The report card for Texas schools came out August 15th and that means, the grades are in for Grimes County. The State of Texas has a new grading system, which grades districts on an A through F scale, a system that has been met with mixed opinion. Individual schools still receive their usual “met standard” grades and so on. But, the districts as a whole, get a letter grade.
Well, Navasota did see some improvement, but ultimately ended up with a grade of a “D.” Navasota ISD Superintendent Dr. Stu Musik says, while they are not satisfied with it by any stretch, it was what they were projecting beforehand. And, compared to last year, it is a step in the right direction.
“Remembering two years ago, and even a year ago when the ratings came out, we had a rating of an “F,” and were improvement required. So, we are heading in the right direction. it is just slow improvement,” said Dr. Musik.
Dr. Musik says the A through F system is not awful. But, it can get confusing. Because everyone grows up with a letter grade system, it seems like it would be easy to determine what is an “A” and what is an “F.” But, as Musik explained, the new state scoring system is different and can even be a bit misleading.
“In one domain, you can get a 91, and that is a “B.” In another domain, you can get a 51, and that is a “B.” What is hard to swallow is that when these public ratings come out, we think we know what a B means…but we don’t…it is a really complicated system we are trying to oversimplify by saying that is what a “B” is or that is what a “C” is,” Dr. Musik said.
And with this new system, the rules can change on a dime. And they have. Something Dr. Musik says has already affected Navasota’s grade. One school in the district was slated for a “C” grade, but because the rules changed quickly, the school ended up with an “F” grade.
But, as Dr. Musik says, there is nothing they can do and they have to play by the rules, like everyone else. Regardless of what the scores are right now though, he says there is hope for the future of Navasota ISD because there are many positives the grades just do not show, such as extracurricular activities.
Elsewhere in Grimes County, Iola ISD received an “A” rating and Anderson-Shiro CISD received a rating of a “B.”
You can see scores for any school and district across Texas by visiting txschools.org.