A day after a judge blocked the release of the Texas Education Agency’s A-F school accountability grades, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath discussed challenges and needs in Texas education during a stop in Corpus Christi.
Morath was the keynote speaker at Tuloso-Midway Independent School District Education Foundation’s State of the District lunch, an annual event that highlights achievements and raises funds for teacher grants in the district.
Morath spoke Thursday about the state of public education in Texas, touching on a variety of topics from teacher pay and student achievement to accountability. Recently, some educators have expressed concerns about the state’s accountability system and the implementation of a new data reporting system.
Here are key takeaways from Morath’s remarks:
Educational quality
Morath said that $80 billion is spent on public education in Texas annually.
“The question is: Is it working?” Morath said. “How well are we doing?”
Morath shared data showing year-over-year changes in areas such as reading and math performance at various grade levels, showing areas where close to half of Texas students aren’t meeting grade-level expectations. But the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness is based on achievable standards for children, he said.