Northwest ISD reviews 2023–24 Texas Academic Performance Report; TAPR shows high participation and growth

Doctor Despone, a district presenter, gave a public‑hearing briefing on the Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR), which compiles PEIMS and student assessment data for each district and campus.

The TAPR covers student groups, staff and program information, STAAR performance by three performance levels (Approaches, Meets, Masters), academic growth measures (reading and math for grades 4–8, English I and II, and Algebra I), accelerated learning (students who improved from non‑passing in 2023 to Approaches or higher in 2024), bilingual student STAAR performance, and participation rates. “TAPR is always a year behind,” Doctor Despone said, and noted that College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR) metrics are reported with an additional lag.

The presentation summarized key district takeaways and comparative data. NISD hit a 99% STAAR participation rate for the reporting year. At the Approaches, Meets and Masters performance levels, the district performed above Region 11 and the state across grade levels and content areas. The district also outperformed the state and Region 11 on growth measures in 2024, Doctor Despone said.

Doctor Despone reviewed CCMR and postsecondary indicators reported on TAPR: CTE coherent sequences, certifications, dual‑credit completion, military enrollment and other postsecondary measures. He reported that more graduates in 2024 earned an associate degree and industry‑based certifications and completed OnRamps courses than in 2023, and that the district saw a very slight decline in the four‑year graduation rate but a decline in dropout rates.

District snapshot data highlighted enrollment counts and program growth. Doctor Despone said that the district counted 2,430 10th‑grade students on the snapshot date (the last Friday in October) and that NISD served about 550 more bilingual‑education students and over 700 more special‑education students in 2024 than in 2023 — changes the presenter described as creating additional workload for a fast‑growth district.

On college enrollment, Doctor Despone said that, for the most recent cohort tracked, 766 of 1,776 graduates enrolled at Texas two‑ or four‑year institutions (the count excludes military, trade schools and out‑of‑state enrollments). He pointed meeting attendees to TAPR PDFs on the district website and TEA dashboards for full detail and said a hard copy of the report is available on request.

No public questions were recorded during the hearing.