Hedley school gets ‘A’ rating from state

The Hedley School made the state’s ‘A’ list last week when the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released 2022 A–F accountability ratings for districts and campuses.

The state accountability rating was the first to be issued since 2019 due to two years of COVID-related pauses.

Hedley improved their rating from a high B in 2019 to an overall score of 95 this year, and Clarendon CISD maintained the B it received three years ago.

Hedley Superintendent Garrett Bains said the school received an A rating in every domain, including Student Achievement, School Progress, and Closing the Gaps.

“The kids and teachers did an awesome job, and we are very proud of them,” Bains said.

Hedley also received Distinction Designations in six categories – English, Language Arts & Reading (ELAR), Math, Science, Social Studies, Top 25 Comparison in Closing the Gaps, and Top 25 Comparison Post Secondary Readiness.

As a smaller school, Hedley received one rating for its entire district. Clarendon schools received a district rating as well as individual ratings for each campus.

Clarendon CISD received an overall 84 with B ratings in Student Achievement and School Progress and a C in Closing the Gaps. Clarendon High School also had an overall B with B ratings in Student Achievement and School Progress and a C in Closing the Gaps. Clarendon Junior High had a overall high B with an 89 and B ratings in Student Achievement and School Progress and an A in Closing the Gaps. Clarendon Elementary received an overall C and C ratings in all categories.

Clarendon Superintendent Jarod Bellar said he was proud of what the students have done in terms of accountability and said the state is constantly modifying its standards.

“It’s an ever-changing system,” Bellar said. “When they come out with the rules, we have to adjust – sometimes on the fly.”

Bellar also said last year’s fourth graders had never tested before due to COVID, and he said he believed the pandemic had definitely had an impact on the scores.

“This is the most normal year we’ve had since I’ve been here, and now we’re being inundated with safety requirements,” Bellar said.

Going forward both Bellar and Bains said their schools would look at areas for improvement and ways to boost students ahead of next spring’s state tests.

Statewide, 1,195 districts and 8,451 campuses were rated this year, with returns showing promising signs of progress in Texas’ efforts to catch students up academically. Driven by significant gains in student academic growth, 2022 saw 25 percent of districts and 33 percent of campuses improve their letter grade from 2019. Eighteen percent 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,” said 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.”

Established by House Bill 22 during the 85th Texas Legislature, the A–F accountability system provides 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, to align with Senate Bill 1365, districts and campuses received an A, B or C rating or were assigned a label of Not Rated: Senate Bill 1365, both overall and in each domain. This Not Rated: Senate Bill 1365 label was applied when the domain or overall scaled score for a district or campus was less than 70. 42 districts and 564 campuses received this label.

To view the 2022 ratings for schools, visit TXschools.gov.