024 academic school year. Those 57 schools are known as NES-aligned campuses. In the coming school year, Miles said the district will no longer have a distinction between NES and NES-aligned schools -- there will only be two kinds of campuses NES and non-NES.

“The ratings and letter grades released today are based on data from the 2022-2023 school year. While there were bright spots, the ratings generally show declining achievement,” said Miles. “The good news, though, is that this school year we are seeing encouraging signs of progress. Preliminary data from our mid-year exams this year indicate that achievement is improving. Additionally, the data from mid-year exams indicate that NES and NES-aligned campuses experienced higher academic growth than our non-NES campuses. This is especially important because, on the whole, our NES and NES-aligned schools are further behind academically. HISD won’t turn things around overnight, but we are on the right path.”

The NES schools also receive more support.

“Those schools receive teacher apprentices, learning coaches. They have curriculum identified and prepared for them, they have copy clerks, they have higher salaries, (and) they have… (an instructional model) that helps differentiate the instruction for kids. They have a lot of supervision and support,” Miles said.

Schools That Will Join the NES In 2024-2025

In addition to the 26 schools that will become NES campuses, Miles said another 24 schools -- those with a high D (65 to 69) -- that are not already NES or NES-aligned campuses will have the option to become an NES campus. The principal of each school will have until Feb. 7 to let the district know if it is interested in becoming an NES campus. Miles said the district will only accept 14 campuses, which will be announced on Feb. 9.

Schools Eligible for NES Consideration

Miles said that the low ratings do not come as a shock to him, adding that back in June, TEA released preliminary data, which showed at least 80 HISD schools with failed ratings.

• RELATED: Houston ISD’s number of D and F-rated schools much higher than in past years, Superintendent Miles says

“We already knew that when compared to 2022, when there were 10 or 11 D and F schools, we were going to drastically increase it. But anyone who has been paying attention knows that the academic achievement in the district has been declining for several years so it was going to be a lot more D and F schools,” Miles said.

Teachers who are currently at the campuses that will take on the NES model in the fall, according to Miles, will not have to re-apply for their jobs like teachers did this school year, but he said they will go through a “proficiency screening.”

“In all 85 (NES campuses), plus up to 40 schools, we will do a proficiency screening,” Miles said. “So, we are going to look at their mid-year data, their spot observations, we’re going to look at their professionalism and teamwork, and we’re going to determine where on the scale they fall; and they have to be proficient or higher to stay. If they are ‘progressing 2,’ almost proficient, then that’ll be up to the principal whether they keep them or not.”

The state-appointed superintendent said teachers who are not deemed proficient or progressing 2, will have to “find a job in the rest of the district (non-NES campuses) until their evaluation comes out.”

• SEE ALSO: Houston ISD officially becomes District of Innovation

“If you are evaluated as ‘unsatisfied’ in the district, you will not have a job in the district next year,” Miles said.

Despite the negative feedback regarding the NES model, Miles said data shows the system is working for the district.

“The combination of data and the direct observation and listening to executive directors and principals, I can say it’s going well,” Miles said. “We put out several times that the discipline issues in the district are down tremendously, and the NES school in particular are down a lot. Teacher absentees are down. We had a decrease of 53% in high absenteeism for teachers, so more teachers are coming to work.”

MORE COVERAGE ON HOUSTON ISD SINCE THE STATE TAKEOVER:

• Houston ISD’s number of D and F-rated schools much higher than in past years, Superintendent Miles says
• HISD adds 57 schools to the New Education System (NES) initiative aimed to help transform campuses
• First look inside Fleming Middle School, the HISD campus KPRC 2 will spend a year chronicling
• ‘I don’t like that 10-minute timer’: Students express concerns with NES Model
• HISD Superintendent Mike Miles answers questions in first community meeting
• HISD shares list of principals chosen for 28 ‘priority schools’ under new reform program
• Who is Mike Miles? Texas Education Agency picks Houston ISD superintendent, commencing state takeover
• Focus on Fleming: HISD looks to reduce achievement gap between students
• Focus on Fleming Middle School: What campus life is like under state takeover
• ‘I want to make an impact’: Fleming MS principal says he’s happy to be part of changes implemented at his school