Groves Elementary received an "A" rating in the latest TEA Accountability report released in August. (Groves Elementary)

BY MIKE TOBIAS

On the heels of Labor Day, the Port Neches-Groves ISD has plenty to celebrate after years of hard work factored into the recently released statewide accountability ratings. 

PNGISD received a “B” rating this year, the first time since 2019 ratings were given because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the district’s nine campuses, Groves Elementary received the sole “A” rating. 

“The Groves Elementary staff works hard each day to help our students be successful-academically, emotionally and socially,” Principal Mandie Champagne said. “We focus on making progress and helping each student be the best they can be.

“What do I love about our GE teachers? They love kids. They see the good in each student and they truly embrace the good. They work as a team to plan and implement lessons that will engage our students.

“I am so proud of their hard work and dedication to our amazing students, parents and campus. GE is a great place to be.”

Rounding out the scores were:

• Port Neches-Groves High School: B

• Groves Middle School: B

• Port Neches Middle School: B

• Groves Elementary: A

• Port Neches Elementary: B

• Ridgewood Elementary: B

• Taft Elementary: C

• Van Buren Elementary: B

• Woodcrest Elementary: C

From 1994 through 2011, the TEA’s accountability ratings were issued from the highest, to lowest, as: Exemplary, Recognized, Academically Acceptable, Academically Unacceptable and additional rating labels were given for alternative education campuses or special circumstances.

The B the district received this year is equivalent to the Recognized rating of the past. 

“We are always proud of the work our PNGISD teachers, students and staff do every single day,” Deputy Superintendent Julie Gauthier said. “The state accountability system is an important measure of our student's knowledge and progress with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, however it is just one measure on one day.

“Groves Elementary is to be commended and celebrated on receiving an “A.”  Their rating score was 93, a significant growth from their 2018-19 rating (85). They also received distinctions in four areas: ELA/Reading, Competitive Academic Growth, Postsecondary Readiness and Comparative Closing the Gaps.

1,195 districts and 8,451 campuses were rated by the state this year, with returns showing promising signs of progress in Texas’s efforts to catch students up academically. Driven by significant gains in student academic growth, 2022 saw 25% of districts and 33% of campuses improve their letter grade from 2019. 18% of high-poverty campuses in Texas were rated an A, continuing to prove that demographics do not equal destiny.

To view the 2022 accountability ratings for districts and campuses, visit TXschools.gov. Users can search for schools using an address and even compare schools across selected data points.

“We are excited about the 2022-23 school year,” Gauthier said. “We will continue to work with every child to grow in their academic, extracurricular and social endeavors.”