Superintendent Mike Miles used the April 16 board meeting to summarize the district’s curriculum and instruction strategy, Independent Review Team results and updated discipline statistics.

Miles described HISD’s “high quality instructional materials” (HQIM) as an integrated set of curriculum maps, lesson objectives aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), pacing guidance, assessments and teacher-facing supports. He said 95% of schools indicated they would use some form of the HISD curriculum next year and that district staff built a feedback loop allowing teachers and principals to request on-the-spot corrections.

On school quality monitoring, Miles said the district’s Independent Review Team (IRT) average rose to 10.33 (the district goal is 10.5). He said IRT members are trained and calibrated; IRTs visit campuses and score instruction against a spot-observation rubric. Miles and staff also described additional principal certification and video-based calibration to align observations across campuses.

District discipline data showed declines in several measures since last year: total incidents were down about 20.86%, in-school suspension (ISS) down about 14.95%, out-of-school suspension (OSS) down about 20.71%, and disciplinary placements to DAEP down nearly 50%. Miles cautioned that expulsions rose modestly from 34 to 37 (an 8.82% increase) but emphasized that absolute numbers remain small.

Miles said weapons incidents are a significant concern: recorded firearm possession incidents rose from 18 at this point last year to 42 this year. He noted the district is installing weapon-detection systems at some campuses and described that measure as one part of a broader safety approach, not a standalone solution.

Board members asked how teachers and principals can provide real-time feedback on curriculum materials. Miles described a button embedded in the curriculum platform that sends issues to curriculum staff; teams make corrections daily. Miles also explained that the Texas Education Agency does not typically review district curriculum submissions and that submitting the curriculum for TEA review would pause iterative improvements for up to a year.

The superintendent’s report covered additional items including preparation for AP and advanced coursework supplements and ongoing curriculum iteration during the summer.