East DFW News

Of the 905 students at Rhodes Intermediate School in Forney, 743 (82%) "weren't on the academic track to qualify for college in the 2021-22 school year, according to East DFW News' analysis of test scores from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). To better understand these statistics, it's important to know what TSI (Texas Success Initiative) and CCMR (College, Career, and Military Readiness) are, as they are key indicators of a student's readiness for post-secondary education or career paths.

Primary data on overall student readiness in Rhodes Intermediate School is derived from the TSI's assessments, which evaluate student capabilities in reading, writing, and mathematics. Certain students may qualify for exemptions from these assessments. In contrast, CCMR focuses on preparedness for life post-high school, factoring in TSI scores along with other criteria like dual credits, AP/IB exam results, and more, to provide insights into specific subject performance.

In the 2021-22 school year, Rhodes Intermediate School's student population was made up of 905 students, of which 64 were Hispanic, 56 White, 32 African American, eight Multiracial, four Asian, and one American Indian students.

Data shows that 31% of Rhodes Intermediate School 27 multiracial students, 30% of its 16 Asian students, 24% (56) of its 235 white students, 20% (64) of its 322 Hispanic students, 17% of its two American Indian students, and 11% (32) of its 299 African American students had "mastered" their grade level in the 2021-22 school year and were "on track for college and career readiness," as measured by state academic standards.

The TEA says students who meet, but haven't mastered their grade level are "prepared to progress to the next grade," but are not on a college track.

Despite an improvement after the pandemic, Texas students are still struggling to keep a good performance and reach grade level in schools. In the 2021-22 school year, nearly two-thirds (60%) of students were below grade level in math and 48% did not meet the standards in reading language and arts.

According to Chandra Villanueva, director of policy and advocacy for Every Texan, one of the main causes for this is bad funds management. "Your average homeowner is like, 'Look, I'm paying more and more every single year. Why are my schools still underfunded, overcrowded, my teachers underpaid? Obviously, the schools are doing a bad job with my money,'" she said in an interview. Currently, Texas residents pay more than $70 billion annually in taxes destined to public education.

Gov. Abbott has been calling not only for an end to the main school property tax, but to use public money to support private schools. The initiative is called universal private school choice and, if passed, would allow residents to use taxpayer money to pay for their kids' private education.

"School choice not only improves education for every kid and every parent who chooses that pathway," Abbott said at the Texas Capitol on Oct. 16.

School	Total Students	% On College Track
Blackburn Elementary School	600	76%
Brown Middle School	583	82%
Claybon Elementary School	514	62%
Criswell Elementary School	754	71%
Crosby Elementary School	681	86%
Forney High School	2,008	82%
Griffin Elementary School	802	81%
Henderson Elementary School	760	65%
Jackson Middle School	914	83%
Johnson Elementary School	611	57%
Lewis Elementary School	749	80%
North Forney High School	2,291	85%
Rhea Intermediate School	762	69%
Rhodes Intermediate School	905	82%
Smith Intermediate School	521	81%
Warren Middle School	859	68%

Source: Texas Education Agency.