Austin ISD responds to 2022–23 STAAR-era accountability drop; district outlines supports and timeline change

Austin Independent School District leaders responded to the release of 2022–23 state accountability results, saying the district’s letter grade fell from a B in 2019 to a C in 2023, 30 campuses were identified as failing and 16 campuses dropped from a B to an F. Superintendent Matias Segura, Board President Lynn Boswell and other district and community leaders outlined steps the district has taken, additional supports they plan, and a changed timeline for a campus turnaround plan.

The release of the updated ratings reflects the first full set of districtwide scores since 2019 under a substantially changed testing and accountability system. "Take a moment to let that sink in. 233% increase in schools statewide rated as an f," Board President Lynn Boswell said, describing a statewide rise in F-rated campuses tied to the new system. Boswell added that the change in measurement "makes it easier for the state to take over public schools in communities as they have done in Houston."

Superintendent Matias Segura said the district is treating the ratings as an urgent prompt for action while emphasizing that "every single day Austin ISD educators are working hard to meet the needs of every single student." He noted that the 2022–23 scores reflect the same students and many of the same teachers from year to year and that the district must adapt to new assessment and accountability rules. Segura described steps already taken since 2023: "We've introduced historic raises for educators, stabilizing our campuses after significant turnover and learning loss during the pandemic," and the district has implemented multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) and used Title I funding to target instructional coaches.

Community leaders and campus staff described local impacts. Laurie Solis, president of the Austin Council of PTAs, said she was "not surprised students struggled with a brand new online test with completely new measuring standards" and urged volunteers and families to engage in schools and advocacy. Rodriguez Elementary Principal Monica Mills gave a campus-level example: "Our students are more than a test — our schools are more than a test," and described how the move to an all‑online, AI-graded assessment required students to demonstrate computer skills in addition to subject knowledge.

District officials described specific operational steps and deadlines. Segura said the district successfully advocated to adjust a federal turnaround-plan timeline for a campus identified for intervention (referred to in the meeting as the Adobe turnaround plan), moving the submission deadline from April 30 to June 30 to allow more time to prepare a plan that typically takes a year to produce. He said contracts placed before the board are intended to give the district the flexibility to access resources — for example to install modular classrooms or hire providers quickly — but added these are mechanisms to be used only if needed.

Leaders listed programmatic investments intended to raise absolute performance as well as growth: expanded pre-K, districtwide adoption of reading academies for early learners, content interventionists to provide targeted supports, instructional coaches allocated by need, and continued use of Proposition A bond funds. Boswell and others noted Proposition A — a $2,400,000,000 local bond approved by voters — is funding new campuses and facility improvements.

Officials also described challenges beyond classroom instruction that affect outcomes: high student mobility in the district (district leaders said at some of the highest-risk schools more than one in four students move during the school year) and health and uninsured‑child rates. The district highlighted a testing‑language transition concern: campuses that administer the STAAR in Spanish in elementary grades may show a rating impact when students take the test in English in middle school.

On district governance and next steps, Segura said trustees will meet in early May to consider priorities around possible consolidations and that the district will agree on a process and datasets before any consolidation decisions are finalized. No formal board vote or ordinance was recorded during the session on consolidations, contracts or other actions; the meeting recorded discussion and administrative direction.

District leaders repeatedly called for state funding increases and community support. Boswell said higher expectations must be paired with resources, and Solis urged families to volunteer, join PTAs and advocate at the state level. Segura said the district expects systems implemented in 2023–24 and 2024–25 to show stronger results as those investments mature.

A trustee meeting in early May will review consolidation priorities and the district’s planning cadence; district officials said they will use multiple data sets and an agreed process before recommending consolidation or other structural changes.