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In about 18 days, the bells will ring yet again to mark the start of the 2010-2011 school year for the Johnson City ISD. However, the school district has already received some exciting news from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). On Friday, July 30th the TEA released their 2010 school ratings for the state. For the first time since the rating system has been instituted, Johnson City ISD is celebrating the fact that not just one, but two campuses have achieved "Exemplary" status – this is the highest rating the state has to offer.

Needless to say, JCISD Superintendent, David Shanley was incredibly pleased with the announcement. "…these ratings support the fact that 2009-2010 was one of the best academic school years in JCISD history. State ratings are just one indicator of what a phenomenal staff we have, not to mention the students that rise to meet our expectations."

Mr. Shanley’s use of the word "rise" certainly depicts the dedication and effort by the school districts students and staff. In 2008-2009, LBJ Middle School was rated Academically Acceptable. Last year, they were able to increase their rating to Recognized. The campus remained focused on their goals during the 2009-2010 school year and were successful in obtaining the state’s highest rating of Exemplary.

"I am incredibly proud of how hard the staff and students have worked in the last three years as we’ve moved from ‘acceptable’ to ‘recognized’ and now to ‘exemplary’… This final rating is evidence of the dedication we perform in our classrooms each and every day," stated LBJ Middle School Principal, Cammie Ockman.

LBJ Elementary also received positive news by achieving ‘exemplary’ status for the fourth year in a row. "We worked incredibly hard to reach exemplary status last year," stated Elementary Principal, Shannon Helmke. "However, maintaining that focus for excellence can be just as difficult. Our campus is blessed to have such wonderful teachers who truly have a passion for education and a sincere love for our students… I also happen to know our students are the best around. It’s always exciting to be recognized for such hard work by our students and staff, and that’s continued exemplary learning on our campus."

School ratings are often watched closely by parents, community members, and educators because they offer a snapshot of how well a school is doing in educating their students. Ratings are based primarily on statistics such as: student dropout rates, graduation rates, and TAKS scores.

LBJ High School received the rating of ‘Academically Acceptable’ again this year. However, TAKS test results show that the campus was very close to achieving ‘Recognized’ status. Furthermore, there are additional variables that are considered at the high school level verses the middle school or elementary level when considering state ratings. Though the high school did achieve significant improvement in the areas of math and science, they fell just short of obtaining the rating of ‘Recognized’ by the state this year.

However, LBJ High School Principal, Julie Storer remains optimistic: "We [the high school staff and students] knew when the preliminary results came out in May that we had made significant improvement in certain areas with many students and we certainly celebrate each success. To fall just short of a Recognized rating is disappointing, but we have already moved forward and begun working as a staff to improve instruction. We all know that the Recognized and Exemplary ratings are within our reach with the dedicated staff we have and our continued focus on excellence."

Teachers across the district have been excitedly preparing for the upcoming school year through summer workshops and training. They will officially return to campuses on Monday, August 16th. The first day for students is Monday, August 23rd.