The hearing may determine the release of school grades

A hearing is set for Monday, August 26, in Austin on a lawsuit that temporarily blocks the Texas Education Agency (TEA) from releasing its AF accountability ratings to public schools, a move that prolongs the ongoing battle legal on the educational evaluation system of the state.

The lawsuit, filed by five independent school districts — Pecos-Barstow-Toyah, Crandall, Forney, Fort Stockton and Kingsville — argues that the Texas State Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test, specifically the new computer-scored essay section , is flawed and leads to inaccurate estimates.

The plaintiffs allege that the automatic scoring system has caused an unusual increase in zero scores on student essays, which they believe reflect issues with the grading method rather than student performance.

The Aug. 12 order by District Judge Karin Crump in Travis County is the second time in two years that the TEA has been legally barred from releasing its school ratings.

Last year, a similar lawsuit blocked the release of 2023 AF assessments after school districts argued that the TEA had implemented new assessment standards without sufficient notice, unfairly lowering school scores.

Princeton ISD Superintendent Donald McIntyre echoed concerns about the fairness of the current system. “It's not fair that we're being assessed by a system when we don't know what the expectations are,” he said, stressing the need for an equal accountability framework.

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