Northside trustees hear TAPR and HB3 goals; district flags math decline and vaping-related controlled-substance incidents

At a regular meeting of the Northside Independent School District Board of Trustees, district staff presented the Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) and proposed five-year goals required by House Bill 3, citing a drop in district and state math scores and an increase in vaping-related controlled-substance incidents that appear in the report.

The presentation, led by district staff and introduced by Superintendent Dr. Kristopher Kraft, summarized accountability and accreditation information the state releases under the Texas Education Code. Staff said Northside was deemed accredited for the 2022–23 school year and noted that A–F ratings and related distinctions for 2023–24 and 2024–25 were being withheld because of delays in state accountability releases.

Assistant staff member Susan Cleveland (presenting the TAPR summary) said Northside exceeded the state average at both the Approaches and Meets levels in most subjects except math, where district and state scores declined from 2022–23 to 2023–24. Cleveland told trustees the state’s decline in math outpaced Northside’s slightly. The presentation also reported special-education determination as “meets requirements.”

District staff explained how the district must set House Bill 3 targets at the Meets level (the state’s proficiency tier above Approaches). Staff clarified that “Approaches” indicates meeting grade-level standard, “Meets” indicates performance above that standard, and “Masters” indicates mastery and readiness for the next grade. Using five years of trend data as a baseline, the district proposed incremental annual gains that culminate in these draft targets for 2028–29: third-grade math 52 percent at the Meets level, third-grade reading 56 percent at the Meets level, and college-, career- and military-ready (CCMR) indicators at 68 percent.

The TAPR presentation also included required reporting on violent and criminal incidents. Cleveland flagged a notable count of felony-level controlled-substance violations tied to vaping devices. Board members asked for context: Chief staff clarified that the TAPR data covers reportable violent or criminal incidents only and does not include the far larger number of everyday disciplinary infractions. Trustees asked whether trends were rising or falling; staff said overall disciplinary incidents were trending down districtwide but that vaping remains a persistent problem locally and nationwide and that THC concentrations in some vape products complicate enforcement and prevention.

Cleveland also summarized post‑graduation outcomes for a cohort cited in the report: of roughly 7,000 Northside graduates in the referenced cohort, about 52 percent enrolled and completed their first year of college the following year; among those students, staff indicated approximately 27 percent had a 3.5 or higher GPA, 21 percent had a 3.0–3.4 GPA, 26 percent had a 2.0–2.9 GPA and about 25 percent had a GPA at or below 2.0.

Trustees asked how interim assessments such as MAP and campus-level STAR usage factor into monitoring and intervening during the school year; staff described MAP use for baseline and growth monitoring (beginning/middle/end of year) and said campuses use STAR in campus improvement plans. Staff said MAP results will be shared with trustees three times per year going forward.

The board was told the TAPR and HB3 goals presentation would be followed by a consent-item vote to adopt the HB3 goals and that district staff will publish the full TAPR report on the district website under required postings.

Ending: Trustees did not take further action on TAPR at the presentation; the proposed HB3 targets were placed on the consent agenda for approval later in the meeting. The district said it will propose any updated targets next year as additional accountability data become available.