Criticized for poor performance, Fort Worth ISD fought back. They released state data on their performance this past school year. The district is up six points getting a “C” overall but also had fewer failing schools and a significant increase in campuses rated an A or B. Education reporter Wayne Carter went to those classrooms to talk to the district’s teachers about the progress, and the road ahead.
EM Daggett Elementary in South Fort Worth is one of the oldest schools in Fort Worth ISD, and the last time TEA gave grades, it was one of the worst performing schools.
"Overall score was a 61. That's like two points from an 'F' campus," said Sara Gillespie, the school's new principal.
Teachers said a new focus on what the district calls Tier 1 instruction changed things at Daggett. Kids are frequently tested on their knowledge and grouped in tables with kids at their levels.
"In those small groups, I can see where they need more refinement, where I need to plug in, where I need to put more of their digital lessons geared towards, you know, wherever that weakness is," said Patty Gill, who teaches math at the school.
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This school didn't have many extracurricular activities or clubs, things to make school more fun. They have added those in now, too. Daggett is no longer two points away from an "F" but two-tenths of a point away from an "A."
"I don't guess we ever expected we would almost make "A," but we're two-tenths of a point from being an A-rated campus," said Gillespie.
Nearly 40 Fort Worth ISD schools jumped a whole letter grade this year, 11 jumped two letter grades. Remember this is a test that is radically redone, graded by computers, and other school districts are critical of it. But Fort Worth ISD appears to have improved.
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"The data doesn't lie. So we're seeing growth. We're seeing that we're trending in the right direction," said Angelica Ramsey, superintendent of the Fort Worth ISD. She's proud of their progress but is also a bit reserved, acknowledging the test results are just one lap in a long race.
"We need to get to a place where we are exceeding what the national averages are for numeracy and literacy. We're not there yet, and so it's hard to beat your chest and say, 'Yay,' because we have not arrived. We are doing great work every single day, and if we continue in [the] trajectory we're going, we absolutely are going to," he said.
The news comes after tense words from Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker demanding the schools do better.
She had a point. While the most recent scores show improvement, the district still lags behind its peers as it has for decades.
In 2022, the district scored a "B," but had numbers been released in 2023, they would have scored a "D." Now they're up to a "C." It's worth remembering, however, that the TEA redesigned the tests, making it much harder to earn higher grades and much harder, if not impossible, to compare scores from one year to the next.
"We are showing progress. When I go into the schools, they're happy. Principals are skipping. Let me show you this. Let me show you what our kids have done," said Fort Worth ISD board member Camille Rodriguez.
The teachers at Daggett Elementary said for years the district forced them to teach a certain way. Lately, they've been given more freedom to do what they think works.
"The power with my colleagues has always been here, and I just think that change in leadership definitely empowered us," said Gill.
Time will tell whether these gains are a "brief bump" or if they will have a lasting impact on the Fort Worth ISD.
