Texas school ratings may hide reading woes. Parents, ask these questions | Opinion
It seems like such a great idea: We give students grades to indicate whether they’ve learned the material, so why not give schools grades to show whether they’re effectively teaching it?
To that end, the Texas Education Agency has released its school ratings for 2025. Both the Fort Worth and Dallas districts have improved, with more schools earning “A” ratings and fewer receiving “F” ratings. That’s undeniably good news, and we should be pleased that progress is being made.
But as the group Go Beyond Grades reminds us, we need to interpret student grades with caution. In a recent survey, 86% of Tarrant County parents believed their children were reading at grade level. In reality, only about 50% are. Why the disconnect? Because their children bring home As and Bs on their report cards, even when they’re not reading at grade level. The takeaway: parents need to ask specific questions about reading proficiency, rather than assuming letter grades tell the whole story.
So, when you see a big banner outside your child’s school that says, “Rated A by the TEA,” should you be confident that students there are being taught to read?
Let’s look at two Fort Worth schools that received “A” ratings this year. At one, 86% of third graders read at grade level. An “A” rating seems well deserved. At the other, only 33% of third graders reached that standard. Yes, there’s an “A” rated school where two-thirds of third graders are not reading at grade level. Yikes.
There are 46 schools in FWISD where 33% or fewer third graders are reading at grade level. Of those, one was rated “A”, eight were rated “B” and only seven were rated “F.” This wide discrepancy shows us that what we learned from Go Beyond Grades about report cards applies to school ratings as well.
We cannot assume that a high grade for a school means children are learning to read. We need to ask specific questions.
As parents, we know that reading is the most important skill our children need to succeed in school and in life. The TEA uses other measures to determine school ratings, such as “school progress” and “closing the gaps.” These are valuable for districts, but should they matter to you as a parent?
If your primary concern is reading, don’t be distracted by other indicators. The question to ask your school’s principal is simple: How many of your third graders scored at the “meets grade level” standard on the STAAR reading test? If the answer is less than 80%, follow up: What is your school doing to improve reading instruction? And how can I be sure my child will learn to read?
Robert Rogers is a local physician and president of The Reading League Texas, which advocates for improved reading instruction in the state.
