Coppell ISD recently received notification from the Texas Education Agency that their appeal for the district and three campus ratings had been granted. The granting of this appeal restores Coppell ISD to RECOGNIZED status. Coppell Middle School East and Coppell Middle School North were also rated as RECOGNIZED and Coppell High School was upgraded to ACCEPTABLE. �We are pleased that the agency agreed with our assertion that �the ratings did not accurately reflect the academic performance of the district and campuses,�� stated Coppell ISD Superintendent Dr. Jeff Turner. �We know we still have work to do to close the achievement gaps between our student groups and meet the challenge of the increasing demands of the state accountability system.�

The RECOGNIZED rating puts CISD back in an elite group of school districts across the state currently rated in this category. The RECOGNIZED rating is currently the highest rating earned by any district over 7,000 students in the state of Texas. �Our students, staff, and community deserve this recognition as an outstanding school district in this state,� said Shannon Buerk, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum. �Of course, the TEA rating is only one indicator of academic achievement as Coppell ISD students excel on many other state and national measures: Distinguished Achievement Program completion, Advanced Placement performance, SAT and ACT exam scores, AYP, College Readiness Indicator, and recently receiving 7 out of the 11 Gold Performance Acknowledgments from the state.�

Dr. Turner added, �The current deficiency model of rating schools in this state provides an inaccurate picture of academic performance and insufficient information for rating a school district. The moving target of state accountability makes it more and more difficult for districts with large and/or diverse populations to reach the highest rating.�

CISD fully supports accountability for student achievement and embraces the inclusion of all students in that system. The district will continue to provide information to the public about the state ratings and accountability measures and what CISD is doing to ensure high student achievement within the current system. �As a state, we need to work together to encourage the development of an accountability system that is reasonable and provides a broader, more accurate picture of school successes,� said Turner.