A Travis County judge has issued a temporary restraining order to a group of more than 30 schools to prevent the Texas Education Agency from releasing AF campus scores.
The Austin American-Statesman reported that Travis County Judge Daniela DeSeta Little of the 201st District Court ordered the release of the scores used by the TEA to grade campuses and school districts to be “a final decision by this court.” The case was suspended until a verdict is rendered. Trial is set for February 10, 2025.
TEA told Statesman it plans to appeal the injunction.
This is the second year in a row that TEA has been prevented from announcing AF grades. In 2023, about 100 people alleged that the TEA unfairly readjusted the grading rubric, took too long to communicate the changes, and that those adjustments negatively impacted the district.
This year, a group of five school districts received a 0/10 score due to TEA’s failure to address previous issues and its recent decision to use AI technology to grade essays written by students on the STAAR test. He claimed that the proportion had increased.
“Based on data obtained in July 2024, 30-75% of AI-scored zeros proved inaccurate when reviewed and rescored by human scorers,” the court said. It is stated in the document.
TEA’s accountability system evaluates school districts using STAAR test scores, grades, graduation rates, and college and career readiness.
The schools that were granted the injunction include Hayes, Jarrell, Lockhart, Manor and Temple. However, some large school districts, including Dallas and Houston, released unofficial AF scores in August.
Lawmakers have expressed dissatisfaction with continued interference with the release of results.
āIām tired of bringing a lawsuit to Travis County court that basically blocks AF for another year,ā Republican state Sen. Paul Bettencourt said. “What gets measured gets fixed. This is an absolutely critical element in public education.”