Burnet, Marble Falls schools crying foul over failing fed grade

MARBLE FALLS — Administrators are calling for nothing short of a total overhaul for a federal educational accountability system after several Burnet and Marble Falls schools fell short of No Child Left Behind standards.

Under the Bush-era NCLB, Adequate Yearly Progress reports are used to determine if schools are successfully educating pupils in English and math. The state recently reported 56 percent of campuses in Texas did not meet AYP and 72 percent of all districts did not meet AYP.

At stake are federal funds earmarked for certain schools with at-risk students, and staffs at schools that consistently perform poorly can be replaced.

PHOTO: Education curriculum specialist Margaret Kilgo of Kilgo Consulting leads a workshop for Marble Falls Independent School District teachers and paraprofessionals Aug. 17 at Lakeside Pavilion. Earlier this month, the Texas Education Agency released the federal Adequate Yearly Progress reports which revealed MFISD and Burnet Consolidated Independent School District failed to meet tougher standards. Staff photo by Daniel Clifton

The Burnet and Marble Falls school districts both failed to make this year’s tougher standards.

But educators argue the federal ratings are not a true indicator of how a school or a district is doing, and the Obama administration has pledged to change the system.