Del Valle ISD joins lawsuit against TEA to block new policy

DEL VALLE, Texas - Del Valle ISD announced they're joining a lawsuit filed against the Texas Education Agency to halt the implementation of a new TEA policy.

The policy updates the college and career readiness standard, redesigns the test, requires higher scores. It also includes an accountability system that the district claims is unreasonable.

In a statement, Del Valle ISD superintendent Dr. Annette Tielle says the changes are being used to paint a picture that public schools are failing.

"We are disappointed that the Texas Education Agency is using this change in the accountability system to paint a picture that public schools, including Del Valle ISD, are failing," said Dr. Annette Tielle in a statement. "While we are focusing on your children's success, we are being pulled into a political agenda."

DVISD says the policy makes the following changes:

• Increases the College and Career Readiness (CCMR) standard by 28 points, which moves the goal post from 60 percent to 88 percent
• Retroactively applies increase to Class of 2022, changing this standard more than a year after they graduated
• Moving district ratings to a weighted system highly dependent on the high school's CCMR score
• Fully redesigning the test, with new question types, cross-curricular passages, and evidence-based writing
• Moving to 100% online testing for all students

DVISD also says a bipartisan group of 55 state legislators have asked the commissioner to delay implementing these new standards.

The board of trustees made the decision to join the lawsuit at their meeting and district officials plan to meet with staff and parents during the next month.

Dr. Tielle also says she plans to share videos with a state accountability expert outlining these changes and continue to advocate for DVISD students at the State Capitol.