A hearing is scheduled Monday, Aug. 26, in Austin on a lawsuit temporarily blocking the Texas Education Agency (TEA) from releasing its A-F accountability ratings for public schools, a move that prolongs the ongoing legal battle over the state’s educational assessment system.

The lawsuit, filed by five independent school districts — Pecos-Barstow-Toyah, Crandall, Forney, Fort Stockton, and Kingsville — argues that the STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) test, particularly the new computer-scored essay section, is flawed and leads to inaccurate assessments. 

Plaintiffs claim that the automatic scoring system has caused an unusual spike in zero scores on student essays, which they believe reflects issues with the grading method rather than student performance.

The Aug. 12 order by District Judge Karin Crump in Travis County is the second time in two years the TEA has been legally barred from releasing its school ratings. 

Last year, a similar lawsuit prevented the release of the 2023 A-F ratings after school districts argued that TEA had implemented new scoring standards without sufficient notice, thereby unfairly lowering school scores.

Princeton ISD Superintendent Donald McIntyre echoed concerns about the fairness of the current system. “It is not fair for us to be graded by a system when we don’t know what the expectations are,” he said, emphasizing the need for an equitable accountability framework.

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