Leander ISD board discusses design forum, STAAR and Middle School No. 8

The board also heard policy suggestions from staff regarding the new state standardized test, the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness. Todd Washburn, LISD executive director of secondary curriculum, said LISD is collaborating with other districts to make sense of the new standards.

Under new state guidelines set by the Texas Education Agency, high school students must take a total of 12 core subject end-of-course exams and reach a cumulative passing score in order to graduate. Among other mandates, TEA requires the STAAR end-of-course exam score count as 15 percent of a student's course grade.

But Washburn recommended excluding the end-of-course score from grade point average calculations, noting an unreasonable burden on counselors since students may retake STAAR end-of-course exams repeatedly and for any reason.

The STAAR grading scale will segment scores into three categories: unsatisfactory, satisfactory and advanced academics, Washburn said.

"Anybody across any of those spans can retake it, but those below the minimum must," he said, adding students who receive a nearly passing unsatisfactory score are not required to retest. "For those below the unsatisfactory minimum, the district must provide accelerated instruction or remediation between when they take it and the first opportunity to retake it, which in this year is July."

He said LISD will likely offer STAAR end-of-course retest opportunities twice a year in December and July, in compliance with the state's requirements.

Superintendent Bret Champion said he is concerned some students could easily and quickly fall behind if they fail even just one end-of-course exam. He said a student could retake an exam several years after taking the class.

"I don't want to lose sight of how complicated this really is," Champion said. "We are talking about this on Feb. 2 when we've got freshmen who will be sitting for these exams two months from now, and we have no answers."

The TEA continues to release information about the STAAR leading up to its debut this spring.

Middle School No. 8

The LISD school board accepted a list of campus name suggestions for Middle School No. 8, set to open in the fall, but took no action to name the school at the Feb. 2 meeting.

The board requested that staff reopen the nomination process for Elementary School No. 24—which first commenced a year ago—so both campuses can be named at the same time. Executive Director School and Community Relations Veronica Sopher said the district received multiple suggestions for the same name for both schools.

LISD will accept electronic transfer requests associated with Middle School No. 8 starting at the end of February or beginning of March, said Ellen Skoviera, assistant superintendent of business and operations.

"We have had interest from people who would be zoned to go to Middle School No. 8," she said, adding the campus must have a viable number of eighth graders. "We want to give parents the earliest answer we are able to do."

Skoviera said LISD will accept transfer requests for all other schools in early March.