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Bryan ISD leaders outline how STAR2, accountability changes affect district and propose new local assessments
Summary
District teaching-and-learning leaders told the board that Texas'''s new STAR2 assessment and revised A'''through-F calculations make year-to-year letter-grade comparisons unreliable; staff said Bryan ISD is leaning away from MAP in grades 3'''012, pursuing lower-cost STAR2-like item banks, and awarded grants for instructional coaching.
Dr. Barbara Ybarra, Bryan ISD'''s associate superintendent for teaching and learning, told trustees that the state'''s updated assessment (STAR2) and revamped A'''through-F accountability system fundamentally changed both item types and rating calculations, which can produce lower letter grades even when student outcomes improve.
Ybarra said STAR2 introduces technology-enhanced items (drag-and-drop, inline choice, highlighting and embedded writing in grades 3 through high'''school), and that the agency adjusted indicators and cut points for the accountability system. She said the district'''s prior 86 (a B) would have been a 75 under the new methodology and noted the Texas Education Agency published preliminary "what-if" ratings to help districts compare under the new formulas.
The board played a recorded message from Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath explaining the rationale for the refresh and TEA'''s plan to publish hypothetical comparisons. Ybarra also summarized litigation that temporarily enjoined release of some ratings and said a court of appeals recently allowed release of 2023 results while other litigation remains pending related to the use of AI in scoring constructed responses.
Trustees and staff discussed local assessment strategy in response. Dr. Brian Merrill and Ms. Montoya described district changes to formative assessment practice, including removing the midyear MAP (NWEA) administration for grades 3'''012 because teachers and principals reported MAP no longer aligned closely to STAR2 item types; instead, the district will pilot or purchase STAR2-like item banks available via region service centers and embed more in-house benchmark tools. Staff estimated Bryan ISD currently spends about $250,000 annually on MAP; a combination of Skyward (student information system) and an enhanced Aware module in Eduphoria could provide comparable functionality at much lower cost (staff cited ~ $35,000 as a point of comparison).
Ybarra described several supports tied to the assessment work: a two-year Learning Acceleration Support Opportunity (LASO) grant the district received to provide coaching in intermediate and middle grades; a pending three-year Texas Strategic Leadership partnership through the region service center focused on instructional strategy and student experience; and an expanded on-site support model where central-office staff embed at campuses weekly to provide coaching and data-driven feedback.
The presentation emphasized that while formal letter grades may shift under new calculations, teachers and leaders are using item-level results to direct instruction, identify standards needing reinforcement, and develop campus-level improvement plans. Staff said materials ordered through TEA'''s EMAT system would arrive over the summer so teachers can use them before school begins.
