The COVID-19 pandemic’s damaging effects on Texas public education won’t completely fade away anytime soon. But the results of the Texas Education Agency’s first district ratings since 2019 are a reflection of teachers’ and administrators’ hard work to help students recover.

The ratings were determined by three categories: students’ performance on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exams given each spring; how those scores have improved; and how well campuses are educating disadvantaged students.

Scores for Tyler school districts were solid. Tyler and Chapel Hill ISDs earned B ratings, matching the grades they received three years ago.

Meanwhile, Cumberland Academy Schools received a B overall, up from a C in 2019, and UT Tyler University Academy earned an A, matching its last TEA grade.

Those ratings for our city’s districts mirror results seen this year across the state.

This year, 27.9 percent of 8,451 Texas schools evaluated received an A rating, the Texas Tribune reported. Meanwhile, 46.1 percent received a B; 19.4 percent received a rating of C; and 6.7 percent received “Not Rated” labels.

The Tribune also reported that of 1,207 Texas school districts, 1,195 were evaluated. Out of those, 33.1 percent received an A; 54 percent got a B; 9.4 percent got a C; and 3.5 percent received “Not Rated.”

(Of note: Instead of A-F ratings, which the TEA last gave in 2019, the agency gave only A-C ratings. Districts and schools that would have received a D or F instead received a “Not Rated” label this year. Also, schools that ranked in those bottom tiers will be spared possible TEA sanctions during the 2022-2023 school year.)

How does that compare with 2019, the last year TEA issued the ratings?

That year, 8,302 campuses were graded, and 21.1 percent received an A; 39.5 percent received a B; 26.1 percent received a C; and 13.3 percent received failing grades, the Tribune reported.

Also in 2019, 1,189 districts were rated, and of those, 25.3 percent received an A; 56.9 percent received a B; 13 percent received a C; and 4.8 percent received failing grades.

So despite months of lost instruction time because of the pandemic, Texas schools — and specifically their teachers and the students they teach — are persevering and even showing gains.

That’s impressive.

While it’s unclear if the TEA ratings are truly the best available gauge of how our schools and districts are performing and how our students are progressing, it’s the best we have right now.

Another Smith County district, Lindale ISD earned straight A’s in the 2022 ratings. Superintendent Stan Surratt said he doesn’t particularly like the accountability rating system, but agrees it is nice to see his district score so highly.

“I’m not a big fan about these A-F ratings because I don’t think there’s a difference between an 89 and a 90. Regardless, we are proud to receive such strong good grades and this is just a reflection of our hard work and talent of our kids,” Surratt said.

We can’t disagree with that and applaud our local districts for pouring into our students so they can excel.

Steve Clugston, superintendent of Pine Tree ISD in Longview, called STAAR results a “one-day snapshot” to gauge students’ learning.

“What we do on the other days is just as important as what happens on that day,” he said. “We don’t feel like the STAAR is the be-all end-all of everything we do.”

Clugston is right, of course. Public schools’ main responsibility is to help prepare students to become successful adults, not master a yearly exam.

But it’s hard to ignore the significance of this year’s TEA ratings, which show our educators aced their pandemic test.