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District previews three years of accountability data and outlines steps after algebra teacher turnover impacted high school scores
Summary
District administrators told the Santa Fe ISD board they expect state release of three years of accountability data and reported an anticipated drop in high school domain scores tied largely to mid‑year departures of algebra teachers; staff outlined remediation plans including targeted classes, instructional coaching and TSI supports.
District administrators briefed the board July 28 on expected state accountability releases and a set of interventions after student performance was affected at the high school.
Director of Assessment and Accountability (Miss Harris) said the Texas Education Agency will release three years of scores together because litigation delayed two prior releases; the district expects the combined data to create confusion for families if not carefully explained. Harris said district preliminary numbers show a districtwide score near 77–79 depending on how the releases are reconciled, and she highlighted that the high school experienced a notable decline partly because three algebra teachers left midyear.
Harris and the superintendent discussed how the exits concentrated impact on high-school algebra: approximately 250 students at the high school took the algebra accountability assessment (rather than the larger number across feeder grades), so those students have outsized influence on the district’s domain 1 and domain 3 calculations. The district reported a four-percentage-point drop in domain 1 and additional declines in domain 3 (the federal domain that counts only meets/masters). The junior high, by contrast, showed gains that staff highlighted as positive.
To address the shortfall the administration described several steps already in or planned for the coming year: - Retain and deploy experienced teachers and instructional coaching: the district retained an instructional leader (Katie Hebert) who will teach several algebra sections at the high school and support other algebra teachers. - Offer algebraic-reasoning classes for students who need targeted remediation and plan 'TSI boot camps' and other supports to help students pass college-readiness measures (TSI) rather than relying on remediation in later grades. - Reassign or compact courses temporarily (for example, moving a veteran teacher into a struggling section for a time) when midyear staffing changes occur to maintain continuity before high-stakes testing.
Harris acknowledged trade-offs when reassigning teachers (other classes lose resources) and said the district will continue correlating classroom performance with testing data to identify students who are doing well in class but need test-taking supports. She also noted options the state provides for students who do not pass every accountability test but who meet other graduation requirements.
Why this matters: accountability ratings drive public reporting and can influence community perception, staffing decisions and targeted resource allocation. The district flagged algebra at the high school as a concentrated area that will receive focused staffing and program support before and during the school year.
What’s next: administrators said they will present final state data when released (anticipated in August 2025) and described that remediation plans, staffing assignments and targeted supports will be monitored and adjusted as data come in.
