Freedom Elementary outlines PLC, PBIS and family-engagement push

Freedom Elementary Principal Cindy Monroy told the Farmersville Unified School District board that the site concentrated on strengthening professional learning communities (PLCs), implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and increasing family and community engagement to improve student outcomes.

Monroy said Freedom staff used a PLC lens to select grade-level guaranteed standards, create common formative assessments and organize weekly PLTs (professional learning teams) that distinguish nonnegotiable "tights" and discretionary "loose" practices. The school's local aim, she said, is to increase the percentage of students meeting or exceeding state standards by 40% through regular collaborative planning, targeted professional development and data-driven instructional adjustments.

"We decided to condense it on one process because a PLC is a process, not a program," Monroy told the board, referencing Hattie's research on collective teacher efficacy and the district training staff have undertaken. She described the PLC cycle: teach, assess, reteach/expand, and said teams determine when reteach moves from whole-class to Tier 2 targeted supports.

Monroy provided at-a-glance academic results: Freedom scored in the red zone on last spring's CAASPP snapshots for ELA and math, though she said much of the school population clustered in the yellow band and individual students often sat only a few points from meeting standard. The site reclassified 16 English learners this year and reported 44.2% of English learners making progress on ELPAC measures.

On culture and engagement, Monroy described PBIS "flight school" campus tours, posted affirmations students take home, a SOAR rewards store run by students, community mock-job-interview events and expanded family nights. She said the school rebranded its logo and aims to pursue California PBIS Gold recognition and, ultimately, California Distinguished School status.

Board members commended the range of activities and asked operational questions about the PLC cadence and student screening. Board member Merced(a) Zamora and other trustees noted the potential community benefits of events such as the turkey trot, step-up challenge and the county-level proclamation of peace the school's fifth graders pursued.

Monroy said the school's chronic absenteeism rate declined 1.1 percentage points this year and that the site is piloting integrated ELD strategies with a consultant for teachers of selected cohorts. She also described increases in suspension related to a renewed emphasis on accountability and said staff are working to balance behavioral expectations with supportive interventions.

Monroy closed by inviting the board and community to follow the school's social media accounts and by thanking district leadership for training supports.