Austin ISD parents may breathe a little easier: It looks like there will be no state-ordered campus repurposing this year. On June 3, the Texas Education Agency released the preliminary Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills scores, which saw performance for all groups in all subjects remain static or increase. AISD board of trustees President Mark Williams said, “The scores represent quite an achievement and a lot of work from students and staff, so congratulations are in order.” Last year four high schools (Reagan, Travis, LBJ, and Eastside Memor­ial) and five middle schools (Garcia, Lamar, Martin, Mendez, and Pearce) were classified as “academically unacceptable” as a result of their TAKS scores. If the current results hold, only one – Green Tech at Eastside Memorial – will have failed to reach the minimum standard of “academically acceptable.” With their improved scores, the two campuses most in danger of mandatory state-ordered repurposing – Reagan and Pearce – seem to have avoided that threat this year. “The temperature might be lower,” Williams said, “but no one is saying, ‘Status quo is fine.'” That’s why on June 7 the board approved a measure to restrict Pearce to grades seven and eight next year as the first stage in converting it to fit into the new Pre-K-8 Early College Initiative.

This article appears in June 11 • 2010.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US

The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.