Leander ISD holds public hearing on accelerated EOC instruction required under state law

Leander ISD staff conducted a statutorily required public hearing June 9 to review the district's accelerated instruction for students who did not meet the "approaches" threshold on end-of-course (EOC) exams. Assistant Superintendent Paige Collier and Ashley Mesker, director of intervention and special programs, described statewide requirements from House Bill 1416 and the district's implementation plans. Under the law, students who do not score "approaches" or higher on EOC exams must be offered accelerated instruction; districts may provide a teacher incentive allotment for the following year or supplemental instruction such as tutoring or small-group intervention. District staff said families of students who failed an EOC will receive individualized communications with the number of required hours and options for remediation. Preliminary STAAR EOC results will be available to families in the portal on June 10, with final scores expected in mid-July, staff said. Staff reported cumulative pass rates after one year of retesting are strong across core subjects and that many students who failed initially pass on summer or fall retests. The district highlighted that English I and II, algebra I, biology and U.S. history show high cumulative pass rates in the 90th percentile after retesting. District officials also described the Individual Graduation Committee (IGC) process for seniors who still lack passing EOC results after attempts: the IGC can recommend graduation if specified criteria are met. For 2025, the district said 47 students graduated under IGC determinations. Board members asked about supports for students with disabilities and parents, and staff said communications will go to all families and that committees (IEP teams) will be encouraged to re-evaluate services where students are not making progress. District staff also described the district's range of interventions — summer programs, tutorials, flex advisory time and small-group instruction — and noted higher pass rates among students who retest in the fall. No public speakers signed up specifically for this portion of the meeting.