Arcadia High School tells TEA it will use small teams, teaching-fellow pipeline and daily data blocks to close gaps

Arcadia Schools’ applicant team told the Texas Education Agency during a May 7 capacity interview that Arcadia High School will open as a small, team-based high school and use a teaching-fellow pipeline, daily data-review practices and targeted blocks of instruction to accelerate students who enter with academic gaps.

Arcadia’s proposed superintendent, Mohammed Maroof, said the school’s design “focuses on 3 core priorities,” including “innovative instructional practices for every student” and a classroom structure led by an expert teacher, a lead teacher and three teaching fellows. Maroof said the school will open with ninth grade only, a 12-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio and multiple supports intended to give “consistent support” to students who need remediation.

The approach matters because the applicant team told TEA that many feeder middle schools in the area show substantial achievement gaps. Arcadia’s leaders said the model tries to front-load support (double blocks in English/ELAR and daily data review) so teachers can identify and reteach misunderstandings quickly instead of waiting for periodic assessments.

Arcadia’s instructional model…