Keller ISD administrators on July 24 previewed preliminary STAAR (state) and EOC results and reviewed Advanced Placement participation and pass rates, while emphasizing the district’s use of MAP testing as a more actionable growth measure.

Why it matters: State STAAR results are released after the school year ends and do not measure interim growth; district leaders said MAP testing — administered three times a year — gives teachers actionable information sooner and supports in-year interventions.

What was presented: Jennifer Price (accountability) described STAAR performance categories (Approaches, Meets, Masters) and cautioned against simplistic social-media interpretations of results. She noted score processing timelines and the state’s use of automated scoring for short constructed responses, which can affect rescoring timelines and costs.

MAP testing and acceleration: Price and trustees discussed acceleration pathways (e.g., advanced math or English courses, students taking Algebra I or English I earlier) and how those pathways affect direct comparisons across grade-level STAAR cohorts. Price said MAP’s three-times-a-year feedback better captures student growth than STAAR’s single annual snapshot.

Projections and timing: The district used a vendor to project accountability ratings; administration said TEA will publicly release 2024 and 2025 accountability ratings on Friday, Aug. 15. Price said preliminary projections show some campuses moving between ratings, with the district projecting an overall rating of a B and two campuses projected in the D range (projections subject to TEA release).

Parent questions and policies: Trustees asked how parents should respond if a student shows classroom-level grades but low STAAR performance; administration emphasized MAP’s focus on growth and noted parents can opt out of STAAR in some cases. Board members urged communications that clarify differences between STAAR and MAP for parents.

Ending: Administrators said Keller ISD’s existing MAP program and planned communications ahead of Aug. 15 should help campuses, teachers and families understand results and focus on in-year supports.