LA JOYA ISD presents TAPR: district reports verified AB accountability rating, financial ‘A’

LA JOYA ISD trustees heard the annual Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) during a public hearing, where district staff said the report shows the district is accredited for 2022–23, has a verified accountability rating of AB (84) and received a financial rating of A for superior achievement.

The TAPR presentation matters because the report summarizes prior-year academic and financial performance that informs families, staff and state oversight, and because the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has placed release of A–F accountability ratings on hold this cycle pending legislative and administrative activity.

District and assessment staff told the board the TAPR is a statutory requirement under state code and that the full report and supporting files (PEIMS financials, violent-incident reports, campus performance objectives and postsecondary results) will be posted on the district website and the assessment department’s site. "The Texas Education Code, sub chapter 39.306, does require that every district publish that annual report, hold a public hearing of the annual report, and widely disseminate that annual report throughout the district," said Ms. Flores of the district assessment team.

Staff said TEA did not issue A–F ratings for 2023–24 and therefore the TAPR notes accreditation for the 2022–23 year. Ms. Flores told the board LA JOYA ISD’s financial accountability was rated A (superior achievement). She also reported the district’s internally verified accountability rating would have been AB with a verified score of 84, based on the three domains TEA uses: student achievement, student progress and closing the gaps.

"Our current verified accountability rating with TEA is AB. And that is a verified score of an 84," Ms. Flores said. Sebastian Duque, the district’s director of assessment and accountability, reviewed the performance comparisons and trends, saying the district "grew or we maintained our prior year's performance, while the state only maintained their performance in reading. They actually regressed in math, science, and social studies." Duque noted that at the meets level La Joya ISD led the region and state in math performance.

Staff also highlighted career, college and military readiness (CCMR) results: the district outpaced the region and state in career and military-ready graduates but said it lagged in college-ready indicators and that more work will be required to close that gap. Duque and Flores noted many certification and advanced assessments are still being administered; Duque said some certification testing continues into June and that those results can change annual CCMR figures. Staff said the district is working toward its House Bill 3 CCMR goal (reported by staff as a 93 percent target) and did not foresee major obstacles to reaching that target given pending certification results.

Staff reported specific benchmark figures for early grades: third-grade reading met level at 26 percent with a goal of 42 percent; third-grade math meets at 18 percent of a 36 percent goal; and eighth-grade reading met level at 40 percent of a 49 percent goal. The presentation also covered special education determination (staff said the district meets requirements) and other TAPR components.

The board asked no follow-up questions during the public hearing and no members of the public offered comments; the hearing was closed after the presentation and the links to the full TAPR were described as posted to the district and assessment websites.

The presentation was delivered as an informational public hearing; no board action was taken on the report.

Sources: Presentation to the LA JOYA ISD Board of Trustees by Ms. Flores and Sebastian Duque, Director of Assessment and Accountability; Texas Education Code citation provided during the hearing.