School blames system for low ratings

Editor's note: This is the second in a series focusing on Commerce High School's unacceptable rating by the TEA.

Unacceptable ratings are not handed out randomly- somewhere down the line there was failure on Commerce High School's part, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Interim Superintendent Larry Johnson said Commerce High School's unacceptable rating can be blamed on the state of Texas' accountability system. According to Johnson, the way schools are rated by the state needs to be made fairer.

"The accountability process is something we have to have," Johnson said. "We have to be accountable for things, but I think it needs to be changed. I think the state accountability system and the testing system that we have is flawed."

Johnson, a retired school administrator in his first job at Commerce ISD on an interim basis, said the issues of the state's accountability system are not restricted to Commerce. Rather, it is a statewide issue.

"It's the way they grade us in their accountability system that needs to be changed," Johnson said. "I'm not saying schools sometimes aren't responsible for their test scores. We do have to be responsible, but it needs to be fairer. One little thing can throw you into a low performing campus when you're performing well on all the other 20 indicators or 21 indicators. You do all those right, and one indicator can turn you into an unacceptable campus. In our system each year, we are held more and more accountable. Our test scores go up more and more each year, and sometimes it's hard to continue that."

This same view is shared by the newly appointed principal Verdie Montgomery. He, along with Johnson, is known for his years as a successful school administrator, and appears to be ready to take on the challenge of improving CHS ratings.

"This was a challenging situation and also a life situation that I was anxious to return to as principal," Montgomery said. "It is a formidable task, as the accountability system is wrought with issues of its own."

Despite the low scores in certain areas on the TAKS test, Montgomery points out that the school's results are consistent with those recorded across Texas and the nation.

"It is truly unfortunate that this label has been given to this fine school," Montgomery said. "If one looks closely at the data, one will find the same results that are seen across the state and even nationally. This school brought successful and improved results in 14 of the 18 measures that are attributed to the high school. The unacceptable rating came as a result of a particular sub-group that is tied heavily also to a low socio-economic situation."

The new high school principal emphasized that, despite his feelings about the accountability system, CHS will put in the effort it takes to improve while going by the guidelines it is given.

According to Donna Tavener, director of educator preparation at Texas A&M University-Commerce, Texas only uses one test to measure a school's effectiveness and doesn't take into account the other successes a school has had.

"I think Commerce High School ISD has had a lot success in other areas. I hope that people will not rely on that one test. Although it's an important indicator, it is not the only indicator of a successful school system. If only a few more students had passed that test, we wouldn't even be having this conversation, " Tavener said.

The next article in this series will look at potential strategies, as well as those already implemented.