That's according to a meeting agenda that was posted for Thursday night after last night's closed school board meeting. An interim superintendent could also be appointed. Read all the details here courtesy of reporter Shirley Jinkins and stay tuned to Extra Credit for updates.
Most people probably weren't surprised that fewer than one-third of Texas third-graders were deemed physically fit in six areas of a new assessment this spring. But in a state that has multiple sports for every seasons, you would expect high school students to fare better than the 8 percent listed in a report released Tuesday by the Texas Education Agency. Not so, said Fort Worth heath and physical fitness director Georgi Roberts. "We could have an outstanding baseball player who does not have cardiovascular endurance or flexibility and has more body weight than is desirable," she said. "That's why it's so important for our students to learn to have an active lifestyle. Not many 30-year-olds still play football." Roberts is using the heightened interest in fitness to speak out about ways to improve physical education programs. That means smaller class sizes, proper facilities and equipment and trained teachers, she said. "A lot of schools don't have gyms for physical education," Roberts said. "You can't teach a class of 100 kids if you have to go outside." Read more.
The Texas Legislature might not have foreseen the consequences of retaining students who fail the TAKS test. But school districts are dealing with larger classes swelled by students who have been retained for a year or two. To lessen the impact of the retained students he Wichita Falls school district has started the Quick Step program to help sixth graders compress two or three years of work into one. If it works, other districts may be following their lead.
It's a dubious honor, but Austin's Johnston High School will be the first school in Texas to be closed due to poor test scores. Facing its fifth "academically unacceptable" rating based on its preliminary TAKS scores, Austin district officials announced the closure. Staff at Fort Worth's Polytechnic High School, which has held the unacceptable rating for three years, are crossing their fingers that their school won't meet the same fate.
Education reporter Diane Smith reports that more than 100 Fort Worth teachers won't keep their classrooms next fall as their schools embark on a pilot program aimed at improving struggling schools, but the district has promised to help them find jobs.
Superintendent Melody Johnson said that just because teachers weren't selected for schools in the program doesn't mean they are not considered good teachers. She said they are being given priority treatment for hiring and interviewing and at job fairs.
"It's about best fit, best matches and need," Johnson said.
The Fort Worth school district has been putting in place a pilot program called PEAK, or Public Educators Accelerating Kids. The effort is expected to draw strong teachers to struggling schools. The district also wants to reward schools where students make academic gains.
Read the more here.
Today the American Federation of Teachers released its report on how strong state standards are. AFT found Texas' math standards to be clearly defined--meaning students knew what they were expected to learn--but that English, science and social studies standards need improvement. Click here for the full report.
As state officials continue to look at ways to improve the public school accountability system, here's the Texas Association of School Board's take on the key differences between the state and federal standards schools must meet. Many local trustees want the task force assigned to the accountability overhaul to work on making them more aligned.
