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Lancaster ISD outlines four strategic goals in district and campus improvement plans
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Pereira presented Lancaster ISD's district improvement plan and campus improvement plan structure and four overarching goals, including a literacy growth target, safety initiatives, teacher retention efforts and community engagement measures.
Superintendent Dr. Pereira presented Lancaster ISD's District Improvement Plan (DIP) and campus improvement plans (CIP) during the March 27 work session, saying the plans set district goals and strategies and include quarterly updates for each campus.
The superintendent told the board the district's first goal is to provide "world-class teaching and learning experiences whereby each student grows and develops at least one grade level every academic year," and said the district is aiming to increase STAR and EOC reading scores by 10 percentage points as measured by "meets" performance. Dr. Pereira said the district also plans to improve attendance to 92 percent and strengthen MTSS processes.
The DIP organizes goals, performance objectives and strategies for each campus, and planners use MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) as a progress-monitoring tool in addition to STAR. "MAP is a growth instrument that we look at on a yearly instructional piece," Dr. Pereira said, describing MAP as skill-based and STAR as standards-based and saying MAP lets staff view student performance "vertically" across grade levels.
Dr. Pereira put safety at the center of the DIP's second goal. "Safety is the number one priority," she said, adding her emphasis that safety should come before instruction: "Maslow's before TEKS." The district reported a 97 percent TEA rate for door checks and set a growth target of 100 percent of campuses adopting a whole-child program such as Capturing Kids' Hearts or Move This World.
Goal three focuses on teacher recruitment and retention; Dr. Pereira highlighted a district increase in teacher retention over three years, saying retention rates have grown by about 10 percentage points. The district also listed technology infrastructure upgrades as a growth target.
The fourth goal aims to build "confidence and integrity with our community through partnership" and to increase transparency using channels such as the Let's Talk platform. Communications staff were noted for typical response times within 24 hours.
Board members asked for additional measures and context. Trustee Jones asked whether the DIP includes math and science "glows" in addition to literacy; Dr. Pereira cited an example of a middle school (GWC) that improved its midyear MAP math mock score to 72 after targeted supports and instructional pivots. Trustee Nichols confirmed the district plan is public information and can be posted to the district website once board procedures are satisfied.
The presentation emphasized that the DIP/CIP process is iterative and developed in collaboration with campus leaders and community stakeholders; Dr. Pereira said each campus plan is intended to function as a strategic plan with quarterly updates.
The board did not take formal action on the DIP in the March 27 session.
