The ratings are in, and the Houston Independent School District has made significant academic gains since the last time letter grades were given by the Texas Education Agency.
HISD earned a solid B+ from the TEA and maintained its overall 88 rating from 2019. The TEA did not give grades the last two academic years as school districts navigated the pandemic.
Continue readingTo shed the negative image that often comes with wearing a badge, HISD Police Chief Pedro Lopez Jr. is following the lead of police chiefs nationwide to bring relational policing into HISD classrooms and neighborhoods.
That idea, along with a recent significant boost in department funding, paved the way for the district’s new police community outreach team CORE (Community Outreach Responsive Engagement).
“We are determined to go out into the communities, build back those relationships and bridge that gap that has increasingly widened with what has been happening throughout the country,” said HISD Police Officer Steven Bennett, who is one of the six officers serving on the CORE team. “We just want to get out there and do everything we can to repair this relationship between the community and law enforcement.”
Continue readingTo guide district decision-making, particularly moving forward on virtual learning, the HISD Research and Accountability Department is launching a districtwide Fall 2020 Virtual/Remote Learning Parent Survey.
The survey will run from Monday, November 9 through Tuesday, November 17. Parents are asked to complete the survey online at HoustonISD.org/FallParentSurvey. The survey is also available in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Arabic.
Continue readingWith the 2020-2021 school year in full swing, it is important that all HISD parents complete the Student Information Verification application to ensure student information is accurate and up to date.
The form will be available on the HISD Connect Parent Portal from Monday, Oct. 26 to Friday, Nov. 13.
The Student Information Verification application will allow parents the opportunity to verify or update their information to stay connected to their student’s school, such as home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and emergency contacts.
Continue readingHouston Independent School District Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan engaged in a school safety discussion on Friday with key community leaders to discuss strategies to ensure student safety and security.
The meeting was an additional measure to engage with HISD stakeholders in the wake of the tragic shooting at Bellaire High School last month, which resulted in the death of a student.
Continue readingThe Houston Independent School District has received the Meritorious Budget Award (MBA) from a worldwide association of school business officials for producing a 2019-2020 budget that is accurate, informative and easy to comprehend.
HISD earned the award from the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO), which has been in existence for 110 years. To receive the honor, the association required the district to submit a substantial packet of detailed budget documents, which were evaluated by a confidential panel of school finance experts.
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Principal Reginald Bush knew it was “challenge accepted” when he was named principal at Kashmere High School, an Achieve 180 campus, prior to the start of the 2018-2019 school year.
On a typical school day at Kashmere, you can find Bush in his signature military-style fatigues, mingling with students in the halls and checking in with teachers and staff to monitor the ongoing instruction happening in classrooms.
“From the moment I stepped foot on campus, I knew that I needed to focus on supporting the teachers, building their toolkits and modeling effective practices that would quickly move the data,” Bush said. “I built the campus’ culture on the idea of ‘No Teacher Left Behind,’ and I wanted to make sure we kept the human element at the forefront of everything we did with our faculty and students.”
Continue readingKashmere High School rewrites history by earning passing grade
The Houston Independent School District earned an overall high “B” rating by the Texas Education Agency under the state accountability system for the 2018-2019 academic year, exiting nine campuses from the state’s “Improvement Required” list. The district earned a grade of 88.
According to the ratings released by TEA, 92 percent of HISD schools (250 out of 271 rated campuses) earned a passing grade. For the first time, all HISD schools received a letter grade under the state’s new A-F rating system, which was implemented in 2018. Fifty-seven HISD campuses earned A’s, 78 earned B’s, 86 earned C’s and 29 earned D’s. A minimum grade of “D” is required for a school to receive a passing rating.
“We are extremely proud of all of our teachers, principals, school support officers, and area superintendents for working diligently to help our students succeed,” HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said. “Our students demonstrated significant gains, and we are committed to empowering them to thrive academically.”
Continue readingWith the end of school year around the corner, preparations for the 2019-20 school year are under way for the Achieve 180 program and will continue with principals and administration conducting planning sessions over the summer.
One of the major events that will assist school leaders is the district’s annual Professional Learning Series (PLS), which is scheduled for June 17-19 at Kingdom Builders’ Center. The event is an opportunity for district leadership and principals to begin drafting their school improvement plans, also known as SIPS.
Continue readingThe Houston Independent School District will host a public meeting next week to explain the annual Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR).
The annual report, which is required by the Texas Education Agency, includes data on academics, student and staff demographics as well as comparison data from the region and the state. HISD’s research and accountability team helps gather the statistical information needed to complete the report.
The public meeting will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 14 at Hattie Mae White Education Support Center (4400 West. 18th St., 77092).
Under TEA law, every Texas school district must offer an opportunity to discuss the TAPR results with the local community. The final 2017-18 TAPR report was published on Dec. 21, 2018 and must be shared during a public hearing within 90 days of its release date.
To view the complete report, visit https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/tapr/.