Round Rock ISD Earns 'A' In New Texas Education Agency Ratings

ROUND ROCK, TX — The Round Rock school district emerged as one of just a handful of Central Texas school districts of its size earning an "A" rating in overall performance under a new A-F grading system implemented by the Texas Education Agency on Wednesday.

The TEA posted the grades on its website Wednesday morning. In addition to the straightaway letter grading system, the new assessments label school districts as having either "met requirement" or note "improvement required."

Given the TEA reckoning, Round Rock ISD earned an A in the category of student achievement. But Round Rock ISD also scored a couple of Bs in in school progress and closing the gaps, according to the TEA report. A note was added to the assessment noting the district was performing "exceptionally well" in its post-secondary readiness.

Round Rock ISD was one of only six districts in the state with a student population over 40,000 to earn the top rating, the Round Rock Chamber noted in a statement on Wednesday reacting to the findings.

“These exemplary academic results indicate that RRISD is following through on their commitment to be a world-class school district,” Mike Odom, the chamber’s president and CEO, said. “It is obvious that they are focused on ensuring a top-flight education for every single child in our community. We applaud and thank them for this outstanding achievement.”

This is the first year that the new “A-F” accountability system has produced such district ratings. According to the TEA — the state agency tasked with overseeing the accumulation of data figuring into the grades — district ratings are calculated using the school’s score in three areas: student achievement; school progress; and closing the gaps.

The new letter grades come by virtue of House Bill 22 that came out of the 2017 legislative session. To help parents, educators, and community members understand the “A-F” system, TEA has established a new website, TXschools.org.

The Round Rock chamber noted the top grade comes on the heels of "similar tremendous results," highlighting one recent accolade. The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce recently announced the Round Rock ISD Class of 2018 had a college readiness score of 72 percent, which was the highest in the Central Texas area, chamber officials noted.

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