Lubbock ISD reports mixed second‑nine‑week results, flags middle‑school concerns and hires consultants
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Kim Callison told trustees the district’s second nine‑week assessment shows gains in several elementary and high‑school measures but notable declines in some fifth‑grade and middle‑school cohorts; the district contracted two consultants and outlined targeted interventions and principal check‑ins ahead of spring STAR testing.
Lubbock ISD Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Kim Callison told the board that the district’s second‑nine‑week assessments show a mixed picture: some elementary grades and high‑school subjects are trending up, while fifth grade and middle‑school cohorts show areas of concern. ‘‘The goal that y’all set back in 2022 to have 80% of our students serve on an A and B campus,’’ Callison said, framing the presentation around that North Star target.
Callison oriented trustees to packet materials that compare the district’s second‑nine‑week 2025 results with the same period in 2024 and with prior STAR results. She said the district reported a current figure of about 76% relative to the board’s campus‑rating target and noted that some cohorts improved in ‘‘meets’’ and ‘‘masters’’ while others, notably fifth grade math and middle‑school math, declined in comparison to prior assessments.
Robin, a member of the district teaching‑and‑learning team, told trustees she was ‘‘concerned’’ about sixth‑ and seventh‑grade performance and described an ‘‘apples‑to‑apples’’ review focused on four highly tested readiness standards. On those standards — including operations with integers and ratio/rate problem solving — Robin said the district saw ‘‘a tremendous dip’’ in some middle‑school cohorts and has prepared intervention and acceleration plans to address the weaknesses.
To accelerate improvement, the district has contracted two outside consultants. Callison said one consultant recently led a mandatory content‑coop session for secondary RLA teachers and the second consultant would work the following day with instructional coaches, academic deans and teacher leaders to refine STAR review and targeting for spring testing. The district also described monthly principal check‑ins, targeted professional development for principals, an instructional framework with ‘‘tight and loose’’ expectations and the use of Eduphoria tools to build standards‑aligned intervention lessons.
Board members pressed staff for context and next steps. A trustee asked whether the pattern of downward arrows across cohorts (board members’ shorthand for consecutive declines) indicates the need for a philosophical change in district strategy; trustees also asked for a concise ‘‘wish list’’ of five things the administration would like the board to support. Kim Callison and Robin said they would produce a set of specific, actionable items the board could consider, including possible resource requests.
The presentation closed with staff noting the district still has the spring semester and the upcoming STAR window to narrow gaps. Callison emphasized the district’s ability to disaggregate growth data to identify specific students and said campus leaders can click into growth reports to generate lists for targeted tutoring and intervention.
Next steps: staff will provide the board a prioritized list of district requests and continue monthly principal check‑ins and consultant‑led coaching leading into STAR.
