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Northside ISD outlines Mead Elementary turnaround plan; academic specialists, PLCs and MAP monitoring already in place
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Summary
District staff told the Academics Committee that Mead Elementary’s turnaround plan is being implemented now, with academic specialists co-teaching in grades 3–5, expanded interventions, PBIS, and weekly monitoring visits even as the formal plan is finalized for TEA submission by Nov. 21.
District staff presented the Mead Elementary turnaround plan and said implementation is already underway even though the plan must be formally submitted to TEA by Nov. 21.
Why it matters: Mead has been identified for turnaround under the state accountability system. Administrators told trustees the campus has struggled with teacher vacancies and turnover, a higher-needs and emergent bilingual student population, and that these combined factors have reduced students' access to consistent, high-quality Tier 1 instruction.
What the plan includes: Jessica Balamares, assistant superintendent for elementary administration, described a multi-year approach focused on intensive curriculum and instruction improvements. Measures already in place or planned for the coming years include:
- Academic specialists placed in classrooms in third through fifth grades in a co-teach model to provide Tier 1 instruction, modeling and teacher capacity-building.
- Curriculum compacting to prioritize readiness standards, and planned adoption and phased implementation of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) for math (planned for 25–26 adoption and 26–27 implementation) and reading in subsequent years.
- Expanded targeted interventions and extended learning time; after-school tutorials and online interventions that can be performed at school or at home (a family access and technology inventory will be used to tailor supports).
- PBIS rollout and targeted social/emotional supports to ensure classroom conditions are ready for learning.
- Increased monitoring and coaching: weekly coaching visits by district staff, monthly Region 20/TEA visits, and a requirement that principals perform biweekly walkthroughs with feedback for each teacher.
How MAP is being used: Assessment staff explained the district’s NWEA MAP cycle (beginning-, middle- and end-of-year administrations) and showed fall MAP results for the four targeted campuses. Fall-to-fall MAP comparisons reflect prior-year instruction; the district will present middle-of-year MAP results in January to measure growth for the current year's teachers and refine interventions.
On staffing incentives and recruitment: Trustees asked about incentives and alternative staffing models to place more experienced teachers on high-need campuses. Staff said the teacher incentive allotment (TIA) payouts and stipends for specialist roles are expected to help recruit and retain staff on higher-need campuses; the district also discussed flexible scheduling models, enrichment academy lessons learned from two year‑round campuses, and targeted recruitment for bilingual-certified teachers.
Community and next steps: Staff reported community engagement at Mead, including parent meetings where participants asked "tell us how we can help" and requested interventions for holiday periods. Administrators said the campus already hosted TEA and Region 20 visits and received positive feedback that "this campus has a culture of learning." The district will post the full turnaround plan for public comment, hold the required public hearing at the November board meeting and file the plan by the TEA deadline.
Sources: Presentations and discussion during the Northside ISD Academics Committee meeting, including direct staff statements: "we are putting our academic specialists in every classroom" (Jessica Balamares) and description of weekly coaching and biweekly walkthroughs (Jessica Balamares).
