Latest news with #TexasScorecard
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Latest STAAR Results Raise Concerns Over Student Performance
(Texas Scorecard) – Newly released results of Texas high school students' End-of-Course assessments for 2025 show 'too many students are still not where they need to be academically,' according to the state agency that oversees public education. The Texas Education Agency released Spring 2025 STAAR End-of-Course assessment results on Tuesday. STAAR is short for State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, standardized testing 'designed to measure the extent to which a student has learned and is able to apply the defined knowledge and skills in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills at each tested grade, subject, and course.' The STAAR EOC assessments measure whether high school students have mastered end-of-course knowledge and skills they need to progress to the next level and graduate ready for college, a career, or the military. The results are 'a key measure of how Texas students are performing' in Algebra I, Biology, English I and II, and U.S. History, according to the TEA. Compared to 2024 results, the percentages of students who 'meet' grade level in Algebra I and Biology increased slightly, while the percentages of students meeting grade level in English and History declined. Overall performance levels remain poor. Subject mastery ranged from a high of 37 percent for U.S. History to a low of just 8 percent for English II. Asian students continued to significantly outperform white, Hispanic, and African-American students in all subjects. 'Texas students and educators continue to work hard to demonstrate academic excellence,' said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath. 'At the same time, we also recognize that too many students are still not where they need to be academically.' 'Using a reliable system of assessments, we can continue making progress on the strategies that are most effective in improving student learning and long-term success,' he added. Assessments from 2024 also showed declining scores. The TEA's annual report for the 2023-24 school year showed reading and math scores for 3rd- and 8th-graders dropped 2-3 percentage points from the previous year, with less than half of 3rd-grade students reading at or above grade level—deficiencies that impact students' later school performance. Scores from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as 'The Nation's Report Card,' showed Texas 4th-grade students' reading scores had dropped two points from the previous tests in 2022 and were two points below the national average. Just 28 percent scored as 'proficient' or better in reading. STAAR is unpopular with parents and teachers who say it puts too much pressure on students and forces educators to spend too much time 'teaching to the test.' Proposed legislation to eliminate the high-stakes testing failed to pass during this year's recently concluded legislative session. Parents can view their students' individual STAAR EOC results by visiting their school system's family portal or using the unique access code provided by their child's school. Results for STAAR grades 3–8 assessments will be made publicly available on June 17.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Targeted In Texas A&M Political Science Course Material
(Texas Scorecard) – A Texas A&M summer class uses a textbook that promotes the establishment narrative that President Donald Trump is a criminal. A source provided Texas Scorecard with information regarding the textbook for a Texas A&M political science course offered this summer semester. The textbook in question is the 11th edition of 'Keeping the Republic: Power and Citizenship in American Politics,' by Christine Barbour and Gerald C. Wright. Wright is an emeritus professor at Indiana University Bloomington. Barbour is his wife and a political science lecturer at the same university. Barbour and Wright sharply contrasted how they believed the country viewed former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump when presenting them in the first chapter. 'When President Biden was elected in 2020, we thought we had turned a new page in our political history,' Barbour and Wright wrote in the first chapter. 'But so much of the country's attention remained on Donald Trump, who demanded the limelight during his presidency and refused to relinquish it, as well as political power.' The first chapter contained more anti-Trump messaging. The authors repeated the establishment media narrative that President Donald Trump is a criminal but didn't mention the politicization and manipulation of the prosecution against him. 'Donald Trump is okay with rules that constrain other people's behavior, but he chafes under rules that apply to him. There is a reason why, when he left office in 2021, he faced a barrage of lawsuits and criminal indictments at the state and federal level, and that reason was not that his political enemies wanted to go after him,' Barbour and Wright wrote. 'It's because he broke or ignored multiple laws he didn't want to follow or that he decided didn't apply to him, and some of the consequences caught up with him.' 'Donald Trump doesn't like to be bound by rules, even the ones written in the Constitution,' the authors continued. This textbook is required reading in American National Government, a political science course at Texas A&M offered during the summer semester from May 26 to July 4 of this year. The Bush School of Government & Public Service houses Texas A&M College Station's political science department. Named after former President George H. W. Bush, members of the Bush family serve on the school's advisory board, including former Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush. Neil Bush, son of George H.W. Bush, is board chair. Neil Bush is also the founder and chairman of the George H.W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations. Use of Barbour and Wright's textbook has not been confined to the College Station campus. Dr. Shane Gleason used the ninth edition of the textbook in a Spring 2022 political science class at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Meanwhile, former Texas A&M Galveston professor John Carhart praised an earlier version of the book. Several of Carhart's student reviews on RateMyProfessor claim he had a very liberal bias in the classroom. Other universities have used earlier versions of this textbook. Previous versions were used at Stephen F. Austin State University in Fall 2014, and at the University of North Texas in Fall 2016 and Spring 2017. Texas A&M did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Yahoo
Texas Judge Indicted For Death Threat To Force Plea Deal
(Texas Scorecard) – A grand jury has handed down an indictment against Rains County Justice of the Peace Robert Jenkins Franklin after he allegedly threatened a defendant to accept a plea deal. Last month, Texas Scorecard reported on a federal lawsuit that alleges Franklin told defendant Coby Wiebe 'you take that deal boy or dead men can't testify.' Wiebe accepted a plea deal three days later. The 8th District Court later dismissed the case in April after learning of Judge Franklin's alleged death threats. The indictment also alleges Judge Franklin coerced and pressured Jennifer Patterson—his chief clerk—into signing a false affidavit in February. On May 27, a Rains County grand jury decided—in The State of Texas v. Robert Jenkins Franklin—that there was enough evidence against Franklin to return an indictment on two misdemeanor counts of official oppression and two felony counts of tampering with a witness. Franklin was arrested and admitted the next day to the Van Zandt County Detention Center. Judge Chris Martin of the 8th District Court in Rains County set Franklin's bail at $25,000 with conditions of bond or pre-trial release. He posted the bond and was released the following morning. Judge Martin's bond conditions placed heavy restrictions on Franklin's civil liberties while awaiting trial. Franklin may not communicate with or be within 1,000 feet of the victims he threatened—Patterson and Wiebe. He is also prohibited from going within 500 feet of the Rains County Courthouse, where he still presides as Justice of the Peace. The bond conditions also ordered him to avoid 'places where alcoholic beverages are possessed, sold, or used on site.' He previously made headlines in March 2024 when he was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Conditions also state Franklin 'shall not possess a firearm at any time.' A Facebook post reportedly shows Franklin wielding an AR-15 in his judicial office at the Rains County Courthouse. Texas law permits judges with handgun licenses to carry concealed handguns in courthouses, according to Texas Penal Code § 46.15(a)(7). However, this exception does not extend to rifles or other firearms without explicit court authorization. Court dates will be set and announced by the Rains County District Court as the prosecution moves forward. In the related federal civil case brought by Coby Wiebe, a hearing is scheduled for June 30 at 11 a.m. in the Hunt County Courthouse in Greenville. Judge Franklin, Coby Wiebe, and Jennifer Patterson did not respond to Texas Scorecard's request for comment in time for publication. If you or anyone you know has information regarding bad actions by judges, please contact our tip line: scorecardtips@
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas Begins Lottery Oversight Transition
(Texas Scorecard) – Texas Lottery commissioners are already in the process of transferring oversight of the lottery to the Department of Licensing and Regulation, less than a week after lawmakers voted to abolish the embattled commission. The early movement is notable, given that Gov. Greg Abbott has not yet signed the Legislature's proposal—Senate Bill 3070—into law. A TLC spokesperson told Texas Scorecard, 'With the passage of Senate Bill 3070, the Texas Lottery Commission is evaluating next steps in alignment with the bill's intent to transfer regulatory authority to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. While the Commissioners under active terms remain appointed at this time, the agency is actively working on the transition.' Texas Scorecard attempted to access the website showing information on Texas Lottery commissioners earlier this week but was unable to do so as the commissioner profiles were gone. After reaching out and receiving a comment from the TLC spokesperson, the website was put back up. However, Commissioner Cindy Lyons Fields, previously listed among the other commissioners, was absent from the site when it returned. In addition to changing the lottery's overseeing agency, SB 3070 includes new, strict regulations on the purchase of tickets. The measure also establishes an abbreviated sunset review period for the lottery. The TLC, which has been in existence since 1991, has come under scrutiny over the past months after revelations of rigged jackpots, potential money laundering, and collusion between government agency employees and vendors to game the lottery for profit. The Texas Lottery is now the subject of multiple state and federal investigations as a result.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Houston ISD Faces Extended TEA Control Until 2027, New Board Appointed
(Texas Scorecard) – Houston Independent School District will remain under the control of the Texas Education Agency through at least June 1, 2027. Alongside the extended timeline, TEA also announced the replacement of four members of the state-appointed Board of Managers. TEA took control of Houston ISD in 2023 after years of chronic student underperformance and governance failures. The state replaced the elected school board, appointed Superintendent Mike Miles, and implemented a series of aggressive reforms. Since the takeover, Houston ISD has reduced the number of D- and F-rated campuses from 121 in 2023 to 41 in 2024, according to preliminary reporting. Despite progress, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath emphasized the need for continued state involvement to ensure long-term improvement. 'Houston ISD has always been a district with some of the highest performing schools in the country, but it was also a district that allowed some of its schools to fail students for over a decade,' Morath said. Ultimately, two years has not been enough time to fix district systems that were broken for decades. The extension of this intervention will allow the district to build on its progress and achieve lasting success for students once the board transitions back to elected leadership. To conclude the intervention, Houston ISD must eliminate all multi-year failing campuses, fully comply with state and federal special education laws, and demonstrate effective board governance. Earlier this year, Houston ISD spent hundreds of millions of dollars without the required board approval. Community reactions remain divided. Parent and advocacy groups praised the focus on student achievement, while critics have questioned the transparency of the appointment process and urged greater community input. The new Houston ISD Board appointees are: Edgar Colón: Legal expert and political science lecturer Lauren Gore: Harvard Law graduate and general partner at LDR Growth Partners Marty Goossen: Retired vice chairman of J.P. Morgan Private Bank Marcos Rosales: Trial lawyer at Beck Redden LLP Brina Morales, director of communications for the Greater Houston Partnership, celebrated the TEA extension, writing, 'Commissioner Morath is right to extend the period of reform to ensure these improvements take hold long-term, significantly impacting generations of students.'
