SAISD outlines STAAR improvement plan
SAISD News Release — During a school board meeting tonight, San Antonio ISD administration presented the TEA published district’s results for the spring administration of the STAAR and End-of-Course assessments. The district’s preliminary analyses indicate general progress at the high school level and in certain grades and subjects, though significant challenges remain in meeting the expectations for academic excellence set by our families and Board Goals.
The district’s report noted the following key improvements:
- Algebra I: A 5-point increase in the number of students passing.
- Biology: A 4-point increase in the number of students passing.
- English II: A 2-point increase in the number of students passing.
- U.S. History: A 3-point increase in the number of students passing.
The district also observed growth at the “meets” performance level:
- Algebra I: A 2-point increase.
- English I: A 1-point increase.
- English II: An 8-point increase.
- U.S. History: A 3-point increase.
Furthermore, the district observed growth at the “masters” performance level:
- Algebra I: A 2-point increase.
- English I: A 2-point increase.
- English II: A 1-point increase.
SAISD’s performance on the End-of-Course exams also surpassed the state’s growth at most performance levels, highlighting the district’s progress in closing the achievement gaps with state averages.
“We are incredibly proud of our students and educators for the progress we are seeing at our high schools,” said Dr. Jaime Aquino, Superintendent of SAISD. “These results reflect the hard work and dedication of our entire school community and our commitment to providing high-quality education for all students.”
Despite the improvements at the high school level, the district noted a drop in student performance in grades 3 to 8 and outlined its action steps to accelerate growth in the coming school year. There were, however, some bright spots in these grades:
- Grade 4 Reading Language Arts: A 4-point increase in students passing and a 3-point increase at the meets level.
- Grade 6 Reading Language Arts: A 5-point increase in students at the meets level and a 4-point increase at the masters level.
- Grade 8 Math: A 3-point increase at the meets level and a 2-point increase at the masters level in Math.
The administration observed that the state also experienced declines, and in comparison, SAISD sometimes demonstrated less of a decline or remained stable:
- Reading Language Arts (Grades 3-8): SAISD’s students meeting grade level expectations remained stable similar to the State.
- Math (Grades 3-8): Statewide declines were observed in both English and Spanish assessments. SAISD’s performance decreases in Math were slightly higher than the State overall, with the exception of Grade 3 and Grade 8.
- Combined Assessments in Reading Language Arts: When combining Grades 3-8 Reading Language Arts and high school assessments for English I and II, both the State and SAISD saw very little change in students meeting grade-level expectations.
- Combined Assessments in Math: When combining Grade 3-8 Math and Algebra I, declines were experienced across the State. SAISD’s performance decline in mathematics was slightly higher than the State overall.
“We are not where we want to be, and staff will address this using the district’s Always Learning strategic management plan for systemwide improvement,” said Board President Christina Martinez. “I am confident in the district’s action plan, which directs its resources, and organizes its efforts, to support our students.”
“We recognize the challenges faced by our younger students and are proactively implementing measures to support their academic growth,” said Aquino. “Our goal is to ensure that every student, at every grade level, has the opportunity to succeed. Although we are disappointed to see a decline in student performance, this is why accountability is so important. It gives us the data we need to confidently implement strong plans to support our teachers and students in achieving the best academic outcomes.”
Moving forward, SAISD will continue to enhance its culture, focusing on a growth mindset. “This improvement approach will be supportive and collaborative, allowing us to use the data to determine the best ways to implement rigorous curriculum and rigorous instruction,” Aquino said.
The district will identify the content areas where students show the greatest need and determine the specific question types that caused students to struggle. Using this analysis, the district will provide evidence-based instruction in reading, writing, and math, while focusing on the delivery of instruction in formats represented in the state assessments.
For instance, SAISD determined that students may have struggled with the testing format rather than the content. Therefore, instruction next year will:
- Transition from paper to online assessments, exposing students to technology-enhanced question types.
- Ensure every student in Grades 2 and up have a laptop and develop basic keyboarding skills.
- Incorporate response-time management and various question formats (such as graphing, drag and drop, and inline choice) in daily instruction.
The district will also offer extended day/week opportunities to students and provide educator professional development that reinforces the district’s insights from the state data. Central Office staff will collaborate to provide additional support to campuses.
“It is our vocation and purpose to ensure the academic achievement of our students, and our pursuit of this mission will include all key stakeholders in a collaborative process,” Aquino said.
Additionally, this fall, the district will introduce a School Performance Framework that, in addition to the state assessments, will show families a clearer picture of the quality of their child’s school community. Using the accountability results as a foundation, the district will refine the definition of success by including other characteristics valued by the community in the areas of academics, culture and climate, and student support efforts.
“The School Performance Framework is a statement of values that SAISD believes is necessary to create quality schools,” said Aquino. “This framework will drive district decision-making, empower schools, and equitably distribute resources to help us increase the number of our schools that are thriving.”
A pivotal component of SAISD’s Always Learning strategic management plan involved the development of personalized Thriving Profiles for each stakeholder including students, teachers, classrooms, school leaders, schools, and the district at large. The goal of the profiles is to describe the knowledge, skills, and beliefs that will help each group reach their fullest potential.
