Saturday, March 28, 2009

Six Dallas ISD schools named to nonprofit’s prestigious list of academic performers

By Pegasus News wire

DALLAS — Six Dallas ISD schools have been named to the National Center for Educational Achievement’s Just for the Kids Higher Performing Schools list in all subjects while 42 other schools received the higher performing rating in at least one subject area.

The higher performing schools in all subject areas include Charles Rice Learning Center, James B. Bonham and William B. Travis elementary schools, William B. Travis Middle School, the School for the Talented and Gifted and the School of Science and Engineering at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center.

The number of Dallas ISD schools making the list for 2007-2008 shows a sharp increase from the previous two years. Nineteen schools made the list in 2005-2006, increasing to 23 schools in 2006-2007.

Some of the increase can be attributed to a new growth metric, added in 2008, which caused the number of elementary schools on the list to rise by approximately 8 percent statewide. The new criteria measures elementary schools whose students’ academic growth on the TAKS is higher than predicted based on those same students’ previous test scores as compared to student performance at schools with similar demographics. A second measure uses NCEA’s College and Career Readiness benchmarks for math, reading, and science and the state’s Commended Standard for social studies and writing.

Just for the Kids is a non-profit organization that identifies successful schools, collects data on why they are successful and helps educators focus on the practices and strategies that have a positive impact on student achievement.

The Just for the Kids Higher Performing list is a more selective group of schools than those recognized by the Texas Education Agency. In 2008, TEA ranked 68 percent of elementary schools as “Recognized or Exemplary.” By comparison the NCEA analysis deemed only 20 percent of those schools eligible for their list.

Source: DISD

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• Dallas ISD > Dallas ISD Elementary Schools > Bonham
• Dallas ISD > Dallas ISD High Schools > Ewell
• Dallas ISD > Dallas ISD Other Schools > Rice Learning Center
• Dallas ISD > Dallas ISD Other Schools > Travis Talented & Gifted Academy