The gist
RISD’s board of trustees approved the district’s targeted improvement plans during its Oct. 30 meeting.
The improvement plans, structured in one- and three-year phases, will help schools close any gaps in success, targeting schools that have room for improvement according to state and federal accountability programs, according to district documents.
The Texas Education Agency provides district-wide and campus-specific grades annually between A and F for student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps. RISD received an overall C rating for the 2024-25 school year.
Susan Hernandez, senior executive director for school improvement, said that every single student affects the overall score, be it a student who was struggling or a student who met expectations but was expected to score higher.
“We’re talking about students who need enrichment as well as students who need intervention,” she said.
The district is implementing Targeted Improvement Plans, which focus on the current school year, along with Turnaround Plans, which extend through spring 2028.
Both types share the same focus on campus-specific strategies, curriculum and instruction, support to teachers, milestone markers, resources in the shape of additional staff members, and campus performance management.
“It’s that balance of ‘I love you so much that I’m going to expect the absolute most out of you' and 'I’m going to support you all the way through,’” RISD Superintendent Tabitha Branum said.
The details
The board approved Targeted Improvement Plans for
- Alkin Elementary
- Dover Elementary
- Forestridge Elementary
- Hamilton Park Pacesetter Magnet Elementary
- Jess Harben Elementary
- Northlake Elementary
- Northwood Hills Elementary
- Skyview Elementary
- Stults Elementary
- Wallace Elementary
- Forest Meadow Middle
- Lake Highlands Middle
- Liberty Junior High
- Parkhill Junior High
Audelia Creek and RISD Academy are both in year three of receiving comprehensive support for improvement.
“For both of these campuses, when I think about my first time ever visiting these schools and where they are today, we are light years ahead,” Hernandez said. “There’s so much more that goes into determining if a school is going to be successful other than data. ... You can feel the improvement of the culture there and the family atmosphere that both of these principals have created. We’re aiming higher because they’re ready for that.”
The specifics
As part of the plan, Audelia Creek is partaking in tiered campus support, where coaches from Region 10 Education Service Center work with the principal and assistant principals, as well as special population support, where the district is focusing aid on subpopulations that need extra attention, which, at Audelia, include Hispanic students, economically disadvantaged students, emergent bilingual students and English language learners. A language acquisition teacher is also helping to support those students.
Hernandez said additional resource allocations had gone to small group instruction and a data tracking platform so that the district “can have a real keen eye on each standard and how students are progressing.”
As a part of its Turnaround Plan, RISD Academy will also work with nonprofit Catch Up & Read to deliver tutoring to first- through third-grade students. The school will also receive a language acquisition teacher and focus on subpopulations in need.
Like Audelia Creek, the district is also directing funding toward small group instruction and data tracking at RISD Academy, Hernandez said. If the tracking is deemed effective, the district will spread its use to more campuses, she said.
Hernandez said both Turnaround Plans have been submitted to Region 10 and stakeholders for feedback, and she will inform the board of any plan edits.
“We’re not looking to do new—we’re looking to go deeper, to expand and to get better, faster,” Hernandez said.
