Texas has spent the past decade retooling how it grades schools, most notably by tying ratings to whether graduates are “college, career, and military ready” (CCMR). The reality of what should be a broader definition of success is more complicated, according to the Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC) study from Rice University’s Kinder Institute.
Per the report, frequent rule changes, learning loss triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, and a gap between equity and opportunity have contributed to the failure to close the achievement gap for economically disadvantaged students.
“College and career readiness policy matters because it defines how schools allocate limited resources. It dictates whether students have access to advanced courses, college prep opportunities, or career preparation programs,” said Gabriela Sanchez-Soto, a researcher with Rice University’s Kinder Institute and one of the authors of the study. “By defining what districts are accountable for, the Texas Education Agency is also defining what educational opportunities will be prioritized for our students.”
When did things change?
The research examines the evolution of the Texas education system, which has transitioned from a heavily test-based approach to the A-F accountability framework launched in 2017-18. This framework distributes the CCMR metrics across three domains: student achievement, school progress, and closing the gaps…