2008 TAKS scores, 30 districts, ranked by score and ranked by low income percentage (Dallas: daycare, middle schools)

[FarNorthDallas]

Here are the income guidelines for qualifying for free and reduced lunch ("low income"):

For Reduced Meals
Household size/annual income
1 - 19,240
2 - 25,900
3 - 32,560
4 - 39,220
5 - 45,880
6 - 52,540
7 - 59,200
8 - 65,860

For Free Lunch
Household size/annual income
1 - 13,520
2 - 18,200
3 - 22,880
4 - 27,560
5 - 32,240
6 - 36,920
7 - 41,600
8 - 46,280

[PennyGWoods]

Originally Posted by needsomeinfo

take any WH test grades with a grain of salt.

I'll do that when you do the same for Highland Park.

[jpeagle21]

Originally Posted by PennyGWoods

I know how you feel. I'm e-x-t-r-e-m-e-l-y hard pressed to believe Mesquite ISD is only 35% white.



Darling, I'm as black as Richard Roundtree in "Shaft in Africa" and was born and raised - and currently living - on the east side. Try again.

Sorry Penny, darling, but you are out of touch. You don't believe that Mesquite ISD is only 35% white? Have you been to Town East Mall lately? When they close down for the night it looks like the Mexico-US border crossing. I'm sorry to burst your bubble by pointing out that SOME lower-income districts can still do well on TAKS, but those are the facts. Deal with it.

[Grainraiser]

You are so right. Me and the wife went to the mall last Sunday and I was somewhat surprised at the amount of Hispanics that were there. I am not saying anything is wrong with that but the precentage was pretty substantial. I'm sure many of them were from Balch Springs and Pleasant Grove but I am sure Mesquite has a healthy poplulation also. I only pay attention to the section of town I live in but it is certainly getting more and more diverse by the day.

[loves2read]

can anyone show me a score that indicates a school or isd with a HIGH avg per-capital income and LOW TAKS scores?

and the reason so many WH students are going to Dallas ISD is that is the district the state paid to take them when WH was declared insolvent and lost accreditation

[jpeagle21]

Originally Posted by loves2read

can anyone show me a score that indicates a school or isd with a HIGH avg per-capital income and LOW TAKS scores?

and the reason so many WH students are going to Dallas ISD is that is the district the state paid to take them when WH was declared insolvent and lost accreditation

Thanks loves2read. From reading your posts, you seem to be someone who "gets it". People look at TAKS scores from districts like Highland park and think that it means kids get a better education there. That is COMPLETELY untrue and an unfair compairson for lower income districts. Just because your district doesn't score 99 on TAKS, it doesn't mean your kids do not get an excellent education.

When 90% of your high school student body drives home in their corvette, text messages some friends for a couple of hours, eats a well-ballanced (probably catered) meal, and has the rest of the night to study for their tests with no other worries in the world, how can you compare that to a 50% low-income student body where many students go straight from school to jobs so they can help their (non-english-speaking) parents buy groceries. Between when they get home and when they go to sleep, they have to find time to do homework, which they will probably have a tough time understanding because of the language barrier. They can't ask their parents for help, because they are probably working their 2nd or 3rd job and can't speak or read english even if they wanted to help. And, oh yea, "I know you just started learning english 2 years ago, but you will have to take a greuling standardized test in English. And, if you (and only you) fail, your entire school will be deemed Academically Unacceptable. No pressure, eh!"

Of course, I'm making some generalizations here, but you get the point. I'm sorry, but when a district with a 50+% low-income population has an average of over 80 on TAKS, that is an accomplishment.

[Lakewooder]

It seems to me that the districts which have gradually increased in low-income students are doing better with their scores. Richardson is a good example - plus it has a much higher percentage of AA which may make a difference. Irving had an overwhelming increase in non-English speakers in a short time.

[loves2read]

JPEAGLE--I like to think I get it--saying how good Southlake Carroll is for getting superior results from superior materials is like praising a chicken for laying eggs---teachng in a district like Southlake is not easy because kids there have problems and teaching has inherant difficulties--but it is certainly easier than teaching in districts that are not as homogeneous regarding money and other factors
when you have students who miss school because they have to work a 45 hr week to help pay the rent and buy food and gas (which many of my former students did do) and kids who miss school to go skiing in Aspen you are dealing with two different worlds

Lakewooder--yes--that is a good point about gradual vs swamped
Richarson like HEB has been fairly stable--not a lot of upheavel that I have read about

I will be interested to see how well Northwest ISD--the Haslet/Trophy Club/Westlake area does--frankly I don't think they are doing that well with their scores since technically that is majority white and fairly good income but they have had big growth spurt and that by itself can cause problems with having kids come in during the year from all over TX or the country...

HEB has done fairly well because it has some very knowledgeable people --mainly teachers and some in admin staff (but that is more variable) that have fought the good fight for years--but they are really getting to the retirement stage--heard about one questionable principal who instead of being released from contract was moved to admin--which is where anyone with tenure and weak results goes in pretty much any district...

the new subdivision planned for N Arlington is going to have lots of homes in HEB ISD--we had no input into the Arlington city council decision as to what type of housing was going to be built--majority will be lower priced tract homes and I am sure some will be sec 8 homes--that is just going to be big problem for my district--more low income minority students and we don't really have a school in that area--

the district has been moving kids around this year which they do anyway to level out attendance/classes/bus routes but I don't think they can just rezone enough kids to counter all the ones expected when that development is built...having to build a new elementary school and maybe a new jr high will be a real burden on my ISD...

[compSciGuy]

I went to different high schools, and will say that the teachers at the high ranking rich predominately white schools aren't any better than the districts and schools with the high percentage of low-income minorities. If anything there might be more good teachers that care at the low-income schools. However, that being said, ... it's the environment that's most important for most. The kids will see better and more difficult competition at the high income school. They will be in an environment where people go to good colleges and universities, where they have a much better shot at attaining more stable and secure lives. They may be making connections that will help them in life years into the future. It doesn't really matter if the teachers are great, if more than half the students are dropping out, where there's daycare for the high school teens who have babies, etc. I think after a little while that will get on most people.

[tycobb2522]

Originally Posted by jpeagle21

Thanks for posting! It is amazing that cities like Mesquite and Carrollton have over 50% low income, yet they still got higher than 80% average TAKS scores. That is quite an accomplishment when you consider how many of those students speak English as a second language and may have only been in the Country a few years before being required to sit for the TAKS test.

While agree with others that TAKS is not the final word, I definitely agree with you that it is amazing what some schools can do. What is even more amazing at what an embarrassment Dallas schools are.