Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD stumbled in academic achievement. Here’s how it plans to move forward

Results on 2023 state standardized tests showed promise in Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD.

The curriculum was working. Teaching practices were, too.

So, administrators decided to stick with what worked for the following school year.

Progress didn't continue. Instead, 2024 results showed the district, which serves around 24,000 students in northwest Fort Worth and Tarrant County, slipping in the number of proficient students in nearly every grade and subject except fourth- and sixth-grade reading.

Administrators and school board members agreed the trend was unacceptable and that schools have their work cut out for them in the 2024-25 academic year. Administrators said they take blame because their curriculum decisions likely led to the drops. However, the state has a role, too, they said.

"I'm just going to say it outright that these scores are extremely disappointing," school board President Marilyn Tolbert, a retired educator, told administrators during a late September meeting.

The school board and administrators did not blame teachers or students for the drops. Tolbert voiced a common concern about the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR: The test has flaws and results reflect how children felt on one particular day of the school year.

However, she said, the school board and administration have to look at the results because of state and federal accountability requirements.

Deputy Superintendent Dana Barnes, who oversees Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD's academic departments, addressed Tolbert and the rest of the school board.

"I take full responsibility for the results of these exams," Barnes said.

'Statistical irregularities'

Because of the progress in 2023, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD made no substantial changes to its curriculum and teaching practice. However, that is not true of the state, Barnes said.

"We were told that the test also was not going to make any changes — that was false information," she said.

The new STAAR test lacks validity and reliability, two factors state courts are weighing as judges consider a lawsuit over the state's accountability system, Superintendent Jim Chadwell said.

State officials told school leaders the updated test would not be harder, just different, Chadwell said.

"The statistical irregularities based on an exam that shouldn't be any more difficult are striking," he said.

The differences are clear when comparing performance on elementary-level tests to those for middle and high school students, Barnes said. Middle and high school results were more in line with state averages.

"Elementary was not," the deputy superintendent said. "I can tell you the state trend in almost every single district is that they decreased by 10 percentage points from 2023."

After poring through the district's elementary school data, Barnes' team determined the biggest hits were in the STAAR test's short- and long-form written responses.

A computer-generated algorithm graded written responses based on a rubric, Barnes said. If a student strayed off of the rubric, even for missing grammar, the software issued an automatic zero.

Another issue? Inconsistencies with the reading levels of some tests.

All STAAR exams are now effectively reading tests. Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD administrators compared math, science and social studies tests for elementary students and found the materials were at a high school reading level, not fourth or fifth grade, Chadwell said.

Trustee Blake Mabry expressed frustration with the tests' issues.

"It's important people know what's really happening here because you could look at that report and go, 'This is red all over the place.' You're not happy with it. Nobody in this room or anywhere else is happy with it. Nor is it acceptable," Mabry said. "But there's a reality that needs to be exposed here."

'We're going to do everything'

Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD is moving forward with new initiatives that administrators hope will boost academic success.

The district is emphasizing reading in other subjects, Barnes said. Administrators are showing science and social studies teachers how to incorporate nonfiction texts into their lessons.

Administrators are considering a curriculum shift. The district's current curriculum is, as Barnes described it, "legit and good," but changes to the state test mean adjustments are now necessary.

School districts that adopted the curriculum made by the makers of the STAAR test saw gains, according to Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD officials. The state-backed curriculum is not mandatory, but includes financial incentives for districts.

Regardless of the curriculum, Barnes said Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD students are capable of success and teachers are strong.

"We're going to do everything that we should do to get them the resources with strong correlation to the exam so that we see success," the deputy superintendent said.

To help students and teachers, the district decided to roll out a test from the Northwest Evaluation Association called the Measures of Academic Progress , or MAP. Students take the exam at the beginning, middle and end of the school year as a way to track their academic progress.

Barnes noted that the Texas Education Agency recently issued a report detailing the correlation between academic growth on the MAP test and students' grade-level understanding. The test also can predict students' STAAR performance, Chadwell said.

The district plans to bring parents more into the fold of their students' academic journey, too.

"Something else that is going to be critical is that our parents are going to receive notification after each of these examinations that will be in very clear, understandable language," Barnes said. "We'll be able to show the parent, this is where your child is, this is where your child is in comparison to the national norm."

MAP also provides teachers with specific steps for how to help their students, Barnes said.

As the school year progresses, school district leaders are hopeful about spring 2025 STAAR results.

"I feel extremely confident in our next steps," Barnes said.

Jacob Sanchez is a senior education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at or . At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here .

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