Waxahachie ISD presents midyear review of Priority 1.1: every student grows academically

Waxahachie ISD leaders and an external consultant presented a midyear academic review of Priority 1.1 — the district'wide objective that "every student grows academically every year" — during a workshop for the Board of Trustees. The presentation summarized progress on the district'level scorecard, classroom walkthrough protocols, professional learning community (PLC) schedules, assessment dashboards and the district'wide MTSS intervention system.

The update focused on three linked priorities: a performance-management cadence for the board and leadership team, classroom- and teacher-facing data tools that aggregate multiple assessments on a single student profile, and an expanded, district-coordinated MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports) process to identify and intervene for students with learning gaps.

Dr. Gibson, a consultant with Moe Casey, told trustees the district is moving from early-stage continuous-improvement work into a formal performance-management posture he described as a "cadence of accountability." "The board needs to know what time it is, not how to make a watch," Gibson said, arguing that board reports should show top-line "dials" rather than every operational detail. He recommended a mix of monthly quick-check reports for external audiences and deeper roundtable reviews for trustees and administrators.

District staff demonstrated a new student assessment profile — a consolidated dashboard that combines STAR, MAP, DIBELS, iReady and unit-test results, attendance and discipline entries on a single page for teachers and students. Jason Blas and Dawn Cooper (district data staff) and Debbie Needham described the dashboard as a "one-stop shop" that shows color-coded…