“I commend our students and teachers for their hard work and the positive strides they’ve made, but we still have challenges to overcome,” Superintendent John Neubauer said.

The preliminary results were announced in June. The scores and ratings did not become official until they became certified by the TEA.

Campuses earning an Exemplary rating include: Lakewood Elementary, Willow Creek Elementary and Beckendorf Intermediate School. Campuses earning a Recognized rating include: Canyon Pointe Elementary, Decker Prairie Elementary, Rosehill Elementary, Northpointe Intermediate, Tomball Intermediate and Tomball High School. Campuses receiving an Academically Acceptable rating include: Tomball Elementary, Tomball Junior High and Willow Wood Junior High.

Overall, students performed well in reading, writing and social studies, but there was strong improvement in the district’s sub-populations in science. Hispanic students increased their scores by 7 percent, economically disadvantaged students improved by 5 percent, and African American students at the high school level improved by 12 percent over last year’s scores.

Dr. Randy Reedy, Tomball ISD’s director of assessment and accountability, explained the district was aware science scores needed to improve.

“We focused instruction for our sub-populations because they were behind in science, which is a hands-on subject making classroom instruction vital for student performance on the TAKS test. As a result, we’re seeing strong improvements.”

The district’s graduation completion rate also improved when compared to the previous year. The completion rate for the class of 2008 was factored into the 2009 TAKS results, which positively impacted Tomball High School’s accountability rating. Tomball High School saw a 92.8 percent completion rate for 2008. This increase includes a 12.8 percent increase in the completion rate for economically disadvantaged students.

Although improvements have been made, other areas need additional attention.

“We would like to see math and science scores continue to improve, especially at the elementary and junior high levels,” Reedy said.

Testing Coordinator Mary Ann Sweet explained the district has implemented strategies that focus on improvement.

“Response to Intervention is a program that supports the individual needs of students and helps teachers target specific areas of weakness,” she said.

The district’s continuous improvement efforts will also emphasize individual student needs. New staff development sessions for campuses will examine all factors that impact testing, including demographics, perceptions, processes and student data.

The hope is for continual staff development to positively impact instruction, which will result in improved test scores in the sub populations. “We’re seeing our biggest gains in our sub- populations,” Reedy said. “Continual focus on the individualized needs of students will keep us headed in the right direction.”

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