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UPDATED: Miles cites rising STAAR scores as evidence of the success of his controversial NES experiment.  However, a closer examination reveals that Miles has manipulated the data to raise scores at the expense of schoolchildren. 

The state has not released A-F ratings for two consecutive years because the court has blocked them. Lawsuits from over 100 school districts have challenged the validity of the A-F accountability system “since an automated system started scoring them this year.”

The A-F ratings Miles released on Tuesday are based on an algorithm he refuses to disclose, making them unverifiable. Even if his ratings were accurate, the number of D and F schools remains roughly the same as in 2019, before COVID, from 50 in 2019 to 42 schools in 2024. 

HISD F Mike Miles falsely claims historic student STAAR growth, but the reality is that he deliberately excluded students from taking the STAAR test to artificially inflate scores. The number of students on NES campuses taking the Biology STAAR EOC dropped 70% in 2024. The only students who took Biology STAAR at these campuses were pre-AP honors students. That means Special Education, emerging bilingual students, homeless, anyone not in pre AP biology and other more complicated students did not take biology STAAR this year. These “historic” gains are meaningless. It does not take a rocket scientist to know that, if you exclude everyone but the top performers from taking the STAAR test, you will show huge gains compared to the previous years.

Here is state data showing that most ninth graders across the state take both English 1 amd Biology (both STAAR tested subjects) across each of the last three years. Of the students taking English 1, about 90% also take Biology in ninth grade. We should expect to see the same trend in HISD.

In 2022 and 2023 before the state takeover, we do see the same trend. But, then in 2024, the number of Biology students taking the STAAR test drops significantly.

To artificially raise biology STAAR scores, Miles only allowed honors students to take biology at NES schools. Miles cooked the books to try to fool people into thinking that the draconian New Education System (NES) works. Here is a comparison of a couple of NES schools number of biology testers 

This is also a shameful inequity issue. Everyone except honors students was forced into remedial science courses in ninth grade. They’ll take Biology in tenth grade and then Chemistry and Physics, leaving them no room for advanced placement college level science courses before they graduate. This happened to nearly every NES 2023-2024 ninth grader at Worthing, Wheatley, Furr, Kashmere, Sterling, Yates, North Forest, Wisdom, Sam Houston, Madison, Scarborough, and Washington. It’s unconscionable.

Miles also rigged Grade 8 Math scores by demoting higher-achieving students—who would normally take Algebra in eighth grade—to the Grade 8 Math test. At NES middle schools, Algebra I enrollment dropped by 17% overall, even as 8th grade Math enrollment at many of these campuses increased. At Cullen and Fondren, zero students were allowed to take Algebra this past year. This is so unjust.

You can duplicate the results by clicking on the data dowloaded from the portal on this google sheet. STAAR data downloaded for this information is from txresearchportal.com/ for all grade levels is here.

Past reform efforts have used the same shell game to artificially boost scores while cutting opportunities for students. The 2009-2013 HISD turnaround Apollo Program was initially praised for improving student scores.Later, research showed that then-Superintendent Terry Grier directed principals to remove ESL, special education, and economically disadvantaged students. At Lee High School, the percentage of ESL students dropped from 41% to 30%, and economically disadvantaged students fell from 93% to 70% from 2009-10 to 2012-13. How is that good for kids?

Two decades earlier, HISD celebrated dramatic reductions in student dropout rates under Superintendent Rod Paige. Hailed as a “Texas miracle,” this trend was later proven to be a mirage when an assistant principal at Sharpstown High School blew the whistle on a district-led campaign to encourage struggling students to withdraw without officially reporting them as dropouts.

Don’t believe the hype. This takeover is harming kids. No libraries, half of the principals and teachers forced out, large class sizes and doubling the deficit. Vote no on HISD Bonds-Prop A and B.