Three Kingsville ISD schools received Texas Education Agency Campus Gold Performance Acknowledgements that recognized special achievements of individual schools. TEA Gold Performance Acknowledgements recognize Texas school districts and campuses for high academic performance on various categories that also include commended performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. H.M. King High School, Gillett Intermediate, and Perez Elementary School received the 2009 Campus Gold Performance Acknowledgements based on accountability information released by TEA Nov. 6.

H.M. King High School received the Campus Gold Performance Acknowledgement

based on the high percentage of graduates who met or exceeded the requirements for the Distinguished Achievement Program. This meant that 90.5 percent of H.M. King’s graduates met or exceeded the requirements for the Texas State Board of Education Recommended High School Program, (RHSP), or Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP). For acknowledgement on this indicator, 85 percent of all 2008 graduates reported must meet or exceed the requirements for the Recommended High School Program or Distinguished Achievement Program.

The high school also received the Campus Gold Performance Acknowledgement based on the English Language Arts TAKS text. Seventy five percent of the 11th graders scored a scale score of 2200 or more and three or higher on the essay portion. These 11th graders are considered to begin college level work based on their performance on the TAKS exit-level exam. For acknowledgement on this indicator, the campus must have 60 percent or more of its examinees scoring at or above the Texas Success Initiative- Higher Education Readiness Component-English Language Arts. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board sets this standard.

Gillett Intermediate School received the Campus Gold Performance Acknowledgement for comparable improvement in reading/ English language arts that rated in the top 25 percent in the Average Texas Growth Index (TGI) on TAKS Reading/ELA. This comparable improvement is a measure that calculates how student performance on the TAKS test has changed or increased from one year to the next. It compares the change with 40 schools that demographically similar to the target school.

Perez Elementary School received the Campus Gold Performance Acknowledgement for Commended Performance in writing. For acknowledgement on this indicator, the campus must have 30 percent or more of its examinees scoring at or above the commended performance standard. Thirty seven percent of the fourth grade students achieved a commended performance standard of 2400 with a three or higher on the essay portion.