Forney ISD receives 'A' Financial rating from TEA, drops to 'B' in Academics

FORNEY, Texas — Earlier this week, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released its campus and district accountability ratings — the first issuance since 2019 due to two years of COVID-19-realted pauses.

Statewide, according to the TEA, ratings are up since the last issuance, reflecting improvements in student academic growth rates

"1,195 districts and 8,451 campuses were rated this year, with returns showing promising signs of progress in Texas’s efforts to catch students up academically," read a statement from the TEA. "Driven by significant gains in student academic growth, 2022 saw 25% of districts and 33% of campuses improve their letter grade from 2019. 18% of high-poverty campuses in Texas were rated an A, continuing to prove that demographics do not equal destiny."

“These results show our state’s significant investment in the post-pandemic academic recovery of Texas public school students is bearing fruit,” stated Texas Education Commissioner, Mike Morath. “I’m grateful for the driving force behind this year’s success: our teachers and local school leaders."

"Statewide policy in Texas continues to remain focused on meeting the needs of students, with an accountability system that supports high expectations, robust tutoring supports, rigorous curricular resources, and an investment in evidence-based training for our teachers,” continued Morath.

The A-F accountability system was established in the 85th Texas Legislature by House Bill 22 to provide educators, parents, and communities with a transparent view of the academic performance of Texas public schools based on three domains: Student Achievement, School Progress, and Closing the Gaps.

This year, Senate Bill 1365 allowed districts and campuses to receive A, B, C, or Not Rated. Previously schools could receive D and F ratings which now both fall under the Not Rated. Statewide, 42 districts and 564 campuses fell under the 70 score and were assigned Not Rated.

According to TEA data, in 2019 Forney ISD was assigned an A rating with a score of 90 — An improvement from an 87, or a B rating, in 2018. Overall ratings were not assigned during the 2019-20 or 2020-21 school years. The 2021-22 school year score was an 81, or a B, according to data released by the agency on Monday.

Under the Student Achievement category, Forney ISD scored an 81. This category measures whether students met expectations on the STAAR test. It also measures graduation rates and how prepared students are for success after high school.

Under the School Progress category, Forney ISD scored an 82. School Progress shows how students perform over time and how the district's performance compares to other districts with similar economically disadvantaged student populations.

And, under the Closing the Gaps category, Forney ISD scored an 80. Closing the Gaps tells us how well a district is ensuring that all student groups are successful.

The district scored a 96, or an A, on its Financial rating.

The state's school financial accountability rating system is called the School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST). It ensures that Texas public schools are held accountable for the quality of their financial management practices and that they improve those practices. FIRST is designed to encourage Texas public schools to better manage their financial resources to provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes.

Each individual campus was also designated a rating, see below:

For more information and to view the 2022 accountability ratings for other districts and campuses, visit TXschools.gov. Users can search for schools using an address and even compare schools across selected data points.