For the second time in six years, Fort Worth students have inched forward on the state’s STAAR exam, giving educators and parents reason to feel cautiously optimistic.
This year’s results show a two-point increase in students meeting grade-level expectations across all subjects, with reading scores climbing three points. Nearly half of the students are now on grade level in reading, compared to 43 percent last year.
The annual City of Fort Worth Academic Performance Report covers every campus in 12 school districts and 13 charter networks within city limits. All council districts either held steady or improved from last year, with District 10 in the north leading the pack at 49 percent grade-level performance. No district has yet crossed the 50 percent mark.
Fort Worth ISD, the city’s largest district, drove much of the improvement, posting gains in nearly every tested subject for grades 3–8. The biggest jumps came from schools serving mostly low-income students, where growth outpaced schools with fewer economically disadvantaged children.
Some areas, particularly the northern districts with more affluent schools, saw slower progress or small declines. Still, leaders point to growing citywide efforts to boost literacy, from expanded reading programs to dyslexia screenings, as signs of a larger shift. Many of these initiatives are recent, and advocates believe their full impact has yet to be seen.
The gains may be small, but they signal momentum. For a city that has made literacy a rallying point, even modest steps forward suggest that the work is beginning to take hold.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.