Editor’s Note: A version of this story first appeared online following April 24’s TEA release at BanderaBulletin. com. For the latest breaking news, visit our website and follow our social media.
Leaders from both Bandera and Medina ISD emphasized their districts’ continued progress and improvement efforts in response to newly released state accountability ratings from the Texas Education Agency, who assigned both districts an overall grade of C for the 2022-23 school year.
Medina ISD Superintendent Lindsey Kunz addressed the rating in a letter to families on April 24 following TEA’s announcement, acknowledging that while the district’s score remained consistent with previous years, it came in the context of major changes to the evaluation criteria.
“While we are glad to be at the passing level, we know the improvements that have occurred and the strides that we have taken since this data was compiled by TEA,” Kunz wrote.
Those strides, she said, include a growing percentage of students meeting College, Career and Military Readiness standards, the addition of Food Manager, Veterinary Med, and Welding Certifications, hiring more qualified teachers and expanding intervention programs for targeted students.
In Bandera ISD, Chief Academic Officer Laura Klein responded to questions by noting that the rating reflects 2022–2023 student achievement data, and lagging College and Career Readiness data from the prior year.
“Our focus as a district continues to be student growth in all areas,” she said, pointing to expanded use of diagnostic tools, teacher training and classroom programs intended to raise achievement across grade levels.
Klein added that the district is preparing for future ratings to reflect its new fourday school week and that administrators are actively monitoring the impact of accountability standard changes to ensure equitable access to educational resources.
Regarding concerns about prominentlyAI-basedSTAAR test grading, Klein said teachers continue using TEA-provided rubrics to align instruction with expectations.
The accountability ratings, which assign letter grades from A to F, had been delayed by nearly two years following litigation over the redesigned STAAR test and revised scoring system.
According to TEA’s website, the system evaluates academic achievement, student progress, and preparedness for life after high school.
Bandera ISD earned a 79 out of 100, while Medina ISD received a 70.
TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said the A–F system remains a vital tool for measuring performance and setting goals.
For a breakdown of campus- level performance, visit the TEA’s official Texas School Report Cards website.
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