The following is a news release from Lubbock-Cooper Independent School District:
This week, Lubbock-Cooper ISD and public schools across the state of Texas will be issued an A-F rating based on a standard of measurement developed without the input of students, parents, teachers, or community members.
While we do not yet know the rating we will receive, we feel a responsibility to convey our district’s stance on the rating system.
This rating will not be a measurement of the hard work our students and teachers put in all year long, but an analysis of a once-per-year test score.
It will fail to determine academic success, instead gauging the economic status of our students. It will not accompany any encouragement or suggestion for improvement, but will potentially label our campuses, neighborhoods, and community as lacking. It will not account for the unique needs of the whole child, evidence of learning, diversity, academic needs and competency, extracurricular offerings, community involvement, teaching strategies, or cumulative performance.
This rating will have no effect on our strong and rigorous academic program through which we challenge and encourage our students. It will not deter our focus of preparing students for life after high school, whether that be a college, career, or military path – a far more substantial feat than training students to perform on a multiple-choice test. This rating is not how we will measure our students.
We respect the difficulty of designing a system to quantify the success of a school. It is much more efficient to measure the scores from a single, standardized test than to measure the number of years in a row that our marching band has received straight Division One ratings at the Regional UIL competition (14); or the number of scholarships issued by our Education Foundation in 2018 (45, for a total of $113,000); or the number of iPads placed in the hands of our students and teachers as part of a district-wide innovative learning initiative (6,000); or the number of lives our employees have knowingly saved this past year (two); or the number of dollars our district raised for Aransas County ISD in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey ($31,960); or the number of our teachers honored as 2017-18 Mrs. Baird’s Teachers on the Rise after being nominated by their own students (five); or the number of our students who, along with less than 0.05% of participants in the nation, received a perfect score on the ACT (one); or the number of our student athletes who committed to compete at the collegiate level this coming year (19); or the number of clothing items donated by our very own community members to the Pirate Pantry, a parent-founded supply closet for students in need (we lost count somewhere in the thousands).
Because there is so much this new system of measurement will not take into account, we have compiled a list of praiseworthy accomplishments from our schools over the past year alone, which are excluded from A-F calculations. (Disclaimer: due to the volume of achievements earned by our students, staff, and community, this list is not comprehensive.)
Our teachers were awarded $120,000 in Lubbock-Cooper Education Foundation grants.
Two of our FFA members received the Richard Wallrath Scholarship at the State Convention.
Our softball player was named a Junior 5A/6A All-State All-Star.
Dozens of our middle school students were sent to Leadership Camp.
Two of our district police officers became certified in basic SWAT school.
Students from our Spanish classes planted trees to sustain the Costa Rican rainforest.
Our CTE program was awarded workforce and economic development grants.
Three of our teachers participated in BioTech in a Box training.
We hosted 125 elementary students at STEM Camp.
Our district Honor Choir received a Superior rating at their music festival.
Our eighth grade boys won City Championships in football, basketball (undefeated), and track.
Our teacher received a $10,000 robotics grant from Monsanto.
Our cheer coach was named a TGCA All-Star Coach.
Our middle school students collaborated with an architecture firm to design their own campus renovation.
Several of our students took a field trip to Washington, D.C.
The entire staff of one of our campuses volunteered at Lubbock Impact.
Our third graders made by hand blankets for patients at a local hospital.
Our alternative high school campus hosted adult GED classes for community members.
Our student artwork was displayed at the South Plains Fair.
One of our students placed second at the Texas Tech University Chess Tournament with a perfect 4.0 score.
Our middle school cheerleaders won NCA Top Team Chant and Cheer.
More than 60 parents and community members participated in our annual Dyslexia Simulation.
Our baseball team advanced to the Regional Semifinals.
Our teacher was named a Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction.
Our speech students competed at the State Speaking Contest, all placing in the top five.
Our advanced culinary students won gold, People’s Choice, and Savory Champion at Chocolate Fantasia.
Our NJHS hosted a toy drive to benefit El Corazon De Rey Children’s Home in Acuña, Mexico.
Our triple jumper won the State Championship.
Our winter guard placed first in class at the CCGC Championship.
Six of our FFA members received Lone Star Degrees.
Our middle school Honor and Symphonic Bands received Superior and Sweepstakes at the UIL festival.
Our FCCLA members received gold, gold, and silver at the National Convention.
Our cheerleader was named a Junior 5A/6A All-Star.
Our UIL Speech and Debate competitors qualified for the State competition.
Our football team advanced to the Area round.
Several of our elementary science classes recycled cans to earn money to donate to the campus Angel Tree to provide gifts for children in need.
Our alternative high school facilitated the graduation of 45 students who sought a non-traditional learning path.
One of our elementary Student Councils collected more than $2,500 worth of books, blankets, and teddy bears to be donated to the Children’s Advocacy Center.
Our FFA Ag Mechanics, Meat Evaluation, Vet Tech, and Poultry Evaluation teams competed at State.
Several of our middle school students qualified for the State Science Fair, one earning second place in environmental engineering.
Our leadership classes volunteered to clean a local assisted living facility.
Our student was named to the Presidential Scholars Program.
Our cheerleading squad qualified for State Finals.
Two of our students advanced to the UIL Super Congress Finals.
Our volleyball team was the undefeated District Champion.
Our students prepared airway kits for anesthesiologists in developing countries in conjunction with Project Care.
Our MATHCOUNTS team qualified for the State competition.
Our varsity women’s choir received Sweepstakes at their music festival.
Our boys and girls golf teams qualified for the State Tournament.
Our culinary arts students volunteered to serve at the annual Mayor’s Beans & Cornbread Luncheon.
Our SkillsUSA members debated bills and passed mock legislation at the Texas State Capitol.
Our football player was named to the TSWA All-State 5A team.
Our choir member was selected to perform with the Texas All-State Women’s Choir.
Our cheerleading and pom squads raised approximately $10,000 for Komen West Texas.
Our boys and girls powerlifters qualified for the State Meet.
Our robotics team received the First Place Inspire, Winning Alliance Team Captain, Design, Connect, and Motivate Awards at their league championship.
Our FFA member won the Texas M.A.D.E. First Place Scholarship at the Fort Worth Ag Mechanics Show.
Our softball team qualified for the Regional Quarterfinals.
Our NHS, NTHS, and Student Council members hosted their annual Halloween for Hunger community food drive.
Our girls cross country team earned back-to-back District Champion titles.
Several of our students qualified for the Texas Math and Science Coaches Association competition.
Our academic UIL team placed at the Regional competition.
Our teacher received the LCU Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Our One-Act Play team advanced to Regionals.
Our student was recognized by the National Hispanic Recognition Program for outstanding PSAT/NMSQT scores.
Our choir received Superior ratings at the UIL Solo & Ensemble contest.
Our FBLA team competed at State.
Our powerlifting teams donated uniforms to our Special Olympics competitors.
One of our Student Councils visited South Plains Food Bank to assist in holiday meal preparation.
Our employees donated more than $15,000 to Lubbock Area United Way.
If you are a resident of LCISD, we hope you reviewed the above list with pride. If you are not, know that your area school district could produce a list of their own accomplishments that would impress and inspire you.
Moving forward, we will accept the rating we receive as an arbitrary measurement with no effect on the way we teach, protect, encourage, and love our students. We will continue our tradition of excellence with the support of our community, and we will continue fighting for a community-based accountability system that appropriately measures the strengths, weaknesses, and needs of all students, regardless of background, ZIP code, or socioeconomic status.
(News release from Lubbock-Cooper Independent School District)