HISD’s Achieve 180 program finished strong for the 2018-2019 school year, holding two of its biggest end-of-the-year meetings with district staff and campus principals to discuss best practices, modifications, and next steps. 

“As we start preparing for the 2019-2020 school year, we still have a great amount of work in outlining more progressive solutions and assessing the program’s strengths and weaknesses that will better support our students and campuses,” Achieve 180 Area Superintendent Felicia Adams said. “As we look to redefine our approach through the program’s academic and supportive services, it is my hope that we exceed the even greater expectations set for next school year.”  

The Achieve 180 cross-functional team, which includes district administrators, teacher development specialists, nurses, and wraparound specialists, received the first round of positive news as it relates to the turnaround program’s student performance.  

Compared with last year, Achieve 180 fifth- and eighth-graders produced gains across the board from Approaches to Masters Grade Level in reading and mathematics.  

The program’s fifth- and eighth-grade students showed the most growth in mathematics, especially those in Tier 3, with an increase of 10 percentage points at the Approaches Grade Level, followed by eighth-graders producing a 20 percentage-point increase in just one year at the Approaches Level.  

In reading, the program’s fifth-graders had a 2 percent increase, while eighth-graders had a 7 percentage-point increase in Meets Grade Level. As an honorable mention, Achieve 180’s Tier 3 campuses exceeded the district in mathematics at Meets Grade Level with a 13-percentage point increase, followed by a 16-percentage point increase by eighth-graders. 

Overall, Achieve 180 outperformed the district in mathematics for Meets Grade Level with fifth-graders having a 6 percentage point increase and eighth-graders yielding a 10 percent increase.  

Only in its second year of implementation, it appears the turnaround program has continued to experience positive trends that will support campuses that have been recognized as low performing and underserved. 

“This year, Achieve 180 finished strong and proved to the district and the community why a turnaround program of this magnitude is imperative and necessary if we want to aggressively bridge the gap in learning for our students and quickly close the achievement gaps at our most critical campuses,” Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said. 

Achieve 180 started the school year with a few celebrations, which included HISD having the lowest number of campuses labeled Improvement Required (IR) since 2012 and the removal of six campuses from IR—Woodson PK-8, Blackshear, Dogan, Mading and Wesley elementary schools, and Worthing High School.  

To learn more about the Achieve 180 program, click here.