Green bars filled the charts showing more students are testing at grade level than they were a year ago, the latest sign that Fort Worth ISD is making progress.
Superintendent Karen Molinar presented the district’s latest benchmark exam results for school trustees’ review on Tuesday.
The February assessments show gains across several subjects — including reading, science and social studies — offering a snapshot of how students are performing ahead of this spring’s STAAR tests.
“There’s a lot of green in this report and a lot of improvement,” trustee Anne Darr said.
Molinar presented the results during a March 10 school board workshop. She highlighted the improvements across several grade levels and student groups as the district prepares for a major leadership transition.
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath announced earlier this month that Molinar will not continue as superintendent after he installs new leadership for FWISD.
The state ordered a takeover after the now-closed Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade received five consecutive failing ratings under the state academic accountability system. In the coming weeks, Morath is expected to appoint a new superintendent and a board of managers to govern the district, replacing the authority of elected trustees.
Tuesday’s workshop was among Molinar’s final opportunities to present how learning is improving in Fort Worth before the transition.
The February exams use questions from past State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, tests, allowing teachers to measure how students are performing before the official state tests later in the semester.
“A benchmark is really a released STAAR test,” Molinar told trustees. “It allows us to see what’s next and how we need to intervene before students take the actual STAAR test.”
Third grade reading approaching last year’s STAAR results
One of the indicators watched most closely was third grade reading performance.
The benchmark showed 38% of FWISD third graders meeting grade level, up from 26% on the same exam last year, a 12-point increase.
That puts students on track to outpacing last year’s third graders, 39% of which met grade level in STAAR, Molinar said.
District leaders set a goal of 41% of third graders meeting grade level or above this school year.
Several student groups showed gains.
Black students improved from 18% meeting grade level last year to 27% in February, while emergent bilingual and English learner students increased from 17% to 30%.
Districtwide reading gains
The emphasis on data and classroom monitoring is showing results, trustees said.
Across grades three through the high school-level English I, the percentage of students meeting grade level in reading increased from about 34% last year to 41% in February, according to the presentation.
“I’m seeing that focus on data trickle down into the classrooms,” Darr said, noting that teachers and principals are increasingly reviewing performance results with students, allowing them to track their progress. “The students are owning their own data, and that’s happening because at the top level data is important.”
Students showed improvement in other subjects as well.
Science results rose from 24% of students meeting grade level last year to 34% in February, a 10-point increase. Social studies increased from 34% on grade level last year to 39%.
Math results were not included in the presentation as students are taking those assessments now, officials said.
Benchmark assessments help teachers identify learning gaps before the STAAR exams and adjust instruction during the final weeks of the school year, Molinar said.
Writing instruction showing early results
Students are showing improvement in how they respond to written questions on STAAR-like exams, according to the benchmark data.
The share of students receiving a zero — meaning no credit — on extended written responses declined across multiple grades.
Among sixth graders, the rate dropped from 40% last year to 33% in February. Among eighth graders, it fell from 44% to 26%. For the high school-level English I students, those receiving no credit declined from 50% to 33%.
Those improvements coincide with Fort Worth’s rollout of new writing lessons this school year, Molinar said.
“We did not have a writing curriculum in place until this year,” she said. “Our students, to become better readers, they must also know how to write.”
Still, the benchmark results represent a midyear snapshot, not final outcomes, leaders stressed.
“We’re not where we need to be,” the superintendent said. “But we are seeing the results of the work happening in classrooms every day.”
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1.
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