GISD takes look at plans to improve student performance

A public hearing on Graham ISD’s 2015-16 state performance assessment was held last week to discuss the district’s struggles with English language learning and special education students. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) provides the Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) report each year and its purpose is to describe the district performance based on laws set by the state. Curriculum director for GISD Gary Browning gave an overview Wednesday, Jan.11 of the 22-page report and said that the school is working toward improvement in those two areas. “If you look through the demographic data you will find that our English language learners and our special education students are struggling on state assessments and so that is an area that Dr. (Colleen) Netterville and I have worked together throughout this first semester to come up with ideas and plans for improvement in those two areas,” Browning said. Schools are rated in four different categories: student achievement, student progress, closing performance gaps and postsecondary readiness. Graham ISD met standard in the ratings and received three distinctions at Graham High School for academic achievement in mathematics, social studies and postsecondary readiness. In the TAPR report, GISD had significantly lower special education STAAR scores compared to state average, with some being as low as 30 percent at satisfactory standard or above, as compared to a state average of 76 percent. GISD also has been struggling in the area of writing and has implemented training for all of their staff and that includes non-ELAR (English Language Arts and Reading) teachers in a program to place some ELAR eduction in every subject. Browning said the training will finish up Jan. 26, when GISD gets a visit from the former director of ELAR assessment at TEA. For the rest of this story, subscribe to our print or online edition.