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Austin ISD staff present draft academic baseline, public program map and timeline
Summary
District academic leaders described a draft academic baseline and an interactive public program map that will list campus courses and services, outline evaluation milestones and seek community feedback ahead of program decisions later this year.
Austin ISD staff presented a working draft of the district’s academic baseline and a planned public program map at the board’s May 14 work session, describing a multi‑year rollout that pairs curriculum and staffing guidelines with a campus‑level asset map. Dr. Maryanne Maxwell, who led the presentation, said the document is a draft intended to solicit staff and community input and to inform—but not replace—budget and boundary decisions.
"We definitely don't want to create that in a vacuum," Maxwell said, noting the program map will include core instruction, fine arts, CTE, special education, bilingual/ESL and after‑school offerings and be organized by elementary, middle and high school levels. She said the district aims to publish a public‑facing interactive map by August and to establish an assessment‑framework committee next year.
Maxwell and superintendent Matias Sigura (referred to as Superintendent Sigura in the record) emphasized that campuses currently build programs within the district’s allocation model driven by enrollment; the proposed baseline will describe the minimum and aspirational elements of programming and a process for program evaluation. Board members pressed staff to be explicit about which elements of the baseline will meaningfully inform the imminent budget vote and which are longer‑term decisions.
Staff said the baseline will include guidance on instructional minutes (for example, elementary language‑arts minutes shown by grade), state requirements (such as algebra 1 in high school) and district offerings (AP, dual credit, on‑ramps). Two trustees asked that the baseline be used to create a clear "standard of service" families can understand as boundaries and staffing change.
Staff will continue to refine the project plan and to involve campus and community groups in summer and fall engagement sessions; trustees asked for clearer links between the baseline and the budget process in the coming weeks.
