Greetings Falcons!
As we enter the fourth week of the 2023-2024 school year, we want to provide our community with important information about the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Accountability system. Starting in 2018, TEA has rated school districts across Texas using an A-F classification system. Last year, Royal ISD received a “B” rating. Following an overhaul of the accountability system school districts across Texas, including RISD, are now bracing for a declining state-assessed letter grades, just one year after many celebrated historically high ratings.
In the https://5il.co/23bqc2022-2023 school year, Royal students performed exceptionally across multiple areas including 88 CTE certifications, 1,756 college hours completed, 24 associate degrees, 18 AP courses, and a total of $1.22 million in scholarships. Royal celebrated state winners in track and field, a sweepstakes honor for band, 26 state SkillsUSA qualifiers with 11 first-place state honors, 3 state qualifiers in academic UIL, a Capturing Kids Hearts National Showcase School designation for Royal ECC, 2 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Art Competition auction qualifiers, and much more.
One of Royal ISD’s greatest strengths is our superior Career & Technical Education programs. Our Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) were celebrated with national honors:
- First in the nation in Spanish Children’s Literature (Junior Varsity)
- Second in the nation in Spanish Literature (Varsity)
- First in the nation in Interactive Bulletin Board (Junior Varsity)
- Second in the nation in International Bulletin Board (Varsity)
TEA Commissioner Mike Morath has said that the new accountability system has altered the way Career, College, and Military Readiness (CCMR) impacts a campus score. Under the new formula Royal High School, which was previously rated as an A in CCMR, is predicted to decline. In an even greater upset, these changes will be implemented retroactively, using data from 2021 and 2022 to track CCMR and thus impacting 2023 accountability rating. Superintendent Rick Kershner stated, “If three years ago Morath and TEA had shared there would be a giant change we could have prepared, although that would have been difficult while also navigating the pandemic. But this came out of nowhere. Our kids are being graded by something we had no chance to impact. This retroactive grading does not show the true strengths and talents of Royal ISD.”
Thank you to our Royal ISD community for understanding that our students are, and always will be, more than one test on one day. Our number one goal is instructional excellence and academic equity, so all students are provided with a high-quality education.
Rick Kershner
Royal Superintendent