Alamo Heights principals show campus-level accountability data, spotlight reading and culture gains

Alamo Heights ISD principals presented campus-level community-based accountability results to the Board of Trustees, saying school-level data show improvement in math and reading screeners and high staff satisfaction.

The update, introduced by district leaders at the board meeting, framed community-based accountability as broader and more frequent than the state’s once-a-year test, tracking measures such as enrollment in advanced programs and fine arts as well as frequent universal screeners. Principals from Howard, Cambridge and Woodridge described site-level actions intended to promote academic growth and “protect our culture,” the district’s phrase for staff satisfaction and climate.

Principals highlighted measurable improvements in a tracked cohort: a cohort that as fourth graders were 83 percent at approaches or higher on math and later showed 91 percent at approaches as fifth graders on district screening. Howard Elementary’s principal noted the combination of “explicit, systematic instruction” with play-based reading experiences and said the campus had started an RTI (response to intervention) model in pre-K called Walk to Learn. The principal added that “Reading should be fostered by play based learning” while keeping phonics, decodable text and leveled readers as instructional core elements.

Cambridge and Woodridge principals described aligned strategies: structured professional learning communities (PLCs) every nine weeks, vertical alignment meetings across grade levels, implementation support for the Amplify curriculum for language learners, and targeted professional development for teachers on the new science TEKS. Cambridge said teachers use goal-setting conferences with students and noted students’ mastery-level math improved from 23 percent to 31 percent for the cohort highlighted in the presentation.

All three elementary principals emphasized steps to sustain teacher morale: targeted coaching, hospitality and recognition committees, mentor and induction supports for new staff, PTO-funded classroom materials, and campus traditions such as staff potlucks and “Friday morning dance parties.” The district-level presenter underscored a high campus result shown in February staff feedback: roughly 85 percent reported being quite or extremely satisfied, and nearly all said they are proud to work in the district.

Board members asked for clarification on assessment differences (STAR vs. MAP) and frequency (district screens three times per year). Trustees also raised the effect of recent budget-driven reductions in district learning days, which principals said forced creative scheduling but did not eliminate vertical alignment efforts. Several trustees praised the principals for the coordinated approach and asked for continued updates as the summer professional-development plans roll out.

District staff said the community-based accountability reports were intended to give earlier, actionable information than annual state tests, enabling campus teams to adjust instruction during the school year.