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Beaumont ISD superintendent warns attendance drop could undercut STAAR gains; offers supports
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Allen told the Beaumont ISD board the district is at 91.2% year-to-date attendance and urged families to prioritize school before STAAR testing begins April 14; he highlighted tutoring, an online STAAR resource and targeted interventions for struggling students.
Superintendent Dr. Allen told the Beaumont Independent School District Board of Trustees on Feb. 19 that the district's year-to-date attendance is 91.2 percent and that sustained absenteeism threatens students' ability to benefit from instruction ahead of statewide STAAR testing that begins April 14, with final makeup testing on April 27.
"We do not have any time to waste," Dr. Allen said, urging parents to ensure students are in class during the 29 instructional days before testing. He said the district's attendance trend fell after the COVID-19 pandemic and warned that continued declines would affect both learning and the district's resources.
Dr. Allen highlighted supports the district has deployed to prepare students, including interim MOI assessments, a second-year STAAR success website with practice videos and playlists for parents and students, and online tutoring through Mira AI. He also named campuses with high attendance as examples to emulate: King Collegiate (97% year-to-date), Marshall Middle (93.03%) and Carlwood Elementary (94.6%).
During board questions, a trustee asked whether staff could convert the percentages into absolute student counts and estimate the dollar impact of chronic absences. Dr. Allen said the district can provide specific figures on the number of students and the estimated funding lost when students are absent.
The superintendent and staff described classroom-level interventions aimed at improving reading and math proficiency, including daily phonics blocks, targeted small-group instruction anchored by MOI data, implementation support for the new Blue Bond curriculum in math, Math Catalyst for lesson targeting and the Zearn online platform. Staff said principals receive weekly progress updates and that district coaching and professional development are in place to support implementation.
The superintendent closed by urging community support for daily attendance and emphasizing that many district initiatives depend on students being physically present to learn.
