The recently hired Dallas ISD superintendent noted on a panel in Austin that she did not like being graded on an A through F scale for school performance.
In a meeting hosted at the Texas Tribune Festival, which The Dallas Express attended, Stephanie Elizalde spoke on several issues alongside Robstown ISD Superintendent Jose Moreno and education commissioner Mike Morath.
During the discussion, attention was turned to the recent release of ratings by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), which ranked every school and school district throughout the state according to academic performance as judged by several metrics.
Superintendent Elizalde took the opportunity to express her distaste for the current system of receiving a letter grade for performance.
“In terms of the rating system itself … it is not perfect,” she said.
“I am not a fan of A through F; I don’t think most superintendents are,” the educator continued.
At this moment, the moderator of the discussion, CEO of the Texas Tribune Evan Smith, interjected, “But isn’t it the case that the superintendents who are fans are the ones who get A’s?”
After acknowledging the point, she continued, “That being said, it is what it is,” and suggested that she would focus on things she “could control.”
The rating system exists to provide some method of accountability to parents for the education of their children. The letter grade considers student achievement, school progress, and how the system is closing the gaps in educational attainment across demographic lines.
In response to the difficulties the COVID-19 pandemic caused the education system, the grading system for 2022 does not include “D” or “F” but instead classifies schools that would receive those two grades as “not rated.”
Dallas ISD currently holds a “B” letter grade, despite scoring C’s in student achievement and closing educational gaps. Only 41% of students successfully met the minimum grade level expectations, meaning that 59% of students across all subjects did not.
Prior to taking the position in Dallas, Elizalde worked as the superintendent of Austin ISD, taking the position in 2020. That district also received a B rating in the 2022 accountability rating.
When Elizalde left, however, many teachers and staff members in the district seemingly expressed satisfaction at her departure, according to reporting done by the Austin Chronicle. Critics suggested that her policies exasperated the issues of funding, teacher retention, and enrollment.
During the time Elizalde spent as superintendent for Austin ISD, the Texas Education Agency suspended the grading system due to the pandemic.