MLK Middle School closing the gap in latest STAAR results

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School is closing the gap on meeting Texas state goals, where students from different student groups are making impressive strides toward their targets.

King Middle met 7 of the key targets examined by STAAR in the ELA/Reading growth, where 70 percent of students achieved or surpassed their growth goal. Texas suspended STAAR in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2021 statewide results reflected the learning disruption experienced during the pandemic. This year, Green Dot partnered with BISD to help accelerate learning and improve outcomes.

“Closing the Gap” is one of the main indicators examined by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) through the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR). Targets with “Closing the Gap” include Academic Achievement, Growth, English Language Proficiency and Student Success.

The grade is achieved by breaking down the students into smaller groups such as Race/Ethnicity, Special Education, Emergent Bilingual/English Learners and Economically disadvantaged. The state then sets and measures whether the students have met those targets and adds the percentage met to calculate the school’s score.

“This is fantastic news as it tells us we are underway, along with the BISD, to get our students on the right track to make Martin Luther King Middle School a place of excellence,” said Cliff Caflin, executive director of Green Dot Public Schools SoutheastTexas. “This achievement belongs to everyone: students, teachers and staff at MLK.”

Sheryl Marie Jackson, parent of MLK student Jamari, is excited about the results and what Green Dot has implemented during their partnership with the Beaumont Independent School District.,

"I see some improvement from last school year. I see they have implemented more things, more things that are going to help them. Education is like their number one thing. I see more things coming and I’m excited that my child, who attends the school as well, is going to be part of all that tutoring and mentoring", said Jackson, who is also a volunteer at King Middle School.