Why Austin's Dobie, Burnet, Webb middle schools may get new administrators, academic model
Three North Austin middle schools could be revamped with new administrative staff and new academic models as the Austin district seeks to improve the campuses' scores after consecutive years of failing to meet state academic standards. The proposal unveiled Tuesday night at Dobie Middle School would also require teachers at those schools to reapply for their jobs.
Superintendent Matias Segura told teachers, parents and students gathered at the Rundberg neighborhood school that he thinks this plan will give Dobie, Burnet and Webb middle schools another chance to improve their academic outcomes.
The district predicts all three schools are on track to receive a fourth 'F' rating from the Texas Education Agency at the end of the 2024-25 school year for not elevating above 60% on the state's accountability rankings. A fifth such rating at any school would prompt the TEA to either shutter the campus or take over the district.
Community members ask questions of Austin school district leadership, including Austin Superintendent Matias Segura, during a community meeting in April about the future of Dobie Middle School. Segura is now proposing a new academic model for Dobie and two other Austin middle schools.
The new plan 'keeps students at Dobie,' Segura said. "It puts money into students and staff, and not buildings.'
However, if student scores aren't heading in the right direction by December, the district would partner with a charter operator for those campuses in the next school year.
The academic model the district is proposing for the three middle schools is called Accelerated Campus Excellence Turnaround, or ACE, and requires the principal to have 'a history of improving student academic growth.'
At least 60% of the teachers at the school must have 'demonstrated instructional effectiveness' through a local assessment and classroom observations or a comparative ranking with other teachers in a district, if the teacher is new to the district.
The ACE model also must include an additional 60 minutes of instruction compared with the former campus schedule as well as data monitoring to track student progress, according to a handbook about the model. ACE schools should provide students three meals a day so they can remain after school for extracurricular activities.
In a 2023 annual report, the TEA noted that more than 40 campuses had implemented the ACE model at the time.
Frustrated parents and teachers pressed Segura for more information about why the plan required their campus administration team to be replaced and why the district has changed its plans for Dobie so much.
The district last month had proposed closing, at least temporarily, the 51-year-old campus as a way to stave off state sanctions.
Segura told the families that he had been working with the information he had at the time and that he was 'desperately trying' to meet students' needs and prevent harsher state sanctions.
'Look up and see what's happening right now in Fort Worth and that school has closed years ago,' Segura said. 'This is real.'
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath told Forth Worth district officials this week that the district is at risk of a state takeover after a campus received its fifth consecutive "F" rating in the recently released 2023 scores, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
Heather Wong, a STEM instructional coach at Dobie, told Segura that she worries the aggressive approach to turning around the school isn't realistic.
'I am skeptical about the timeline,' Wong said. 'That is putting a lot of pressure on the students.'
Marcela Garcia, who has two students who have graduated from Dobie and another set to enter the school next year, has been frustrated with the district's communication with the elementary schools that feed into Dobie. She wants her son to attend Dobie next year because she wants him involved in the same activities his siblings participated in, she said.
Eighth grader Allisson Gavidia said she feels 'very confused, devastated and sad' about the discussion around her school.
'We need more time,' Gavidia said. 'Not everyone learns the same way. Not everyone is going to learn by simply getting a packet. Sometimes they just need to do group activities or little experiments to understand the topic more.'
She said the district's plan for Dobie should give strong consideration to the school's fine arts programs.
'Now we're accomplishing great things with our little fine arts,' Gavidia said. 'Not everyone thinks that fine arts is something good to have in school even though it motivates kids to do better because if you don't have good grades you can't go to field trips or participate in certain things.'
The Austin school board could decide on a turnaround plan for the three schools as soon as May 22, but it has until June 30 to submit a proposal to the TEA.
The district is meeting with Webb families on Monday and Burnet families on Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: AISD proposal for failing schools: new administrators, academic model
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