You may recall earlier stories about STAAR improvements at HISD, which Mike Miles has touted as proof that his plans are working and all of us malcontents should just shut up already. That’s all well and good, but as is always the case with Mike Miles there’s more to the story than what they have to say. Texas Monthly fills in the gaps.
In his enthusiasm, though, Miles glossed over a crucial fact: The two-year jump in algebra and biology scores was, at least in part, a result of systematically pushing students at NES schools into less rigorous math and science classes. These moves, some of which were previously reported by the Houston Chronicle, inflated test scores by forcing thousands of students at struggling schools to take STAAR exams a year later than their peers at higher-performing campuses.
In interviews, district representatives acknowledged these changes but told me they were intended to benefit students rather than inflate STAAR scores. Chief academic officer Kristen Hole explained that NES students need extra preparation before taking algebra and biology classes. “We have a lot of English-language learners in the district,” she said. “One additional year of English acquisition for students can always be particularly helpful, especially in a topic like biology, where you have a lot of heavy vocabulary.” (Miles declined an interview request.)
Until the state takeover, most students took both Algebra I and biology in ninth grade, while higher-performing students could take algebra in eighth or even seventh grade. That’s still true at non-NES schools, such as Lanier Middle School and Bellaire High School, which tend to have wealthier, whiter populations. But at NES schools, the course sequence has become much more rigid.
Since the state takeover, access to eighth-grade algebra has declined at many NES schools. Two middle schools that joined NES in 2023 (Cullen and Fondren) did not offer an algebra course that year; three schools that joined in 2024 (Deady, Fonville, and Gregory-Lincoln) also did not offer algebra their first year in the program. At many other schools, eighth-grade enrollment in Algebra I dropped by more than half from its pre-NES figure. Hole wouldn’t answer a question about why the course is no longer offered but said the district is in the process of implementing an accelerated math curriculum for lower grades so that future students will be prepared for eighth-grade algebra. (Cullen resumed offering Algebra I in 2024–25; seven students took the exam this spring.)
But NES schools likely already have students ready for advanced math. At Deady, which enrolls approximately 165 students per grade, 22 students took eighth-grade algebra in the 2023–24 school year. Ninety-one percent of those students scored “Meets and Above” on the STAAR exam, with 77 percent also scoring “Masters.” The following year, Deady joined NES and dropped algebra. Students who might have enrolled in the more challenging course were forced into regular eighth-grade math. Perhaps not coincidentally, the percentage of HISD students demonstrating proficiency in eighth-grade math jumped nine points over the past year, more than the change in any other grade.
A math teacher at Deady told me that his advanced students are frustrated by their inability to take more challenging courses. “If you keep them on the same plane as everyone else, you are going to see higher scores, because those higher-level students are bringing those scores up,” he said. “But over time, if those students don’t stay motivated, it will be like, ‘Okay, well, if I don’t need to try to be better, why try to be better?’ ” (I interviewed seven NES math and science teachers for this story. All but one asked to remain anonymous for fear of being fired.)
An HISD spokesperson told me that the district plans to offer eighth-grade algebra at all middle schools by the 2026–27 school year. For many students, though, that will be too late. A recent study conducted by Good Reason Houston, a nonprofit that supports Miles, found that taking Algebra I in eighth grade leads to significantly higher rates of college completion, even after taking into account race, income, and language.
As the Houston Chronicle has reported, the science-course sequence at NES schools is even stricter. Instead of biology, most NES ninth graders now take Integrated Physics and Chemistry, which teachers described to me as a remedial course. “By not taking biology until tenth grade, you’re limiting their access to other advanced science courses,” said a testing coordinator at one NES high school. “You’re going to increase your scores, but at the cost of advanced academics.”
The HISD spokesperson denied holding NES students back, pointing out that some high schools now offer ninth-grade physics. But physics requires more math skills, which is why it’s usually taught later in high school.
Anna Eastman, a former HISD trustee who initially supported the state takeover before becoming disillusioned by Miles’s actions, told me it was unfair to force NES students to take biology a year later than their peers. “It seems to be that they’re trying to make everyone [at NES schools] do the same thing at the same time, even if you’re holding them back. And I don’t think that’s equitable.”
The bigger problem, however, may be Miles’s intense focus on quickly bringing up test scores. “None of these changes are illegal,” said Dan Dawer, an education PhD student at the University of Texas at Austin working on a dissertation about the HISD takeover. “[Miles] has the flexibility to change which students take which tests. And if that helps get his test scores up, that’s fine. The problem is that students’ interests are not being served by that policy.”
The Mike Miles experience for you in a nutshell, right there. I sure do miss having oversight of my school district.
Knew it!
Public school testing “miracle turn around ‘ narratives always have a hidden back story.