This year’s motto at Italy High School is “unfinished business” according to Tanya Parker, principal.

Ms. Parker was devastated when she learned the high school earned an academically acceptable rating with the Texas Education Agency’s 2010 campus accountability rating. Continuing, she said, “We are really in a lot better shape than what it looks like.”

The State takes the lowest scores and sets the school’s ratings, she said. Parker is not satisfied with the ratings and predicts this district will improve this year.

Students, overall, scored exemplary or recognized ratings in reading, writing, social studies and mathematics.

The summary scores for all junior high and high school grades are 94.4% in reading, 84% in math, 78.6% in science and 94.6% in social studies.

“Our seventh graders scored 100% in writing,” Parker said. The seventh grade classes, taught by Margie Davis, increased 16 points from 2009 to reach that elusive 100%.

“That is a very big deal,” Parker said.

She said the campus also saw significant increases in math scores.

Parker said seventh grade math scores increased 53% over 2009, going from a 59 to 90.

Freshmen math scores increased from 49 in 2009 to 82 in 2010, a 67.34% increase.

Sophomore math scores also increased 53.57%, going from 56 in 2009 to 86 in 2010.

“We did something right,” she said.

Although science scores slipped somewhat, Parker said the eighth grade science scores increased 27% from a 53 in 2009 to a 67.3 in 2010.

Science scores increased 110% for sophomores rising from a 40 in 2009 to an 84 in 2010.

She said the “kids are on track for next year,” according to the Texas Projection Measure (TPM),

The TPM is an estimate of whether a student is likely to pass the TAKS test at a future grade, according to information from the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

TPM is based on a student’s current performance on TAKS and the TAKS scores from all students at that campus.

“We made a lot of gains from ’09,” Parker explained. “That is why I am proud of our scores although we are not where we need to be.”

She explained that the current TAKS system can actually penalize honor students since some students may not have been involved in the freshman math class, algebra I, since the eighth grade. She said some students fail simply because they have not covered that material in over a year.

She said this is the last year for the TAKS testing; the State of Texas Assessment Academic Readiness (STAAR) program will take effect in 2011-2012.

STAAR will use the 12-end-of-course assessments mandated by SB 1031 in 2007, according to the TEA.

The new tests will measure a child’s performance as well as academic growth.

Parker said the questionable part of the STAAR testing is that it will count between 15 and 20% of the student’s final grade in that subject. She said, “If the testing continues to be April, there are several more weeks of educational instruction that has not been taught.”

Despite any questions for upcoming programs, Parker said she is ready for school to start. “Our teachers are fired up,” she said.

The district will use a new math curriculum this year that has proven to be successful in many schools districts, she explained.

They will continue building on the science program.

Parker said an increased emphasis will be placed on math and science vocabulary for ESL students.

She said, “There are so many good things happening.”

The campus will offer a parent meeting to explain the parent portal program and a technology program that is accessible to the public.

However, the exciting new venture for the district is the Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN).

Students may take classes online – in the computer lab — that the district could not afford to offer otherwise.

“We are excited to try and give kids those opportunities that we couldn’t give here,” Parker said. She said this program includes many foreign languages, drivers’ education and various other classes.

She said students will learn more about this program the first week of school.

Parker said the district excels in athletics, noting that most athletic programs went into the playoffs last year; but added that students also excelled in reading, social studies and math.