Hello Abilene ISD families,
We believe in being accountable to you for providing a high-quality, holistic education for your children. Our daily goal is to empower students and teachers in classrooms with innovative approaches to teaching and learning beyond preparing for standardized tests. We’re also committed to transparency with our school community. We need every Abilene resident to feel confident standing with us, and that starts with being open and honest about our schools. That’s why we want to share as much information as we can with you regarding our district and school accountability ratings from the Texas Education Agency and our in-progress plans and bold actions to make AISD the best place to learn and work in the Big Country.
On Thursday, the TEA plans to publish 2023 A-F accountability system ratings for all public schools and districts in Texas, along with ratings for 2022 that have been recalculated using the new rules established in 2023. These ratings were previously withheld from public release due to legal action taken by 121 Texas school districts after the TEA abruptly changed how accountability scores were calculated. The new accountability rules made the STAAR test significantly more difficult for our students to pass and also adjusted scoring criteria to the extent that far fewer Texas public schools would receive favorable ratings. For example, the updated system dramatically reduces the positive impact of crucial non-STAAR student achievements on our final A-F ratings, including graduation rate and college, career, and military readiness.
Our school district has work to do:
For 2024, we project that AISD will receive an overall accountability rating of 70, which the TEA equates to a letter grade of C.
For 2023, the TEA confirmed that AISD will receive an official rating of 72.
For 2022, AISD received an official rating of 75. According to the TEA, if our 2022 district rating was recalculated by their new rules, it would change to a 69.
These ratings represent a baseline for the future of Abilene ISD. We are under new leadership with a new vision, and we are committed to getting this right. We owe it to you, Abilene – our students, parents, families, teachers, staff, and community – to provide a high-quality education and the best learning experiences possible in outstanding schools. That’s what we will do.
In fact, positive change that will revolutionize how teaching and learning happen across AISD schools is already here. This year, AISD expanded access to advanced academic and dual credit opportunities via partnerships with local universities, including launching a program that makes it possible for AISD students to earn a college Associate’s Degree while still in high school. We recently announced that we received $1.78 million in grant funding from the TEA specifically supporting high-quality teaching and the expansion of advanced learning models. Mann Middle School has already been reimagined as Mann STEAM Academy, and Bowie, Purcell, and Ward elementaries will all begin major innovation programs in 2025-26. A pilot program in 2025-26 will introduce parental choice in selected AISD elementary schools through our Circles initiative, which we plan to expand district-wide in 2026-27. We are also proud to share that a record 92 AISD teachers have successfully entered the TEA’s Teacher Incentive Allotment program, which recognizes and financially rewards the very best instructors in the state for their success in driving student growth and achievement.
We want you to know that we have high expectations for our schools, our students, and ourselves. This letter mentions just a few examples of initiatives already in progress to help our district meet the Board’s guiding goal of having 75% or more of our students in A- or B-rated schools within the next five school years. Every AISD student should have the opportunity to become a critical thinker equipped to approach problems with creativity, initiative, and a strong work ethic. That means AISD schools must be places where students can grow intellectually, emotionally, and socially so that they can be successful now and in the future. That is our commitment to you.
Thank you for your continued support of Abilene ISD.
Sincerely,
Dr. John Kuhn
AISD Superintendent
Angie Wiley
AISD Board President