Victoria ISD reports strong CCMR outcomes, near‑100% graduation rates; district to cover parent dual‑credit tuition share

Jake Salcinas, a district staff presenter, told the Victoria ISD Board of Trustees on Sept. 18 that the district’s 2024 graduates recorded strong college‑, career‑and‑military‑readiness results while the state’s accountability rules are increasing the bar for future cohorts.

"CCMR or college, career, and military readiness, how a student earns CCMR is through a variety of different ways," Salcinas said as he introduced the district’s data. He told trustees the district’s strongest area was industry‑based certifications (IBCs), with campus rates varying and a district IBC rate of 68.4 percent among 2024 graduates.

Salcinas said Victoria ISD’s overall CCMR accountability score would be an 89 if the district were treated as one campus under the state metric. He also reported graduation rates near 100 percent for the high schools: Victoria East at 99.5 percent, Victoria West at 99.4 percent, Victoria Success Academy at 97.2 percent, and a district wide rate of 98.2 percent.

Why it matters: CCMR is a component of Texas Education Agency (TEA) accountability that affects district ratings and, in this case, revenue. Salcinas said TEA now ties outcome‑based bonuses to CCMR performance and that Victoria ISD’s projected TEA payment related to CCMR rose to just over $300,000 for the year shown in the presentation.

The district plans to use a portion of the increased funding to cover parent costs for dual‑credit tuition that had previously been paid by families. "We had other parents who were paying for tuition based on that increase. We're going to take the $30,000 that parents were paying and we're going to pay the parent portion of that tuition," a district administrator said during the report.

Salcinas and other administrators described a multiyear state phase‑in that raises the requirements for some IBC‑based CCMR credit. Under the current TEA transition, students who earn certain industry certifications must also be CTE completers — a specified sequence of career and technical education courses — for the credential to count for CCMR. Salcinas said that change tightens the standard and will require coordinated course pathways and monitoring across counseling, CTE staff and campus administrators.

Campus IBC highlights in the presentation included West at about 71 percent IBC attainment and Victoria Success Academy at about 78 percent; the presenter summarized district‑level metrics as a strong showing on career readiness with further work planned to lift college‑readiness indicators such as SAT/ACT/TSIA and dual‑credit participation.

Superintendent Koyaso and trustees praised the high graduation rates and the cross‑district work it requires. The administration also noted ongoing growth in dual‑credit enrollment: the district reported 100 more dual‑credit students than at the same time last year and 2,925 college‑level course enrollments being tracked this fall.

Salcinas told the board that the higher TEA bar for CCMR will require sustained effort in course sequencing and monitoring: "...kids have to take a lot of specific coursework in the same program of study and pass their IBC in order to be eligible."

Looking ahead, the administration flagged an upcoming TEA visit about assessment changes related to House Bill 8 and said the district is expanding partnerships with Victoria College and Texas A&M University–Victoria to grow dual‑credit pathways.

Ending: Trustees offered brief congratulations to staff for the results and discussed using the CCMR momentum to inform district improvement goals and budget priorities for the coming year.