BOARD OF EDUCATION MONITORING SYSTEM: 2010–2011
Board Monitoring System: Indicator A
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Purpose
The Houston Independent School District (HISD) exists to strengthen the social and
economic foundation of Houston by assuring its youth the highest-quality elementary
and secondary education available anywhere. In fulfilling this goal, HISD's Board of
Education has designed a program to systematically monitor achievement of the
district’s goals and adherence to core values. The Board Monitoring System requires
the administration to report on each goal and core value on a routine basis. The
indicator currently under review is ELIMINATE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP. The
objective of this indicator is: “To eliminate any achievement gap between student
groups as measured by the statewide TAKS examination” (Goal 1, Section A).
Findings
TAKS Achievement Gap
•
When examining the percentage passing at the state standard on the Texas
Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) in 2009 and in 2010, the
differences between white students’ and Hispanic and African-American
students’ test scores decreased from 2009 to 2010. In 2010, the gap between
white students’ test scores and Hispanic students’ test scores decreased in all
seven subtests reported, with decreases ranging from 0.9 percentage points in
reading to 5.8 percentage points in science. The 2010 gap between white
students’ test scores and African-American students’ test scores decreased from
2009 in all subjects, with a range of 1.1 percentage points in reading to 6.4
percentage points in English science (Figure 1a and Figure 1b).
•
In 2010, the largest gaps between white students’ and Hispanic and AfricanAmerican students’ test scores were in science, with white students reporting
95.1 percent passing compared with 78.1 percent of Hispanic students and 73.8
percent of African-American students. (Figure 1a and Figure 1b).
•
In 2010, the gap between white students and Hispanic students on all TAKS
tests taken decreased from 2009 by 4.8 percentage points from 25.0 percent to
20.2 percent. The gap between white students and African-American students
also decreased on all tests taken from 31.8 percent in 2009 to 27 percent in 2010
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BOARD OF EDUCATION MONITORING SYSTEM: 2010–2011
(Figure 2), for a decrease of 4.8 percentage points. The decreases of 4.8
percentage points round to 5 percentage points, thus meeting the goal of a fivepercentage-point decrease.
•
When considering economic status at the state passing standard on the TAKS in
2009 and in 2010, there was a decrease in the gap on three of the seven
subtests of the TAKS. The gap between non-economically disadvantaged
students and economically disadvantaged students decreased by 2.1 percentage
points in writing, by 1.4 percentage points in science, and by 2.3 percentage
points in social studies. The gap between non-economically disadvantaged
students and economically disadvantaged students increased on all tests taken
by 1.9 percentage points, by .6 percentage points in reading, by .4 percentage
points in English language arts, and by 1.4 percentage points in math (Figure 3).
•
In 2010, the largest gap between economically disadvantaged students’ and noneconomically disadvantaged students’ TAKS scores was found on the reading
subtest, at 10.3 percentage points, where 92.4 percent of non-economically
disadvantaged students passed at the state standard as compared to 82.1
percent of economically disadvantaged students (Figure 3).
•
When examining the 2010 TAKS all tests taken indicator by economic status, the
gap between non-economically disadvantaged students’ and economically
disadvantaged students’ scores increased from 10.4 percentage points in 2009
to 12.3 percentage points in 2010 (Figure 4), not meeting the goal of a threepercentage-point decrease.
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BOARD OF EDUCATION MONITORING SYSTEM: 2010–2011
Figure 1a: HISD TAKS Percent Passing by Subject and Ethnicity: 2009 and 2010
120
96.4
100
86.9
96.4
96.5
81.6 82.0
82.6 83.2
90.9
87.0 87.9
79.5
75.3
80
92.1
89.9
83.1 85.4
69.7
61.9
70.7
66.1
62.9
White
55.1
African America
60
Hispanic
40
20
Math 2010
Math 2009
Reading 2010
Reading 2009
ELA 2010
ELA 2009
All Tests 2010
0
All Tests 2009
Percent Passing
97.0
Target: Annual decrease
by five percentage
points.
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BOARD OF EDUCATION MONITORING SYSTEM: 2010–2011
Figure 1b: HISD TAKS Percent Passing by Subject and Ethnicity: 2009 and 2010 continued
120
100
Percent Passing
96.7
96.5
89.1 89.4
92.2 91.6
80
70.7
98.2
89.1 88.8
95.1
93.5
78.1
65.8
98.4
93.9 91.9
73.8
White
60
African American
Hispanic
40
20
Social Studies 2010
Social Studies 2009
Science 2010
Science 2009
Writing 2010
Writing 2009
0
Figure 2: HISD All Tests Taken Gap by Race/Ethnicity
45
42.3
41
40
Gap in Percent Passing
32.8
35
30
38.4
35.5
31.2
24.4
28.7
34.4
35.1
31.8
33
29.1
27.3
25
20
23.6
25
19.8
20.2
14.8
18.7
15
27
13.7
10
5
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
TAAS
2007
TAKS
Source: TAKS data file Spring 2004 and 2005.
White-AfrAm
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White-Hisp
2008
2009
2010
BOARD OF EDUCATION MONITORING SYSTEM: 2010–2011
Data by Gender:
Table 1: HISD TAKS Percent Passing All Tests Taken Gap by Ethnicity by
Gender
Ethnicity
2009
2010
Male
Female
Male
Female
Hispanic
60.8
63.4
68.3
71.2
African
53.0
57.3
60.4
65.2
American
White
85.8
88.3
89.5
90.4
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Source: TEA, Academic Excellence Indicator System 2002–2003; TAKS data file Spring 2004–2007.
BOARD OF EDUCATION MONITORING SYSTEM: 2010–2011
Figure 3: HISD TAKS Percent Passing by Subject and Economic Status: 2009 and 2010
120
93.3
100
70.7
79.7
79.4
93.6 95.8
96.0
84.5
79.9
85.9
91.7
83.2 86.3
81.1
88.7
82.1
88.6 93.1
76.9
60
76.5
73.2
69.1
67.4
40
60.3
20
Econ Dis
Non Econ Dis
Target: Annual decrease by three percentage
points.
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Social Studies 2010
Social Studies 2009
Science 2010
Science 2009
Writing 2010
Writing 2009
Math 2010
Math 2009
Reading 2010
Reading 2009
ELA 2010
ELA 2009
All Tests 2010
0
All Tests 2009
Percent Passing
80
95.1
90.8 92.4
89.8
BOARD OF EDUCATION MONITORING SYSTEM: 2010–2011
Figure 4: HISD All Tests Taken Gap by Economic Status
30
23.9
25
Gap in Percent Passing
21.3
20
19.3
15
15
14.2
12.3
10
10.4
5
0
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Met Standard-Gap
Source: TEA, TAKS data file Spring 2004–2009.
Data by Gender:
Table 2: HISD TAKS Percent Passing All Tests Taken Gap by Economic Status
by Gender
Economic
2010
2009
Status
Female
Male
Female
Male
Econ Dis
59.0
61.9
65.8
69.0
Non-Econ Dis
69.1
72.5
78.4
81.0
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