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San Angelo ISD outlines early-literacy gaps, cites cohort progress and community partnerships
Summary
Superintendent staff presented early-literacy and MAP cohort data showing a high share of kindergarteners entering well below grade level; the district described partnerships (Head Start, San Angelo Reads) and pilot curriculum changes aimed at closing gaps.
Taylor Kingman, president of the San Angelo Independent School District Board of Trustees, opened the meeting and introduced an academic update from Dr. Farrah Gomez, who presented early-literacy and cohort assessment data the district will use to target interventions.
Dr. Farrah Gomez told trustees that local kindergarten entrants show higher rates of students assessed “well below” grade level than state and national comparisons: "50 percent of our kindergarten students coming in at what the assessment determines is well below grade level as compared to 39 percent for our state and 44 percent for the nation." She said the district is tracking cohorts so gains can be measured as students move from kindergarten into first and second grade.
The presentation highlighted the district’s use of M-Class (DIBELS) for kindergarten and first grade and MAP for grades two and above; Gomez described cohort-level improvements after the district began rolling out new curriculum in 2023–24. She said the kindergarten cohort that received the initial rollout showed decreases in the share “well below” the benchmark as they advanced, but that “we're still significantly well below the Texas and the national average.”
Gomez also gave enrollment and partnership details the board discussed: 186 kindergarten students tested had previously attended an SAISD pre-K program; the district reported roughly 212 full-day SAISD pre-K seats and said it partners with Head Start to provide afternoon instruction for approximately 90 four-year-olds. On that partnership she clarified the district is responsible for students in Head Start classrooms from about 1:45 p.m. until 3:15 p.m., describing that as roughly one hour of direct district instruction.
Trustees raised questions about how many campuses host the pre-K students and the time available to work with Head Start enrollees; Gomez identified campuses with full-day pre-K and said Head Start uses a different curriculum (Frog Street) for the rest of the Head Start day. Board members urged the district to provide clearer kindergarten expectations for families and to consider non-digital outreach for caregivers without internet access.
Board President Kingman and several trustees framed the academic results as a community issue, urging partnerships with pediatricians, faith groups and community organizations to improve school readiness. Kingman summarized the challenge bluntly: "70% of kids are showing up below grade level in kindergarten in San Angelo," he said, and called for community action to help close the gap.
The presentation closed with the district’s plan to provide deeper campus-level data at the December meeting and a midyear MAP comparison in February–March to assess student trends.
Next steps: the district will share campus-specific analyses next month and continue cohort tracking to measure the impact of curriculum rollout and targeted supports.
