Texas Border Business
EDINBURG – The Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced Wednesday that Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District received a grade of an “A” on the newest academic accountability ratings based on an A-through-F scale.
“We are very excited that our grade for Edinburg CISD is an ‘A’ under the new state accountability rating system. This achievement reflects the exemplary results of our academic programs across our district,” ECISD Superintendent Dr. René Gutiérrez said. “I would like to thank our Board of Trustees, students, parents, teachers, staff, and our school community for all of their hard work and support. Educating our children is a total team effort aimed toward building and transforming our community.”
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath called Dr. Gutiérrez and personally congratulated him and Edinburg CISD on achieving an “A” rating. Morath said that because of ECISD’s outstanding performance with a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, the district is “a poster example of excellence.”
According to TEA, 153 school districts and district charters achieved an “A” rating Under the 2018 A-F state accountability system. Morath said that many of those districts are accomplishing strong performance for all its students in areas with high levels of poverty.
“Achieving an ‘A’ rating reflects the hard work and commitment of everyone within a school district, starting with our classroom teachers. We should all celebrate the outstanding work of these dedicated educators,” Morath said. “Districts with high levels of poverty who attain this high level of performance are proof positive that poverty is not destiny. With strong instruction and curriculum, all students can succeed.”
Parents are encouraged to visit TXschools.org to view online report cards designed to be useful tools to see how a school or district is doing in different areas. The report cards spotlight specific strengths, in addition to any challenges, so that we can work to assure the needs of all students are being met. Parents can search by district or school name and compare that district’s or school’s performance to others in their area.
Additionally, the Edinburg CISD Finance Department earned an “A” or Superior preliminary rating in financial accountability for the 2017-2018 school year.
“For 16 consecutive years, our Finance Department has received this prestigious award, which is the highest rating possible. We congratulate the hard-working financial staff for this outstanding achievement,” Gutiérrez said. “Year after year, we are proving to our school community that we maintain financial responsibility and transparency. We take care of our taxpayers’ dollars.”
According to TEA, the School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) is designed to encourage public schools to better manage their financial resources to provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes.
Ratings for the 2017-2018 school year are based on annual financial reports provided to TEA by districts and charter schools for the 2017 fiscal year. The financial accountability system requires TEA to review the audited financial reports from all districts and charters.
A school district or open-enrollment charter is assigned one of four possible letter grades (A, B, C or F), as well as a coinciding financial management rating (Superior, Above Standard Achievement, Meets Standard or Substandard Achievement).
To review the preliminary 2017-2018 FIRST ratings for all districts and charters, visit the TEA website.
