Spring Branch ISD Featured News

Spring Branch Independent School District (SBISD) largely outperformed a comparative group of Houston area districts on the Spring 2023 STAAR test for grades three and eight and Algebra 1 and English 1 End of Course (EOC) exams, based on the Region Districts Data First Look report released this week by Good Reason Houston, a local public-education focused non-profit organization.  

Good Reason Houston defines the comparative group as those districts within its service area with at least one campus in Houston and a majority of campuses serving 70%+ Economically Disadvantaged students.

SBISD is spotlighted in the report as one of only two districts that met or exceeded pre-pandemic performance levels for third grade math, and the only district to exceed pre-pandemic performance for eighth grade math and Algebra I. 

Since the 2018-2019 school year, the report credits SBISD with increases in third grade reading of 14 percentage points. In a year-over-year comparison between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years, SBISD third grade reading results increased by five points, the largest increase among the comparison districts. Additionally, SBISD had the strongest Meets Grade Level or Higher performance, with 61% of students scoring at these highest levels last year.

Third grade math scores also indicate SBISD had the greatest gains from pre-pandemic performance levels among the comparison districts, with an increase of 5 percentage points since 2018-2019. Last year, SBISD also had the strongest Meets Grade Level or Higher performance for third grade math, with 52% of students scoring at these highest levels. 

For eighth grade math, Spring Branch ISD had a 25-percentage point gain, 19 points ahead of the state, just in the last year alone. SBISD is the only district cited in the report that has shown growth in eighth grade math since 2019. 

SBISD’s English I EOC scores have risen sharply since 2019, too, up 37 points, an increase of 218%, per the Good Reason Houston analysis. 

These strong results are a testament to the district’s laser-like focus on reading and math, two key priorities identified by Dr. Jennifer Blaine when she became Superintendent of Schools in July 2019.  

“Even with a redesigned test, our teachers, school leaders and students did a great job, as indicated by the preliminary results. Our unyielding commitment to professional learning communities with data-driven attention to the academic growth and development of Every Child is apparent in these results,” Dr. Blaine proudly stated. 

“These results also affirm the district’s commitment to aligning resources to priorities. Over the past three years, we leveraged ESSER funds to further expand instructional coaching and classroom supports across content areas and grade levels. Our results are a testament that with the proper funding in place, SBISD will always prioritize our resources to support student needs and success.” 

Dr. Blaine also noted, “With ESSER funding now ended, and no new per student funding from the state, we are focusing strong attention on how to sustain these supports beyond this school year.”

The Good Reason Houston Region Districts Data First Look report is based on 2023 STAAR preliminary results recently released by the Texas Education Agency and reflects the proportion of students meeting or mastering grade level standards on the STAAR test, Texas’s statewide standardized assessment administered each spring. STAAR Reading and Math English exams were included in the analysis. 

View the full Good Reason Houston Region Districts Data first Look report here.