HOUSTON, Texas – Over the past couple of weeks, KPRC 2 has been reporting on the Houston Independent School District STAAR exam results, which show significant improvement since the Texas Education Agency’s takeover and the appointment of Superintendent Mike Miles.
Miles has introduced several changes to the district, the most noticeable being his New Education System (NES), which has garnered mixed reactions from parents, teachers, and students.
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The results from this year’s exam, although not perfect, have shown some success with Miles’ rigorous plan, which he says still needs some work.
“We grew, we outpaced not only the state but most of the other urban districts with regard to total performance,” Miles stated. “Our economically disadvantaged students grew and narrowed the gap. You know, there’s a huge gap in this district, so we can’t close it overnight. But if we can grow a few percentage points, that’ll be great.”
For the 2023-2024 school year, KPRC 2 decided to embed reporter Candace Burns at Fleming Middle School—a campus that was part of Miles’ NES model—to document the year-long changes from the perspectives of teachers, students, and parents.
During our exclusive one-on-one interview with Miles this week, he shared Fleming’s STAAR test results.
He also shared that middle school students showed the most improvement and that NES schools posted even higher gains than the district average. While there is still a significant gap between certain demographics in HISD, it has started to narrow.
The results
Reading
Sixth Grade:
- In 2023, 106 students were tested in reading. Of these, 18% met the test standard, and 5% mastered the content.
- In 2024, the number of students tested increased slightly to 108. The results showed significant improvement, with 28% of students meeting the test standard and 10% mastering it.
Seventh Grade:
- In 2023, 120 students were tested in reading. 25% met the standard, and 4% mastered it.
- In 2024, although the number of students tested decreased to 99, performance improved notably, with 36% of students meeting the standard and 11% mastering the test.
Eighth Grade:
- In 2023, 126 students were tested. 21% met the standard, and 2% mastered it.
- By 2024, 136 students were tested, with 29% meeting the standard and 10% mastering it.
Math
Sixth Grade:
- In 2023, 108 students were tested in math. Only 8% met the standard, and 1% mastered the test.
- In 2024, the number of students tested was 107. There was a slight improvement, with 10% meeting the standard and 2% mastering the content.
Seventh Grade:
- In 2023, 103 students were tested. 7% met the standard, and 1% mastered the content.
- In 2024, the number of students tested dropped significantly to 77. Unfortunately, performance also declined, with only 4% meeting the standard and none mastering the content.
Eighth Grade:
- In 2023, 107 students were tested. 25% met the standard, and 3% mastered the content.
- In 2024, 113 students were tested. Performance improved dramatically, with 41% meeting the standard and 8% mastering the content.
SEE MORE REPORTS FROM KPRC 2′s YEAR INSIDE FLEMING MIDDLE SCHOOL
‘I’m not teaching to test’: Fleming Middle School takes different approach to STAAR preparation
How this Fleming MS teacher used the instruction model to raise her students grades in 3 weeks
First look inside Fleming Middle School, the HISD campus KPRC 2 will spend a year chronicling
‘I don’t like that 10-minute timer’: Students express concerns with NES Model