AISD Looks Good in Fed Spotlight

There is continuing good, if slightly confusing, news for Austin Independent School District with the release of the new federal accountability ratings. Out of the 115 schools measured under No Child Left Behind, 109 were found to have met the "adequate yearly progress" standards. Six schools (Akins, Eastside Memorial Green Tech, International, and Reagan high schools; Martin Middle; and Govalle Elementary) did not make the measure, but five campuses (Travis High; Fulmore, Paredes, and Pearce middle schools; and Norman Elementary) improved enough to shed the "school improvement" status. In a statement, AISD Superintendent Meria Carstarphen called the scores a "testament to the great kids, teachers and administrators in our schools." So where's the confusion? The state and federal accountability systems use different metrics to gauge school success, so while six schools appear on the feds' list of underperformers, only one – Eastside – got the state's lowest rating of "academically unacceptable" (see "A Closer Look at AISD's Ratings," Aug. 6). Similarly, the state classified AISD as academically acceptable, but it missed the federal minimums for the second year in a row due to failure to meet special education requirements.