Some Rio Grande Valley Schools Among Those Forced to Offer Transfers

By Jennifer L. Berghom, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas

Dec. 14–More than 40 public schools from Brownsville to Zapata County aren’t making the grade in certain subjects and must allow children to transfer to better-performing ones, state education officials said.

The Texas Education Agency this week released its public education grant list of schools that had half or more of their students failing any state assessment tests in math, science, reading, writing and social studies in any two of the last three years the tests were given. The agency also included schools that it deemed “academically unacceptable” in 2005, 2006 or 2007.

The Houston school district had the most schools on the list — 89 — followed by the Dallas school district with 74. This marks the third year in a row that at least 10 percent of the state’s schools made the list, The Associated Press reported.

Education officials said tougher performance standards implemented in recent years have caused problems for some schools.

“Math and science were the most common reasons for a school to be unacceptable,” said Debbie Ratcliffe, a spokeswoman for the TEA.

This year, 45 schools from 18 school districts throughout Cameron, Willacy, Hidalgo, Starr and Zapata counties were included in the list.

Though many of the schools on the list were also included in last year’s report, some schools in the Rio Grande Valley, as well as elsewhere in the state, have shown improvement. Last year 66 schools from 21 districts were on the list. Statewide, there are 831 schools on the list this year, compared to 923 last year.

One school district that has been on the list both years is Pharr-San Juan-Alamo. All three of the district’s high schools, as well as Austin Middle School, were on the list.

The three high schools showed poor scores in science. PSJA North High School also was noted for having poor performance in math.

Austin Middle School, meanwhile, was ranked “academically unacceptable” by the agency in 2006.

“Any time there is a performance issue, it’s serious,” said Daniel King, who took over as the district’s superintendent this school year.

The district has to work on developing students’ vocabulary and increasing the level of work they’re given, he said.

Few students have transferred to better-performing schools, according to some school districts, but district officials understand they have to offer parents that choice.

Under the state’s Public Education Grant program, schools that accept transfer students receive an extra 10 percent in funding per pupil.

Education officials estimate as many as 500,000 students are enrolled at the 831 schools on this year’s list of low performers.

The number of students who take advantage of the transfer option is expected to be low, because the program doesn’t provide funding for transportation to a new school. Fewer than 3,000 students have exercised the transfer option since it was made available in the late 1990s.

The state Senate Education Committee has called on lawmakers to encourage participation in the transfer program by providing funding toward transportation costs.

Jennifer L. Berghom covers education and general assignments at The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4462. The Associated Press contributed.

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