AI scoring errors on STAAR exams lead Arlington ISD to appeal school A-F ratings
The Arlington Independent School District is appealing its A-F accountability ratings after the Texas Education Agency released them publicly on Friday, according to the district’s superintendent.
Superintendent Matt Smith informed school board members recently that a snag in the district’s rescoring process for its state test results, which Arlington ISD has been undergoing with TEA over the summer, yielded inaccurate 2025 A-F accountability ratings. The district contends that portions of the STAAR test, or the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, calculated by artificial intelligence resulted in lower scores for students. The state’s A-F accountability ratings provide a snapshot of how campuses and districts are performing, with a heavy emphasis on STAAR test results.
After the district resubmitted student tests in June that Arlington ISD officials said warranted a rescoring by humans, TEA told the district in late July there was an issue on the agency’s end that would prevent the new calculations from being included in the latest accountability ratings, Smith said. As a result, Arlington ISD planned to appeal the scores once they were formally released last week, and the district has already notified TEA of its plans.
Arlington ISD and TEA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“The good news in this is that in grades 3-8, in the data we’ve gotten back so far, 25% of our students saw an increase in their performance. So 25% — one-quarter — of the tests that we submitted to them… should have received a higher score after they were scored by humans, which is a concerning situation,” Smith told the school board during an Aug. 7 meeting.
Smith noted that scores for STAAR EOCs, or end-of-course tests that high schoolers take, saw a 16% increase.
Five of Arlington ISD’s campuses received lower A-F ratings than they deserved Friday, but the district’s overall C rating stayed the same, district officials said.
WFAA-TV reported that the district spent over $200,000 for more than 4,000 tests to be rescored by humans.
“It is disheartening to think that an AI-generated product is impacting student learning and school district accountability in a way that it is right now, but that’s the reality that we’re living with,” Smith said at the board meeting.
“We’re not afraid of accountability. We want to be held accountable, but we also want to make sure that we’re held accountable in a fair, productive and, I would say, accurate way because this is obviously concerning with that data,” he added.
Arlington ISD schools get more As and Bs
On Friday, Arlington ISD officials said in a news release that the district’s A-rated schools doubled, and its F-rated schools declined from 14 to 9. Those results didn’t include the 4,370 rescoring requests submitted by the district, “which were submitted on time and with full documentation.” District officials expect additional student growth to be reflected after the appeals process is completed.
“While we are proud of the measurable progress across our district, these official scores are strong, but they don’t yet show the complete picture of our students’ gains,” Superintendent Smith said in Friday’s statement. “Our rescore analysis shows clear improvement, and we are committed to making sure those results are recognized.”
Here’s how Arlington ISD campuses’ A-F grades changed from 2024 to 2025, not including the rescoring data:
- A: Increased from 3 campuses to 6
- B: Increased from 16 campuses to 22
- C: Stayed the same with 20 campuses for both years
- D: Decreased from 19 campuses to 15
- F: Decreased from 14 campuses to 9
This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 2:56 PM.
