Latest news with #AbileneISD
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Project 325 aims to ‘fill the gap' in Abilene community
ABILENE, Texas () — On Sunday, hosted a community outreach initiative called 'Feeding 325″ at the People's Plaza, located off of South 14th Street. Dyess We Care Team seeks help after military family finds home in ruins The organization offered residents resources, community, and a free meal. Volunteer Ry Pelletier said the organization wants to provide a welcoming 'come and go' environment as a non-religious group. 'What happens a lot of times with stringent grant requirements and things like that is people fall through the cracks. We're just trying to create a baseline. Everyone across the board is able to be served and is able to get what they need without having to check any boxes off first,' Pelletier said. 'It's basically just a mutual aid hub. We are just providing a free meal. There are a lot of toiletries, hygiene items, and a lot of other agencies have donated things to give away.' Abilene ISD free summer meals kicks off June 2 The organization started discussing the community's needs in November 2024. Keely Mitchell, a Volunteer, grew up in Tulsa, where she saw a community program thrive. She said she wanted to bring a similar program to Key City. 'I thought it was a great program there. How can you help our neighbors here? I've put down my roots here. I'm going to help my neighbors as well now because it's no fun to make it and not help your neighbors make it,' Mitchell said. 'Come hang out, come vibe, come fellowship, and hang out and eat. Fill your belly. Get what you need. Take what you can.' On Sunday, they helped 80 people, and they hope to expand throughout the year and include more elements like wellness checks and cosmetology services. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘This is where we start': Superintendent responds as Abilene ISD anticipates ‘C' rating
ABILENE, Texas () – On Tuesday, families of students in the Abilene Independent School District received a letter from the Texas Education Agency, announcing the district's accountability rating for the 2023-24 school year. The letter confirms that Abilene ISD will receive a rating of '72' for the 2023 school year and is likely to receive a rating of '70' for the 2024 school year. Their rating for 2022 is also expected to be downgraded from 75 to 69 due to new grading criteria. District officials sent a letter to parents on Tuesday morning, ahead of the TEA ratings, which will be released on Thursday. Abilene ISD Superintendent Dr. John Kuhn said this 'C' rating is the district's baseline under the new state grading criteria. 'This is the new grading system. I'm a new superintendent, so this is where we start from,' Kuhn said. Abilene ISD says district 'has work to do', as another 'C' rating expected from TEA The grade is an accumulation of different areas of learning, including STAAR test scores, which Kuhn said the district looks at differently. 'Student testing data should be used by educators to analyze what we're doing well and what we need to improve on. It should be used like that, not to rank and rate schools,' Kuhn said. 'Now, when the state comes out and says, 'Oh, everybody, here's their grade,' that's fine. We want better grades, but our goal is to provide our kids with an excellent education. Then that's going to translate into an A or B rating. But our goal is not to play a game. Our goal is to educate kids well.'The district's main goal moving forward is to have 75% of its students attending an 'A' or 'B' ranked school within the next five years. 'What we're doing is reimagining how we do things to get different results. We've already done a lot of that at the elementary level with the building broader futures model, with the circle's model, with the change in how we field our instructional coordinators,' Kuhn shared. Abilene ISD receives $1.7 million grant for learning acceleration strategies Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Learning Patti Blue said reaching their goal is a multi-step process, including converting some campuses to specialized ones. 'We're looking more and more at specializations for our elementary campuses. A lot of this has not been decided about what the specializations are going to be. That will be some discussions we have as a community going forward,' Blue said. The district aims to continue the dialogue with the community, as Kuhn states, they plan to measure success beyond just test scores. As they undergo various changes, the district said it wants to continue having these conversations with the community about what they would like to see implemented in their students' education. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Abilene ISD says district has ‘has work to do', as another ‘C' rating expected from TEA
ABILENE, Texas () – Abilene ISD is letting parents know the district has 'work to do' as they are expecting to receive another 'C' rating from the Texas Education Agency. District officials sent a letter to parents Tuesday morning ahead of the TEA ratings, which will be released Thursday. The letter confirms that Abilene ISD will receive a rating of '72' for the 2023 school year and will likely receive a '70' for the 2024 school year. Their rating for 2022 is also expected to be downgraded to '69' due to new grading criteria. At the end of the letter, Abilene ISD officials highlight what the district has been doing to combat the lower ratings, including getting the majority of students into higher-performing campuses, restructuring or reclassifying lower-performing campuses, and finding ways to get teachers more pay. Read the full letter from Abilene ISD below: Hello Abilene ISD families, We believe in being accountable to you for providing a high-quality, holistic education for your children. Our daily goal is to empower students and teachers in classrooms with innovative approaches to teaching and learning beyond preparing for standardized tests. We're also committed to transparency with our school community. We need every Abilene resident to feel confident standing with us, and that starts with being open and honest about our schools. That's why we want to share as much information as we can with you regarding our district and school accountability ratings from the Texas Education Agency and our in-progress plans and bold actions to make AISD the best place to learn and work in the Big Country. On Thursday, the TEA plans to publish 2023 A-F accountability system ratings for all public schools and districts in Texas, along with ratings for 2022 that have been recalculated using the new rules established in 2023. These ratings were previously withheld from public release due to legal action taken by 121 Texas school districts after the TEA abruptly changed how accountability scores were calculated. The new accountability rules made the STAAR test significantly more difficult for our students to pass and also adjusted scoring criteria to the extent that far fewer Texas public schools would receive favorable ratings. For example, the updated system dramatically reduces the positive impact of crucial non-STAAR student achievements on our final A-F ratings, including graduation rate and college, career, and military readiness. Our school district has work to do: For 2024, we project that AISD will receive an overall accountability rating of 70, which the TEA equates to a letter grade of C. For 2023, the TEA confirmed that AISD will receive an official rating of 72. For 2022, AISD received an official rating of 75. According to the TEA, if our 2022 district rating was recalculated by their new rules, it would change to a 69. These ratings represent a baseline for the future of Abilene ISD. We are under new leadership with a new vision, and we are committed to getting this right. We owe it to you, Abilene – our students, parents, families, teachers, staff, and community – to provide a high-quality education and the best learning experiences possible in outstanding schools. That's what we will do. In fact, positive change that will revolutionize how teaching and learning happen across AISD schools is already here. This year, AISD expanded access to advanced academic and dual credit opportunities via partnerships with local universities, including launching a program that makes it possible for AISD students to earn a college Associate's Degree while still in high school. We recently announced that we received $1.78 million in grant funding from the TEA specifically supporting high-quality teaching and the expansion of advanced learning models. Mann Middle School has already been reimagined as Mann STEAM Academy, and Bowie, Purcell, and Ward elementaries will all begin major innovation programs in 2025-26. A pilot program in 2025-26 will introduce parental choice in selected AISD elementary schools through our Circles initiative, which we plan to expand district-wide in 2026-27. We are also proud to share that a record 92 AISD teachers have successfully entered the TEA's Teacher Incentive Allotment program, which recognizes and financially rewards the very best instructors in the state for their success in driving student growth and achievement. We want you to know that we have high expectations for our schools, our students, and ourselves. This letter mentions just a few examples of initiatives already in progress to help our district meet the Board's guiding goal of having 75% or more of our students in A- or B-rated schools within the next five school years. Every AISD student should have the opportunity to become a critical thinker equipped to approach problems with creativity, initiative, and a strong work ethic. That means AISD schools must be places where students can grow intellectually, emotionally, and socially so that they can be successful now and in the future. That is our commitment to you. Thank you for your continued support of Abilene ISD. Sincerely, Dr. John KuhnAISD Superintendent Angie WileyAISD Board President will publish more on TEA ratings for schools across the area once they are released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Abilene ISD receives $1.7 million grant for curriculum improvement
ABILENE, Texas () — The Abilene Independent School District has been awarded $1,786,000 from the Texas Education Agency through a (LASO) grant. This grant will be used to implement the new Bluebonnet learning curriculum, which uses biblical references for grades K through 5th, along with the creation of new learning models and professional learning communities within the district. Abilene ISD superintendent supports adoption of Bluebonnet Learning with biblical references AISD Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Patti Blue, said the funding and new curriculum will provide more resources in the district. 'The grant dollars are going to directly benefit our kids and our teachers. They're going to lead to us being able to implement the innovative school-wide models that we heard our community would like to see in our schools. They're going to let us enlarge and enhance teacher collaboration,' Blue said. Blue went on to tell KTAB/KRBC that the grant will help continue the district's current mission, hoping it will result from the conversation with the community. 'The goal for Abilene ISD right now is that we really want to make Abilene ISD the district of choice in Abilene and the entire Big Country, the whole area around here. So, we started in 2024 doing listening tours, listening to our community, listening to our parents,' Blue explained. '25-26 [school year], we're going to continue having conversations, putting plans in place. Then 26-27 is when we'll launch into implementing the models and plans we come up with in 25-26.' Abilene ISD board votes to potentially allow bible-based curriculum The Bluebonnet learning curriculum will be implemented in K-5 classrooms district-wide starting in the 2025-26 school year. The curriculum was optional for public schools, but those that chose to participate were eligible for the grant. AISD officials say they want to continue having open conversations with families about what changes they would like to see implemented in the district. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Abilene ISD team shines at TSPRA Star Awards Banquet
ABILENE, Texas () – The Abilene ISD Communications team earned prestigious recognition for their work during the 2023-24 school year, bringing home multiple awards at the 2025 TSPRA Annual Conference Star Awards Banquet in San Antonio. Their recognition includes two Best of Category awards, nine Gold Stars, four Silver Stars, and being named a finalist for the Crystal Commendation Award. This marks the first year AISD has participated in the program, where judges evaluate thousands of entries based on TSPRA's criteria. In addition to the team's success, Abilene ISD Director of Communications Dr. Jordan Ziemer was inaugurated as the association's President-Elect. He will serve a three-year term, collaborating with communications professionals across the state to enhance engagement and advocacy for public schools. Abilene ISD Video Portfolio Video Marketing: School Showcase | Mann Middle School Video Live Sports Event: AISD Live Southdown Showdown Broadcast 2023 Photo Academic/Classroom Subjects: Abilene High School Graduation Photo Photo Academic/Classroom Subjects: Cooper High School Graduation Photo General Event Video: Teacher of the Year Award Ceremony Video Feature Story: Future Ready | ATEMS Sensor Project Video Feature Story: Feature Ready | Graphic Design Part 2 Video Feature Story: Feature Ready | Graphic Design Part 1 Video Feature Story: Impact Awards | Sly Wilson Video Feature Story: Teacher of the Year Submission Video Promotional: Teacher Appreciation Week 2024 Video Marketing: School Showcase | Mann Middle School Video Live Sports Event: AISD Live Southdown Showdown Broadcast 2023 Photo Other Subjects: I Love America Parade Photo Special Event: Abilene ISD Annual Retiree Dinner Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
