Texas Education Agency Set to Make Public 2024 School Performance Ratings Following Court Decision

A Texas appeals court has permitted the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to disclose its 2024 performance ratings for the state’s school districts, thereby overturning an earlier ruling in a legal dispute that has persisted for almost two years. Multiple Texas school districts had contested the release of the previous year's accountability scores, voicing concerns over the use of an automated system to evaluate standardized tests.On July 3, the 15th Court of Appeals—comprised entirely of Republicans appointed by Governor Greg Abbott—approved the release of the upcoming scores, following a similar decision for the 2023 ratings in April. The court stated there was "no evidence" that releasing the 2024 ratings exceeded the commissioner's authority. Chief Justice Scott Brister underscored the importance of the accountability system for evaluating public school performance in Texas.School ratings have been a contentious issue, with the TEA enacting more rigorous benchmarks, particularly for high school graduation outcomes. The statewide standardized test, STAAR, has been redesigned to minimize multiple-choice questions, now utilizing automated scoring for written responses. The outcome of the prior lawsuits and the court's latest ruling will shape the landscape of Texas education accountability.