Brownsville ISD reports B-grade 2023 TEA rating; preliminary 2024 score up one point amid statewide testing changes

Brownsville Independent School District officials told the school board on May 6 that the district’s finalized 2023 Texas Education Agency accountability rating was a B (87) and that preliminary 2024 data put the district one point higher.

The presentation, given at the board’s regular meeting, reviewed how rapid statewide changes to the STAAR assessment and accountability framework produced sharp shifts in district and regional ratings between the 2021–22 and 2022–23 school years.

Ms. Hernandez, a district curriculum presenter, said the 2023 ratings had been delayed by litigation and then described the large policy and test changes the TEA implemented in 2022–23: testing moved fully online; 30% of items became technology-enhanced (drag-drop, fill-in), short constructed responses and writing were reintroduced, an automated scoring component expanded, cut points were changed in some subjects and the state tightened the College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR) standard substantially (from a 60 threshold in earlier guidance to an 88 threshold in 2023–24). She also said the state raised the graduation-rate scale and tightened eligibility for the alternate STAAR assessment used by some special education students.

The presentation showed Brownsville ISD earned an overall B in 2023, with school progress at 89 and a B in closing-the-gap measures (86). District staff said districts statewide saw steep rating shifts in 2022–23: the number of districts with an A statewide fell from 395 in 2021–22 to 128 in 2022–23, while D and F ratings reappeared on published reports after a pause related to Senate Bill 1365.

Superintendent Jesus Chavez, who prefaced the item, said he has “been supportive of the state test” throughout his career but criticized annual test changes, saying frequent modifications make consistent comparison and planning difficult. Trustees thanked teachers, principals and central-office teams for sustaining instruction and interventions through the testing changes.

District staff also shared that preliminary 2024 accountability figures — still under appeal or litigation at the state level — show Brownsville ISD one point higher than its final 2023 score. Ms. Hernandez said the district will keep working on device readiness, professional learning and intervention programs and will bring more detailed explanations of campus-level interventions back to the board later this month.

Why it matters: The A–F ratings influence public perception, state monitoring and eligibility for some state programs. Board members emphasized the district’s high proportions of economically disadvantaged students, bilingual learners and students receiving special education services as context for the performance data and urged continued investment in devices, personnel and supports.

What’s next: District staff said they will present more detailed, campus-level intervention and resource plans to the board in upcoming meetings and continue monitoring litigation and TEA updates.