How we got here
At the SCUCISD board's Dec. 18 meeting, a statement of strategy for the second year of the TIP was brought to trustees, affirming the district's focus on closing gaps with emergent bilingual and special education students.
Schertz Elementary was put on the plan due to a score of 57, or an F grade, from the 2023-24 TEA accountability ratings, Sarah Dauphinais, the district's director of elementary education, said. Dauphinais said the score, which dropped from an 83, or B grade, in 2022-23, was a "big surprise" due to changes in the TEA accountability ratings as well as a drop in bilingual student performance.
"It was a shock, we were not expecting it," Dauphinais said.
For the 2024-25 school year, the campus received a score of 69, or a D grade—a forced grade due to scores less than 70 in multiple areas. According to the TEA, campuses may exit the program if they do not rank in the bottom 5% of the Closing the Gaps domain for two consecutive years, and increase a letter grade in that domain.
What's happening
The TIP statement of strategy is similar in wording to the 2024-25 statement approved Jan. 23, 2025, Dauphinais said. According to the statement, the district will "provide professional learning and collaborative planning time" for teachers to "identify and intentionally plan high-leverage instructional strategies, lessons and curriculum resources" in order to close achievement gaps.
Strategy planning involved a comprehensive needs assessment, collaborative planning and stakeholder input, according to Dauphinais. Stakeholders included local partners as well as Education Service Center Region 20 and TEA representatives.
Next steps
If the campus is identified as making support progress, Schertz Elementary will be out of the school improvement plan for 2026-27, Dauphinais said.
Trustee Gerald "Jerry" Perkins asked if the district has any current indicator data, such as State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, data. Dauphinais said they do not, but have other ways to monitor progress and adjust as needed.
"Although we won't have that official STAAR data, we do have data that will give us indicators about whether or not the kiddos are on track, and whether [teachers] need to course correct pretty quickly," Dauphinais said.
The board is anticipated to take action on the TIP statement of strategy in January, Dauphinais said.
