EDLD 5371
Dr. Nicks

Robert Wilson


When looking at our district data a few areas stand out as needing to be addressed. One of these is budget issues that we are not necessarily facing now but could become an issue in the near future. Our tax base is basically the paper mill across the street. In recent months several people have lost their jobs at the mill and many more are expected before December. There are even rumors of the mill closing down early next year. We are a Chapter 41 school. If the mill closes or loses a large amount of its value, we could be facing some serious issues that we are not used to dealing with. Therefore, I will not deal with it here. Instead, I will look at the most readily available data available; the AEIS report. When looking at this report the most obvious areas of need are Math and Science.

First, I will address Science. We scored 78% in 5th grade science last year. This was a fluke of nature and will never happen again. The 5th grade Science scores have never been this low. When talking to the teacher it was apparent that these scores were based on an error in instruction. The teacher was new and was responsible for 5th grade Science as well as 5th grade Math. The Math scores were great. Our other little blip in Science occurs in the 10th grade. This seems to be a recurring problem. Some years are tolerable and some are just bad. We have addressed this issue by ensuring that there were ample instructional materials for the classroom, several different remediation and TAKS preparation resources, and provided a computer based program to work on Science skills as they apply to the TAKS. We also adopted a new curriculum that is vertically aligned to ensure that each grade is teaching the material they are required to teach. Through a little research we discovered that there are some TEKS tested in the 5th grade that are only covered in the third grade, so it is important that each grade level teaches what they are supposed to teach. This research also revealed that this happens in other content areas as well, especially in secondary math. I think that the 10th grade issue involves a little complacency with the students. Students do not have to pass the Science TAKS that year to proceed to the 11th grade. We adopted a flex schedule this year and tied the TAKS scores to the criteria in able to get the free days off at the end of the semester. Hopefully, along with the other implemented plans, this will raise the test scores.

Now for Math. Our third grade test scores have been declining for the past two years. We are at 80% but we would rather be proactive and fix the problem before we get too much lower. Again, we have a new teacher in third grade. As with Science, we have made available every resource to help improve instruction along with workshops and getting help from Kay Oldes at Region V. I will be conducting several observations throughout the year and help instructional needs where I can. We have also implemented a Math RTI program in the Elementary this year that will hopefully help some of those struggling students. Our 4th and 5th grades both have over 90% in math so our goal there is to at least maintain our levels of instruction and success.
Our Jr. High math is like Math in most schools. We fall to 76% in 6th grade and 78% in 7th grade. Our 8th grade scores were 90%. Low math scores have been a typical trend in the Jr. High. This is the first year that our 8th grade has been 90%, so we know we are on the right path. We just need to address all grades to ensure improvement. The new curriculum has been helpful. We have also started programs in the Elementary (Math Fluency) so those skills will not need to be retaught in the Jr. High. We are getting Jr. High students who do not know basic multiplication facts. We are also drilling fractions and decimals in hopes to improve fluency there. We have also made available computer programs that will address those specific objectives students are struggling with as well as initiated a Math RTI in the Jr. High. Hopefully we will see results.

In High School, our 10th graders are failing again. We had a 49% pass rate in 10th grade Math. Our 9th grade had 78% and our 11th grade had an 83%. This seems to be the norm. Occasionally one group of scores is higher but another is lower. We need to find a way for our students to be consistently successful. As with all other grades, every resource is available. Hopefully, aligning the curriculum along with the flex days as an incentive will help.