As the school year marches toward its end, districts in Rockdale and Thorndale got some morale boosting good news about the job they are doing educating youth in preparing them for college and life outside of high school.
The high schools in in those districts were named to the top half of rating figured by U.S. News & World Reports in coordination with RTI International, a nonprofit social science research firm. The team ranked about 17,860 public high schools out of the nearly 24,000 reviewed.
Thorndale was rated 521 out of the 1,524 high schools in Texas that were ranked, while Rockdale was on the list at 544.
Superintendent Adam Ivy of the Thorndale district praised the effort his entire staff puts in to do their part in seeing students achieve.
“I would like to say that I am proud of the efforts of our staff and students as always. I believe we have a fantastic group of people in Thorndale that truly go the extra mile to make a difference for our students,” he said.
Ivy also noted that the measures used in the ratings did not take into account everything the district does to turn out well-rounded students.
“I also want to clarify that many of these types of ratings are based on standardized testing which only gives a very brief snapshot of how our kids perform on a single test on a single day. There are so many factors that go into the success of our students that do not get included. Things like FFA, FCCLA, sports, National Honor Society, UIL academics, community service and so many others,” Iyy said.
“While we are proud of our accomplishments we are always looking to push forward to get better wherever we can. I know that our neighbors in Rockdale, Milano, Cameron, Buckholts and Gause do a fantastic job with their kids every day also and work to provide the best possible education just like we do and I do not want to diminish their accomplishments based on a report like this,” he said.
Rockdale administrators were equally proud of their success with students.
Superintendent Denise Monzingo spoke of the duty her staff has to ensuring student success and the student following though.
“While we don’t always see immediate results, being in the top 40% of schools nationwide and top 27% in Texas shows the commitment Rockdale ISD has made to the students and community. I am so proud of our staff and students,” she said.
Pam Kaufmann, the district’s assistant superintendent, noted that the seeds for success in high school are planted early in the education process.
“Rockdale ISD schools are committed to preparing our students for success beginning in pre-K. Each level does their part to ensure our students have the foundation they need for overall success in life and career. Every Rockdale ISD staff member is part of that success and can take pride in this accomplishment,” she said.
Brent Hasselbach, Rockdale High School principal, credited the work of those who deal with the students daily at his school.
“We have a great staff and this is the result of all of their hard work.”
“The U.S. News & World Reports rankings provide insight into academic performance among underserved groups showing how well schools are supporting our students. Rockdale ISD teachers and administrators do a tremendous job of inspiring students to achieve excellence and we’re proud of the work being done in the classrooms and the courses that we offer. By offering 18 advanced placement or accelerated program courses, 12 career and technical programs of study, as well as top-notch fine arts and athletic programs, Rockdale ISD provides a variety of opportunities to meet the needs of all students,” said Britina Pesak, executive director of College Career Readiness.
“Our students are meeting the challenges of high expectations and are graduating with the academic and technical skills necessary to be successful in their postsecondary future. The rankings can best be used to see how schools compare at the national, state and local level on factors like graduation rates and college readiness. Whether preparing students for a postsecondary future in college, career, or military, Rockdale ISD is committed to continuous improvement, because our students and community deserve our very best,” she said.
The ratings were based on six factors college readiness, college curriculum breadth, math and reading proficiency, math and reading performance, underserved student performance and graduation rate, according to the magazine.
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