Duncanville ISD lays out curriculum, data and WIN time plan to boost student learning

Duncanville ISD leaders used a board work session to present a district “road map to impact” that centers on a state-aligned Tier 1 curriculum, tighter pacing guides, frequent assessments and a structured intervention block called WIN time.

Superintendent Kumar Goree said the district’s approach rests on improving everyday classroom instruction and using frequent data to make immediate adjustments. “We do have a Tier 1 curriculum, and what that means is that we have a curriculum … We teach every child on grade level every day,” Goree said.

The presentation, led by Teaching and Learning and Assessment staff, outlined three linked priorities: curriculum and pacing, assessment and data use, and interventions/support structures. District presenters said each priority is intended to work together so principals and teachers can identify students’ needs quickly and respond in days rather than weeks.

Why it matters: Texas accountability and STAAR outcomes are driving the urgency to tighten curriculum delivery and monitoring. District leaders said the new practices aim to reduce the time between identifying a learning gap and delivering effective reteaching or targeted support.

What the district described - Curriculum and pacing: Presenters said Duncanville ISD is using pacing guides and horizontally and vertically aligned standards tied to the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills). Pacing guides include “flex days” for reteach and reassessment and are available to principals and teachers through the curriculum materials packet.

- Assessment and data: Lucretia Newton, director of assessment and accountability, described three assessment types the district will use — diagnostic (given three times a year), classroom formative checks (exit tickets and quick checks) and district curriculum assessments (end-of-module/unit tests). Newton said diagnostic tools include i‑Ready and MAP and that district staff will provide one‑page data summaries to principals. “A diagnostic…tells us where our kids are on that particular time,” Newton said.

- WIN time (What I Need): Dr. Suella Washington, director of State, Federal and Intervention Services, described WIN time as a 30–45 minute scheduled block within the instructional day for targeted, flexible grouping. Students are grouped by recent diagnostic and assessment data for reteach, reinforcement or enrichment. Washington said WIN time operates on a three‑week cycle with teacher-led small groups supported by intervention staff and digital tools such as i‑Ready.

- Monitoring and coaching: Deputy chiefs and instructional leaders described a hands‑on coaching model that combines announced modeling visits with unannounced calibration walkthroughs. Staff said Tier 1 classroom observations occur about once every nine weeks, and district teams use a rubric to score and monitor trends across campuses. Deputy chiefs said they spend roughly 75% of their time on campuses coaching principals and teachers in‑the‑moment.

Staffing and targeted supports District staff described a mix of campus and district supports: several campuses have full‑time instructional coaches (three campuses were cited as having a full‑time coach), six elementary campuses share split‑time coaches, each middle school has at least one coach and the high school has two. District leaders also said K–8 campuses have reading and math intervention teachers who pull the students with the highest needs while all teachers are expected to implement WIN time as part of their daily schedule.

Officials stressed the work is data driven and iterative: assessment results feed back into pacing and lesson internalization protocols so teachers know the expected mastery and can plan backwards from unit assessments.

What district leaders said about implementation and equity Goree and other presenters repeatedly framed the plan as focused on equity and consistency: raising the quality of Tier 1 instruction for all students and strengthening principals’ instructional leadership. Deputy chiefs said they are standardizing how principals and PLCs (professional learning communities) unpack lessons so teachers across schools use similar trackers and protocols.

Leaders acknowledged challenges, including staffing constraints and family support outside school. One board member asked about parent engagement and the district replied that many supports and assignments are designed as “family engagement activities” rather than traditional homework and that the core of WIN time is school‑day instruction to reduce reliance on at‑home resources.

No formal board votes were recorded during the presentation portion. District leaders said they will return with ongoing, regular updates and benchmark reviews as the year progresses; staff referenced a follow‑up review tied to midyear and district common assessment results.

Ending District leaders said they expect to provide regular updates to the board and to continue calibrating curriculum, assessment and intervention supports as the year continues. “We are not yet perfect, but we are working to make sure we give our children the very best that we have every day,” said a district instructional leader.