Tomball ISD's chief academic officer told board members on Aug. 11 that the district expects to maintain an A accountability rating and described sustained high performance across STAAR subjects, while explaining how state acceleration policy changed grade 7 test participation.

Topline findings
- Dr. Michael Webb told the board the district "maintained an A rating" in the reporting period and that the Texas Education Agency had released 2023 results and would release additional ratings that week. He described Tomball ISD performance as "sustained at a very high level."
- Algebra I, high school end‑of‑course exams (English I/II) and grades 3–8 math and reading were highlighted as areas of strong performance; the presentation noted Tomball ranked first regionally among competitive districts in Algebra I and in several middle‑school math measures.

Seventh‑grade testing and acceleration
Webb explained that a recent state law implementing accelerated pathways changed how districts test students in Grade 7. Under the model referenced, students placed in accelerated tracks (for example, sixth‑grade TAP leading into eighth‑grade standards in Grade 7) take the higher‑grade assessment. The result is fewer students taking the Grade 7 STAAR and a split between "on‑level" Grade 7 testers and accelerated students taking the Grade 8 assessment. Webb emphasized that this makes inter‑district comparisons more complex and that Tomball's practice resulted in a larger number of Grade 7 students taking the Grade 8 assessment because of acceleration.

Other notable data points
- Webb said 36% of the district's eighth graders scored a perfect 10 on the English constructed‑response portion used by TEA, and that reading and writing measures showed strong growth, including double‑digit gains for students with disabilities in English I approaches.
- Elementary and middle school math (grades 3–8 excluding grade 7 for the comparison) showed gains; grade 3 math moved from a projected B to a projected A designation in the measures Webb presented.

Appeals and scoring
Webb said the district continues to submit appeals on constructed response (ECR) and TELPAS (English language proficiency) scoring, but appeals have declined as TEA's hybrid/AI scoring has stabilized; he reported fewer appeals this year compared with previous years and that many appeals have been overturned in the district's favor.

Discussion vs. decisions
The presentation was informational; no board votes were taken. Webb said TEA would publish final accountability ratings imminently and the district anticipated receiving the A rating again.

Ending note
Board members applauded district staff and asked for the presentation to be used in parent communications; Webb and board members stressed the results were the product of district culture and instruction rather than test‑focused practices.