Improvement plans are in the works for Austin ISD schools that did not meet Texas Education Agency standards earlier this year.

On Oct. 14, the Austin ISD board of trustees considered improvement plans for Rodriguez Elementary School; Dobie, Garcia, Martin and Pearce middle schools; Eastside Memorial, Lanier, LBJ and Travis high schools; and the Rosedale and Travis County Day schools. The improvement plans will be presented at a public hearing Oct. 28 and after board approval will be submitted to the TEA, Superintendent Meria Carstarphen said, adding that 110 of AISD's 123 schools met TEA standards.

Carstarphen said in Texas there is too much emphasis on high-stakes testing. She said instead of investing heavily in practice tests, the district has focused on removing structures that take students away from valuable instruction time. Board members echoed this sentiment, noting caring for the district's teachers should remain a priority.

"I want to make sure that our kids are being engaged [by teachers who are not] being overly worked to achieve targets," trustee Ann Teich said.

The plans for each school were presented to campus advisory councils and faculty before the Oct. 14 meeting to get additional input, according to board documents.

LBJ, Pearce and Garcia did not meet state standards for the second consecutive year, so the state requires reconstitution plans be developed for those schools, Carstarphen said. Initial reconstitution plans for those schools will be presented at a public hearing Oct. 28 and must go to the TEA for approval by Oct. 31.