Alief Independent School District administrators presented a district accountability update on Aug. 15–25 ratings, described recent audit findings in mathematics, and outlined instructional priorities and supports the district will use in 2025–26 to improve student outcomes.
Dr. Charlie Garcia, deputy superintendent, introduced the accountability presentation and turned the briefing to Rayyan Amin, chief of school improvement and accountability, who described statewide context and Alief’s ratings. Amin said Alief ISD again earned a “C” rating on the A–F system and noted that out of 1,208 districts rated in 2025, about 175 received a D or F; 42 of those were charters. Amin said Alief improved domain 2B (relative performance) seven points to a 76, and four high schools earned A or B marks. He noted 19 Alief campuses earned 56 distinctions out of 231 possible.
Amin and Dr. Osagie presented a set of instructional priorities to drive improvement in 2025–26: high-quality Tier 1 instruction, “writing across the curriculum,” academic discourse (student talk), and student evaluation of their own learning. Dr. Osagie emphasized a mathematics instructional framework developed after a math audit that found gaps in rigor, vertical alignment and curriculum-to-assessment alignment. The framework’s four pillars are: balance procedural skills with conceptual understanding; build foundational depth in key concepts; create coherent vertical alignment across grade levels; and promote productive struggle as part of learning.
Operational steps presented to trustees included:
- Increased early-year and ongoing professional learning for principals, instructional specialists and teachers; specialists were brought back four days early for intensive training.
- Twice-weekly exit tickets with STAR‑type questions (two items per administration) to provide faster feedback than periodic common assessments.
- A district “grade up” tool to help campuses identify specific actions to move from a C to a B or A; the district will unveil the tool to principals in a Thursday session and use it for beginning-, mid- and end-of-year PLC self-assessments.
- Targeted, tiered supports for schools rated D or F, including additional staff and real-time coaching.
Trustees asked for more campus-level evidence and quarterly updates. Trustee Rick Moreno pressed for clearer, demonstrable metrics showing what administrators see in classrooms and the distinct supports provided to specific campuses; Trustee Anne Williams and Trustee Janice Spurlock asked for proof points that would let board members validate the work. Administrators responded that the math audit was conducted in spring 2024 and that a math adoption process is planned for 2026–27; they said the team will provide campus-level tracking and the board’s requested quarterly reviews.
No formal board action was taken; the item was presented for information and discussion.