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Richardson ISD leaders frame 2024 STAR results as complex but promising; district outperforms county and state in many areas
Summary
District staff told trustees that new STAR 2.0 test formats and a redesigned A–F methodology make year-to-year comparisons unreliable, but highlighted gains including a rise in advanced-level students and preliminary increases in emergent bilingual exit eligibility; trustees pressed staff on subgroup gaps and supports.
Superintendent Branham and district assessment leaders presented Richardson ISD’s preliminary STAR (STAAR) results for 2023–24, stressing that changes to the test and the state's rating methodology make 2024 ratings not directly comparable to prior years. Gina, a lead presenter, said the district “performed 2 points above the state and 7 points above Dallas County” overall and noted pockets of growth and areas needing work.
District staff highlighted several positive measures: the share of students reaching the district’s highest performance band rose to 13% (up from 9% in 2023), end‑of‑course (EOC) scores improved in four of five tested high‑school courses, and preliminary data showed the number of students eligible to exit bilingual immersion increased markedly (from 131 in 2023 to 957 in district preliminary counts). Presenters also flagged a 57%‑to‑79% jump in CCMR (college, career and military readiness) between the class of 2022 and the class of 2023 as an important accomplishment.
At the same time, staff told trustees that STAR 2.0 introduces new item types and scoring rules — including typed extended constructed responses that can earn a zero if they do not meet rubric requirements — and that some sections of the system are now machine‑graded. A district presenter said, “Because it is different…we're not gonna be able to compare them side to side,” underscoring that an A under the old system is not the same as an A under 2024 rules.
Trustees discussed subgroup performance and equity concerns. Officials acknowledged declines in math and other areas reported statewide and noted a particular gap for economically disadvantaged students (RISD preliminarily at 4 points below the state in that subgroup). Trustees asked for more detail on special education outcomes, dual‑language testing choices, and supports for junior‑high math. Staff said special student services will provide a deeper review in a future board workshop and that multilingual programs and LPAC processes are examining who is tested in English versus Spanish and how to support language development.
District leaders outlined next steps: a learning‑environment reset focused on consistent classroom expectations, expanded common interim assessments every six weeks to replace some previous unit tests, tighter monitoring (learning walks and coaching), and targeted interventions to accelerate recovery from post‑COVID learning gaps. They emphasized the STAR score is one measure among several that feed the district’s North Star goal.
The presentation concluded with trustees thanking staff for the detail and pressing for follow‑up briefings on special education and subgroup strategies. Staff said they will continue analysis and bring more targeted data and action plans to upcoming board workshops.
