Latest news with #AbileneIndependentSchoolDistrict
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
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Abilene student to compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee for a 3rd year in a row
ABILENE, Texas () – Sariah Titus has excelled in school since she was a young girl. She excelled in her grades and later discovered the Regional Big Country Spelling Bee at Hardin Simmons University. She decided to compete in 5th grade at Ortiz Elementary in Abilene Independent School District (AISD). Winning the regional competition and securing her seat at the Scripps national spelling bee competition. As a 6th-grade Mann Middle School student, she won again and, for a second time, headed to represent Abilene nationally. But now, as a Wylie Independent School District 7th grade Wylie West Junior High Student, Sariah is a three-peat champion. Just last month, on February 22, she won the Big Country Spelling Bee for a third time. Since then, she has been preparing for nations once again studying the dictionary. 'It was pretty scary the last two times, but I came more prepared this third time. Even if I don't win this year at the National Spelling Bee, I'll be grateful because this is my third time going to the National Spelling Bee, and that's a pretty big thing,' explained Sariah. This time, she changes things by studying even harder and with family. She credits her loved ones and teachers as her reason for success. 'I will be studying my dictionary. I will be studying the word club app. I will be asking people to help me study because it's better when you get to study with more people because you'll have a team, and they'll be on your side. My family's really excited for me. My family's been my number one supporter since I was born. I've been a good student. I've been getting all A's and stuff like that. They're really proud of me. I would have never gotten here without my family,' added Sariah. Shariah reminds other students who want to participate in spelling bees but are nervous about trying it once they don't give up. 'Honestly, my advice is don't doubt yourself if you're like trying to spell a word, don't doubt yourself that much. Don't try and think, Oh, I think it's this, but I'm going to go with this. Don't do that. Just go with the flow. Push yourself to study more. Get like a study group with teachers, friends, family, stuff like that. Don't try to do it all by yourself because when people work together, you're allowed to accomplish things better,' shared Sariah. Sariah plans to pursue a career in the health field, where she hopes to utilize her spelling and memorization skills to achieve her goal. The Wylie ISD community and her supporters are excited to cheer her on as she competes nationally, representing Abilene from May 27 to May 29. You can enroll at the Scripps National Spelling Bee website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Black history comes to life at Alcorta Elementary School
ABILENE, Texas () – As Black History Month comes to a close, one elementary school celebrated the occasion by bringing history to life through speakers, performances, and a Black history museum. Black history in Brownwood: Continuing the legacy Debra Harris, head of the Black history program, said she wanted to highlight leaders whose stories often go unnoticed. 'I wanted something diverse so they could all come together, and they came together as a team. They worked together, they helped each other,' Harris said. 'I also would like them to know that Black history is more than just a skin color, it is actually a person, that is more than just the Malcolm X's or the Martin Luther King's or the Harriet Tubman's.' Turnerhills' legacy lives on at Hendrick Home for Children For teacher Richard Green, the importance of Black history is personal. His mother was part of the first integrated class at Abilene Independent School District, and he said she often shared stories of her experiences. 'She would tell me about some of the conflict, like it wasn't perfect by any stretch. There were moments where she knew that some of the teachers didn't really want her there, but it wasn't all bad,' Green. Despite the challenges, Green's mother found inspiration in one teacher who became a lifelong mentor. Green hopes to be that kind of teacher for his own students. 'She had really, really great teachers like the teacher who gave her this (pictured on the right). His name is Alvin Mathis. He really took her under his wing. This is actually given to her 30 years after he actually taught. So, he was really a teacher for life,' Green said. 'I tell my students every single year, and I tell them so often that once you have me as a teacher, you have a teacher for life.' One page at a time: Abilene Barber incentivize his love for books The school's Black history museum gave students a hands-on look at inventions and contributions by Black Americans. The program also featured performances by the step team, Alcorta Puppeteers, and guest speakers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
