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Uvalde CISD outlines changes to gifted and talented services, expands STEM and UIL offerings
Summary
District staff described identification and monitoring changes for gifted and talented students, professional learning plans, and a districtwide roll‑out of STEM instructional frameworks and academic UIL participation.
UVALDE, Texas — Uvalde CISD staff told trustees the district is strengthening identification, monitoring and teacher training for gifted and talented (GT) services while expanding STEM instruction and academic UIL programs across campuses.
The GT coordinator, Alicia Machaca, summarized the district's approach against the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted and Talented Students, highlighting identification windows, online referral forms (available in English and Spanish), kindergarten and second‑grade screening, a January testing window, and a campus‑level committee review with recommendations expected by March 1.
Why it matters: Texas requires districts to provide GT services with documented professional learning and identification. Machaca said the district is below the state’s recommended 10 percent identification rate and is revising data practices to improve identification equity across grades and campuses.
Key points: GT services will be delivered primarily in the regular classroom (full inclusion) rather than pull‑out, Machaca said; the district is building campus GT committees, digital student portfolios and a rubric for artifacts to document fidelity. She said Region 20 provides training and that in‑district Friday professional learning days produced stronger teacher attendance than prior Saturday sessions.
On STEM, staff described a district STEM instructional framework tied to “STEM fluency skills” and project‑based learning (PLTW). Several campuses already run weekly STEM enrichment rotations; sixth grade at the junior high has a year‑long STEM course. Staff acknowledged challenges in measuring some “soft” STEM fluency skills and said work is underway to develop valid measures.
Academic UIL: The district reported roughly 120 students participated in academic UIL competitions during the prior year, with 25 students placing at district contests. Junior high competitions run in winter with high‑school meets in spring; staff said recruitment and expanded practices are underway.
What was decided: No board action was required. Staff said they will continue campus monitoring, teacher training and work to increase GT identification and STEM implementation fidelity.
Speakers quoted in this story spoke at the public meeting and are identified in district records.
