Preliminary results from the latest State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness show Dallas ISD students are making meaningful academic gains across grade levels and subjects.
In addition to growth on grade-level assessments, Dallas ISD students scored at or above the state average in several STAAR End-of-Course categories.
These results were recently presented to the Board of Trustees at the latest briefing.
“This is something to really be proud of – kudos to the leadership team for executing from top down,” said Trustee Byron Sanders. “We’re innovating. We’re moving forward, and no one is resting on our laurels. We all see and notice this growth.”
Across all tested subjects, the percentage of students approaching grade-level expectations increased four percentage points, from 69% to 73%. Even more notably, the percentage of students achieving the Meets grade level standard rose six points, from 44% to 50%, while students reaching the Masters grade level standard increased four points, from 19% to 23%.
The results reflect continued progress toward ensuring more Dallas ISD students are not only passing state assessments but also demonstrating a deeper understanding of grade-level content and readiness for future academic success.
The district recorded gains across all performance levels in both overall reading/language arts and overall mathematics.
Reading and language arts performance improved across nearly every grade level tested, with middle school students posting some of the strongest gains. Seventh-grade reading showed a five-point increase at the Approaches level and a five-point increase at the Masters level.
Mathematics results demonstrated similar momentum.
Overall math performance increased four percentage points at the Approaches level, five points at Meets, and two points at Masters. Sixth-grade mathematics posted some of the district’s largest gains, with Approaches performance increasing six percentage points and Meets performance rising seven percentage points.
Trustees noted the gains were especially significant given Dallas ISD’s student demographics, which differ from the state as a whole.
“Our demographics don’t look like the state, and we are able to outperform what the state is doing,” Trustee Lance Currie said. “The belief that students like ours can’t compete, learn, and grow is definitively false.”
As these scores continue to be finalized, it is important to continue the innovative work the district has done to maintain its growth, said Superintendent Stephanie S. Elizalde, Ed.D.
“It is this board’s unrelenting focus on academic achievement and high expectations that produced these results,” she said. “It doesn’t matter their background; all means all. Kids can be successful. When we provide resources, our kids can perform at all levels of excellence.”
These results are preliminary, pending final verification by the Texas Education Agency. Final STAAR results will be released at the end of July, with A-F accountability ratings being released in mid August.
