Vidor ISD presents Oak Forest Elementary Targeted Improvement Plan after state identification

Oak Forest Elementary’s principal and district staff presented a Targeted Improvement Plan at the Vidor Independent School District public hearing on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, after the campus was identified by the Texas Education Agency’s closing-the-gaps accountability domain. The presentation summarized 2022–23 and 2023–24 academic performance data, explained the diagnostic process used to identify strengths and challenges, outlined curriculum and professional-development strategies, and described funding efforts including a LASO 3 grant application that the district expected an award decision on Feb. 25.

The plan matters because the campus fell into the bottom 5 percent among Title I elementary schools on the TEA closing-the-gaps measure and therefore must implement a targeted improvement plan under state accountability rules. District staff said Oak Forest’s combined closing-the-gaps score for the year identified the campus for comprehensive support, and the campus must improve above its original identification score over two years to exit that status.

Heather Watson East, identified in the presentation as Oak Forest’s new principal, and district staff described the specific data points that led to the identification. In reading (RLA) for “meets grade level,” the campus score moved from 44 percent (2022–23) to 36 percent (2023–24), compared with a statewide target of 46 percent; math “meets” declined from 45 to 35 percent, versus a 49 percent target. District staff said those declines, and similar shortfalls for qualifying subgroups and the high-focus group (special education, English learners, economically disadvantaged, highly mobile students), resulted in zero points awarded in the academic achievement and academic growth subareas of the closing-the-gaps domain. The one area with progress was English-language-proficiency growth (TELPAS), where staff reported earning 3 of 4 possible points for the high-focus group, a small contribution to the overall domain score.

The presenters described the diagnostic that produced the campus strengths and needs. The Effective Schools Framework (ESF) diagnostic — a two-part review including an academic artifact review and an administrator questionnaire plus classroom observations, PLC review and teacher focus groups — identified schoolwide behavioral expectations and routines as a strength and highlighted teacher coaching/observation cycles and data-driven instruction as primary areas for growth.

To address those needs, the campus selected approved high-quality instructional materials required by the state as its primary strategy: Eureka Math for kindergarten–4 (with Amplify/Bluebonnet reading curriculum for literacy, particularly for third and fourth grades). District staff said they selected Eureka Math and Amplify because those materials are research-based and are on the list the state considers “high-quality instructional materials” (HQIM). A district literacy committee remains finalizing materials for K–2 and fifth grade and will report back when adoption recommendations are complete.

Strategic actions described in the plan include ongoing professional development for teachers on the adopted materials, regular observations with feedback cycles (administrators and instructional coaches aim to visit multiple classrooms daily), increased use of PLCs to provide formative feedback before instruction, and intensified data monitoring. The presentation mentioned an instructional-coach position included in the LASO 3 grant application; district staff said they would know whether the grant had been awarded on Feb. 25. Staff said that if they do not receive the LASO 3 grant, they will pursue contracting instructional coaching services to maintain support and monitoring.

Board members asked procedural and implementation questions about curriculum naming (Bluebonnet vs. Eureka), HQIM adoption funding, and stakeholder participation. A board member who identified herself as Mrs. Gilthorpe praised the thoroughness of the packet and expressed confidence in campus leadership, while others asked about prior use of the Effective Schools Framework and how the district will monitor and report quarterly progress. The presenters said Region 5 will continue to monitor and visit the campus and that campus site-based teams and parent advisory committees had reviewed the plan during December and January, with increased parent participation noted.

No formal vote to adopt the Oak Forest Targeted Improvement Plan appears in the transcript; presenters said they sought board feedback and approval but the public record of the meeting shows this item was presented for review and comment during the public hearing portion of the meeting.

The presentation packet included the ESF diagnostic, campus goals and strategies, a professional-development plan for Amplify and Eureka, and the campus one-page accountability chart summarizing TEA data that led to the identification. District staff emphasized the plan’s focus on equitable access to HQIM and on short-cycle progress monitoring.

Looking ahead, staff said Oak Forest remains in comprehensive support for the coming school year under state rules regardless of current-year improvement and that exiting that designation will require not ranking in the bottom 5 percent for two consecutive years and achieving a higher closing-the-gaps scale score than the identification year.

Speakers

- Heather Watson East, principal, Oak Forest Elementary (represented as campus principal in presentation) - Kelly Waters, district staff member (presenter/administrator) - Mrs. Gilthorpe, Board trustee (speaker during Q&A) - Mr. Camp, Board trustee (asked procedural question about curriculum naming)

Authorities

- TEA accountability materials and the Effective Schools Framework (referenced in presentation) - TELPAS and STAAR (assessments mentioned as evidence sources)

Clarifying details

- LASO 3 grant decision date: Feb. 25, 2025 (presenters said they expected to know whether the LASO 3 grant application was funded on Feb. 25) - Curriculum choices announced: Eureka Math (K–4), Amplify/Bluebonnet reading (3–4 for 2025–26; committee finalizing K–2 and 5) - Accountability thresholds: district presenters cited specific target percentages for “meets” and described point totals in TEA’s closing-the-gaps domain (e.g., 0 of 24 points in some subareas)

Meeting context

- Engagement level: presenters provided a detailed packet and walked trustees through data tables; multiple trustees asked clarifying questions; campus and district staff described quarterly monitoring and Region 5 check-ins. - Implementation risk: medium — plan success depends on fidelity of HQIM implementation, professional development funding (LASO 3 or alternative contracting) and continued Region 5 support.

Searchable tags:["Oak Forest Elementary","school improvement","Eureka Math","Amplify","TELPAS","TEA","HQIM","LASO 3 grant"]

Provenance:{"transcript_segments":[]}

Salience:{},

ending: "District staff said the campus will provide periodic updates on implementation and that Region 5 will continue monitoring and walk-through visits."