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Superintendent Massie outlines Houston-style coaching and aligned curriculum to lift district performance
Summary
Superintendent Sandy Massie proposed a districtwide instructional model emphasizing in-the-moment coaching, an aligned curriculum (Blue Bonnet for certain grades), resident teachers and accelerated learning spaces, anchored to daily five-question checks and expanded schools-department staffing to support campuses.
Superintendent Sandy Massie presented a multi-year instructional transformation she said is modeled on a successful Houston implementation and designed to move Bowmont ISD's low-performing campuses toward higher proficiency.
Massie told the board the district currently reports low proficiency rates—STAR reading near 31% and STAR math near 18%—and described a five-part plan: strengthen school leadership capacity, adopt an aligned curriculum across campuses (Blue Bonnet for third through fifth reading and some math grades), institute coaching-in-the-moment with frequent feedback, create resident-teacher and student-support coach roles, and use daily five-question assessments to drive immediate intervention.
Under the model, reading and math instruction would move to a 90-minute block in many grades with a 50-minute direct instruction portion followed by a short, five-question formative check. Students who need reteaching would receive an additional small-group intervention; students who master objectives would transition to an accelerated instructional space for independent or project-based work. The superintendent emphasized that special education and English learner accommodations remain part of the plan and that students with 504/IEP requirements would receive tailored intervention minutes.
To support consistent implementation, Massie proposed expanding the schools department with a deputy chief of schools and multiple executive directors responsible for smaller groups of campuses, and she detailed the intended roles of resident teachers (full-time employees who learn the model and can substitute seamlessly) and student-support coaches in accelerated spaces.
Massie framed the approach around coaching and accountability, citing research on coaching'driven transfer of training and saying that sustained improvement requires repeated feedback rather than one-time training. She acknowledged staff anxiety over change and encouraged teachers to stay and work in the model while the district offers coaching and development.
Board members heard the plan but did not vote on policy changes at the meeting; implementation details (schedules, staffing, pilot campuses and compensation steps for new roles) will be addressed through administrative steps and budget planning. The plan will affect master schedules, teacher assignments, professional development calendars and the district's staffing model going into 2026-27.
