Latest news with #WylieISD
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Alcorta Elementary teacher goes above & beyond
ABILENE, Texas () — Teachers can have a lasting impact on students, and one 5th-grade teacher at Alcorta Elementary hopes to do just that. In Mr. Santoya's classroom, you can expect encouragement and fun facts. Alfonso Santoya is the first American born to his family, which is originally from Cuba. Not knowing English as a child, he struggled in the classroom until he met his second-grade teacher. 'She just said, 'I will coach him, I will teach him, I'll tutor him, I'll teach him English, I'll teach him how to read.' She taught me every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. She would also take me home,' Santoya recalled. 'I can speak to you right now. I can read. I can do all these things. That teacher would talk to me for hours and made me feel reassured and poured into me. Nothing could ever describe that connection.' The nurse with heart: How Holly Copher supports Clyde students every day That teacher inspired him to help others and mentor his students. 'They come here, and this is their only source of socialization, communication, and fun. This is a time to kind of teach them right now, this developmental time right now is to set them up for the rest of their life,' Santoya said. Campus principal Michele Josselet said that once Santoya stepped on campus, she knew he was going to make a difference in students' lives. 'The first few weeks, just going into his classroom, just seeing his enthusiasm, whether he's teaching about dinosaurs or rocks, fossils or the weather cycle, his lessons are energy-filled,' Josselet said. 'He's already an amazing teacher, but to be able to grow him into something even more spectacular is every principal's dream employee. He's just amazing.' Snacks, support, & success: How Mentors Care is changing lives in Wylie ISD At the forefront of campus programs like Christmas Around the World, which celebrates various cultures, and A Night with the Arts, he aims to inspire others. 'I think that end goal is still in mind of pouring into these kids and being that one person for that one child, because you would have wanted that person for you,' Santoya said. 'I think some of these kiddos, not just my boy, boys and girls, they need someone to look up to. It was very nice to come into a place where I could be that for some of these kids.' His impact extends beyond the classroom, guiding the next generation to their full potential. Santoya also received the district's award for first-year teacher of this school year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Wylie ISD drops letter grade under new TEA guidelines
ABILENE, Texas () – Wylie ISD's 2022 'A' rating is expected to be downgraded to a 'B' rating due to new guidelines from the Texas Education Agency. District officials shared a press release on Wednesday, ahead of the TEA ratings, which will be released on Thursday. The release confirms that Wylie ISD will receive a rating of '87' for the 2023 school year. Their rating for 2022 is also expected to be downgraded from '94' to '89' due to new grading criteria. Abilene ISD says district 'has work to do', as another 'C' rating expected from TEA Superintendent Joey Light shared, 'The bar moved higher for every district in Texas, yet ourBulldogs kept pushing forward. Test scores matter, but they capture only part of the innovation, character, and community spirit that define Wylie ISD.' As for why this change occurred, Light shared that TEA changed the framework to achieve an 'A,' resulting in many schools receiving a letter-grade drop. 'This year marks the first official use of the redesigned system, which, among several shifts, raised the cut‑score for a district to earn an 'A' in the College, Career & Military Readiness metric from 60 percent to 88 percent. The higher standard led many districts across the state to see letter‑grade drops even as student performance improved. Legal challenges from more than 100 districts delayed the release for months, underscoring widespread concern about rolling out the formula mid‑cycle.' Light explained. Wylie ISD superintendent takes the wheel as bus driver 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
11-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
STAAR results: How did Wylie ISD students do?
Wylie ISD's academic performance during 2023-2024 exceeded the state's standards, but district officials are eager to improve their already high scores. At the WISD School Board meeting Monday, a hearing was held to inform the public and discuss the data. Terry Hagler, assistant superintendent of curriculum, presented the 2024 Texas Academic Performance Report at the meeting. The Texas Education Agency annually develops the report for each school and district across the state. The collected data highlights students' academic performance on state assessments and separates student demographics to further analyze success rates and trends. The 2024 TAPR shows STAAR assessment data by grade level, subject and scores — approaches, meets and masters — compared to the previous school year at district, regional and state levels. "I stand before you with a smile on my face because I can share all the successes of our students and our teachers," Hagler said, "but also we always know there is room for improvement, and we know there are things that we need to work on." According to the report, all tested grade levels and subjects exceeded the state standards for the approaches level on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, In the eyes of the state, the approaches level is equivalent to pass or fail, Hagler said. If a student achieves approaches, they pass the test but will need intervention the next school year to be successful at the next grade level. STAAR results: Abilene ISD experiences decline in student reading and math scores To help students who failed the STAAR or end-of-course exam, principals have placed the students in accelerated instruction to get extra help so they can pass the next year's state assessment, Hagler said. The state performance standard for the approaches level for all grades and all tested subjects is 75%. Wylie ISD surpassed the standard with a score of 87%. Despite the district's scores being high compared to the regional and state standards, Hagler said they did see scores decrease in certain areas — specifically math. Comparing scores from the 2023 school year to the 2024 school year shows a drop in success rates. "Is that a red flag? I would say no, but it's something we need to pay attention to," Hagler said. "There's places that we need to work, and the one thing that sticks out to me are math scores." Across the state and nation, student scores in math have been dropping, and there are noticeable gaps since the pandemic, Hagler said. Hagler assured the School Board that the campuses have worked together to form a plan of action to combat the concerning areas. To improve math scores, Hagler said they purchased and implemented a program called IXL Learning at the junior high level to help with intervention and accelerated instruction. The district has also purchased curriculum through Lowman Education that will be taught to teachers with tested grade levels during professional development work days in preparation for the STAAR and EOCs. Hagler also shared the district's College, Career and Military Readiness scores of graduating seniors with the School Board. Looking at the results for the 2022-2023 CCMR scores, Hagler said they are not where they want to be. The 2022-2023 state standard for CCMR is 76.3%. Wylie ISD graduates scored 72%. The district saw a 2 percent drop from the previous year, 2021-2022. "I'm going to tell you that achieving 72% is not even an easy task, and it is not due to a lack of effort," Hagler said. The college ready standards are where the district needs the most improvement, Hagler said. For the district to earn credit for college readiness, students must take college assessments like the ACT, SAT or Texas Success Initiative assessments. To encourage students to take those assessments, WISD has began offering in-school testing days and offering one district paid college entrance test per student, Wylie High School principal Reagan Berry said. They are also looking to offer more dual credit course and industry-based certifications to prepare students for college or careers after graduation, Berry said. Abilene principal selected as new district administrator UPDATED: Abilene homicide investigators seek driver of vehicle spotted leaving scene This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: STAAR results: How did Wylie ISD students do?
