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Leander ISD reports strong retester gains after accelerated instruction; trustees ask about equity and staffing
Summary
District staff told the board that targeted summer and school‑year interventions raised cumulative EOC pass rates (Algebra I from 88% to 93%, Biology 97% to 98%, English I to 92%, English II to 91%, U.S. History to 98%). Trustees pressed for strategies to reduce repeat failures and to ensure supports for emergent bilingual and special education students.
Leander ISD presented its mandated public hearing on end‑of‑course accelerated instruction, reporting that targeted tutoring, summer academies and in‑day interventions substantially improved retesters' outcomes in 2025.
The district said preliminary spring 2025 first‑attempt EOC pass rates were strong — 88% in Algebra I, 97% in Biology, 89% in English I, 88% in English II, and 97% in U.S. History — but emphasized the program's focus on the students who did not pass on first attempt. District staff described a mix of strategies used during 2025–26 including before/after school tutorials, embedded flex time, double blocks at middle schools, three student success facilitators across nine campuses, Super Saturdays and an Algebra I prep academy. "When you combine those who passed in the spring with those who passed after receiving summer or fall interventions, our ultimate success rates jump significantly," the presentation said, citing final cumulative rates of 93% in Algebra I and 98% in Biology.
Ashley Mesgar, identified by staff as the district's director of intervention and special programs, said the district is using House Bill 1416 reporting to communicate with families and to catalog the number of intervention hours available, and emphasized coordination with special education and English‑learner staff on MTSS alignment. She said the district shifted 2.5 FTEs from elementary intervention to high school to provide targeted Algebra I support and that the district will track cohorts through 2026–27.
Trustees asked about overrepresentation among retesters. Staff acknowledged patterns they are tracking: attendance issues, a higher proportion of emergent bilingual students, and students with disabilities. "We are partnering with our global languages department to look at MTSS supports for our English language learners," staff said.
Board members also connected the intervention discussion with larger staffing and compensation issues raised later in the meeting: several trustees said they want to see how HR and compensation decisions — including use of stipends and TASB/TASBY pay studies — influence retention of high‑quality teachers who deliver interventions.
No formal vote was required for the hearing, which the district said satisfied the Texas Education Code requirement to publicly evaluate accelerated instruction effectiveness. Administration said further program details and a full data presentation would be available to families on June 10, when spring 2026 student results become available to families under state timelines.
