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Principals cite growth at some campuses, call out subgroup gaps and staffing needs
Summary
Campus leaders reported mixed STAAR trends: some cohorts showed growth when tracked year-to-year, but principals flagged subgroup underperformance (special education, emergent bilinguals, economically disadvantaged) and rising class sizes and turnover that could hinder progress.
Several campus principals presented campus-level analyses of the preliminary results and described local improvement plans. Michael, Alton Elementary’s principal, said the school serves roughly 450 students and noted gains in meets/masters percentages that he attributed to collaborative PLCs and new curriculum supports. He urged the district to target supports for subgroups: “We need to perform better for [African American], economically disadvantaged, EL and special education students,” he said.
Principals at other elementary and middle campuses reported variable cohort growth: one campus reported a cohort that improved from 57% approaches in third grade to 71% approaches in fourth grade when tracked together. At the same time, principals identified operational challenges: higher class sizes in junior high English classes (a principal reported a 45% increase over two years), difficulty recruiting special-education teachers, and staff turnover. Campuses described targeted responses — elevated PLC work, benchmark testing in students’ dominant language to identify assessment best-fit, and prioritizing early-grade literacy — but emphasized that district-level human-capital strategies and funding will affect implementation.
