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Shaw Middle School principal lays out improvement plan targeting math and achievement gaps
Summary
Principal Lendoria Washington presented a local improvement plan for Dr. Joy Shaw Middle School identifying African American and Hispanic students as groups needing intensive support and detailing interventions including double-block math, teacher coaching, data folders, and PBIS.
Lendoria Washington, principal of Dr. Joy Shaw Middle School, told the board she is presenting the campus' local improvement plan required after recent accountability results and declining campus performance. "I am presenting the doctor Joy Shaw Middle School local improvement plan," Washington said, and noted the campus went from a previous rating to an overall D with a 69.2 score this year.
Washington said the campus identified two student groups that need intensive interventions: African American and Hispanic students. To address weaknesses she outlined targeted strategies: Power Hour (a double math block for students who did not meet on the STAAR-associated STAR test), strategic teacher placement, SOAR classes, focused tutoring, progress monitoring and student data folders so students can track growth. She described building teacher capacity through weekly walkthroughs with immediate feedback, and a cycle of follow-up classroom visits to check implementation.
The plan relies on levers from the Texas effective schools framework. Washington said the campus is implementing explicit school-wide behavior expectations and PBIS, expanding data-driven instruction and embedding professional development into the school day to avoid burnout. "We have coaching plans that we revisit weekly," she said, describing how administrators monitor progress and celebrate growth when it occurs.
Board members asked how implementation and improvement are documented. Washington said the campus documents coaching conversations and shares concrete data with teachers; when strategies are not implemented, leaders hold follow-up conversations and provide targeted professional development. "We are documenting, and we have witnessed some growth," she told the board, adding that the district partners have provided data and resources to support the campus.
The presentation closed with a pledge to engage families and the community through town halls and other outreach as the campus transitions into a new building after the winter break. The board entered a short Q&A with Washington and Israel Cordero, chief of secondary schools, on monitoring and next steps.
