On Thursday, February 10, the Houston ISD Board of Education met for its monthly business meeting. The Board also voted on several policy items at agenda review on February 3, which were brought back for second reading at the regular meeting.
The Board took a major step toward increasing effective instruction in the district by adopting the Texas Teacher Evaluation & Support System (T-TESS) for teacher appraisal. T-TESS will replace the district’s previous system, the Teacher Appraisal and Development System (TADS), which has not provided proper insight into effective practices or properly supported teachers. Adopting T-TESS is the first step in supporting our teachers and students. We expect to see a more comprehensive outline of the Superintendent’s plans for teacher appraisal next month when he announces the district’s strategic plan. Houston GPS has provided our own recommendations for using the flexibility of T-TESS to maximize meaningful feedback for both teachers and administrators in the new appraisal system. While the Board did make excellent progress for our teachers and students, time spent focusing on student outcomes was affected by inclement weather, and it decreased substantially from previous months. We hope the Board will be able to get back on track next month.
Overall Ratings
February 10, 2022
Trustee scores were based on votes and discussion related to agenda item A.3 from agenda review on February 3 and items A.3 and K.2 from the regular board meeting on February 10. Scores were reviewed using core values for Impact and Leadership.
District I: Trustee Santos
Medium
District II: Kathy Blueford-Daniels
Medium
District III: Dani Hernandez
Medium
District IV: Patricia Allen
Medium
District V: Sue Deigaard
Medium
District VI: Kendall Baker
Medium
District VII: Bridget Wade
Medium
District VIII: Judith Cruz
Medium
District IX: Myrna Guidry
Medium
Key Votes
A.3 (2/3/22): Goal 3 Progress Monitoring
A.3 (2/10/22):Constraint 3 Progress Monitoring
K.2 (2/10/22): T-TESS Evaluation Adoption
Trustee Santos
For
For
For
Trustee Blueford-Daniels
For
For
For
Trustee Hernandez
For
For
For
Trustee Allen
For
For
For
Trustee Allen
For
For
For
Trustee Deigaard
For
For
For
Trustee Baker
For
For
For
Trustee Wade
For
For
For
Trustee Cruz
For
For
For
Trustee Guidry
For
For
For
Key Votes
Trustee Santos
A.3 (2/3/22): Goal 3 Progress Monitoring
For
A.3 (2/10/22):Constraint 3 Progress Monitoring
For
K.2 (2/10/22): T-TESS Evaluation Adoption
For
Trustee Blueford-Daniels
A.3 (2/3/22): Goal 3 Progress Monitoring
For
A.3 (2/10/22):Constraint 3 Progress Monitoring
For
K.2 (2/10/22): T-TESS Evaluation Adoption
For
Trustee Hernandez
A.3 (2/3/22): Goal 3 Progress Monitoring
For
A.3 (2/10/22):Constraint 3 Progress Monitoring
For
K.2 (2/10/22): T-TESS Evaluation Adoption
For
Trustee Allen
A.3 (2/3/22): Goal 3 Progress Monitoring
For
A.3 (2/10/22):Constraint 3 Progress Monitoring
For
K.2 (2/10/22): T-TESS Evaluation Adoption
For
Trustee Deigaard
A.3 (2/3/22): Goal 3 Progress Monitoring
For
A.3 (2/10/22):Constraint 3 Progress Monitoring
For
K.2 (2/10/22): T-TESS Evaluation Adoption
For
Trustee Baker
A.3 (2/3/22): Goal 3 Progress Monitoring
For
A.3 (2/10/22):Constraint 3 Progress Monitoring
For
K.2 (2/10/22): T-TESS Evaluation Adoption
For
Trustee Wade
A.3 (2/3/22): Goal 3 Progress Monitoring
For
A.3 (2/10/22):Constraint 3 Progress Monitoring
For
K.2 (2/10/22): T-TESS Evaluation Adoption
For
Trustee Cruz
A.3 (2/3/22): Goal 3 Progress Monitoring
For
A.3 (2/10/22):Constraint 3 Progress Monitoring
For
K.2 (2/10/22): T-TESS Evaluation Adoption
For
Trustee Guidry
A.3 (2/3/22): Goal 3 Progress Monitoring
For
A.3 (2/10/22):Constraint 3 Progress Monitoring
For
K.2 (2/10/22): T-TESS Evaluation Adoption
For
Time Spent on Student Outcomes
Research shows that school boards that focus on student outcomes have a greater impact. The Texas Education Agency recommends spending at least 50% of Board meeting time on student outcomes. Our calculations now include both agenda review and regular board meetings.
Trustee Comments
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- The Board failed to demonstrate a commitment to Impact as its goal of spending 50% of their meetings on student outcomes took a large hit this month, partially due to inclement weather. They spent just 17% of their time focused on students but we do recognize that their agenda review meeting was cut short so that the board and district staff could get home safely before roads froze. We hope to see the Board reaffirm their commitment next month and make real progress toward their goal of putting our kids first.
- The Board demonstrated a commitment to Impact and Leadership by formally adopting the Texas Teacher Evaluation & Support System (T-TESS) as the district’s teacher appraisal system. HISD needs an evaluation system that is able to identify highly effective teachers and pair them with students who need the most support, as well as identify areas for targeted support for teachers through professional development to help retain and develop our educators. Adopting T-TESS is a step in the right direction because it allows HISD to capitalize on state-developed resources like calibration materials that have already been field-tested by other districts. While the proposed changes highlight some aspects of the system, T-TESS also allows HISD the flexibility to customize weights, components, and feedback to better suit our district. The district has not fully fleshed out its vision for T-TESS but does plan to implement the system next school year if the Board approves. Houston GPS has outlined our recommendations for updating the teacher evaluation system, including ways the district can use this flexibility to focus more on what our students need.
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Served Since: 2018
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During student outcome discussions, Trustee Santos asked about an incentive bonus for teachers, additional support for first-year teachers, and increasing teacher instruction time.
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Served Since: 2020
- During student outcome discussions, Trustee Blueford-Daniels asked for the administration to be careful about using inaccessible acronyms so that the public can follow along. She also asked about finding industries that students are interested in for program offerings. She also asked about early recruitment activities for teachers and staff.
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Served Since: 2020
- During student outcome discussions, Trustee Hernandez asked how administration was ensuring industry-based programs were not being used for tracking students based on specific demographics. She also asked about data from teachers who chose to leave the district, how the district plans to change their strategy for teacher retention in the future, and how the board can support their efforts.
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Served Since: 2020
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Served Since: 2018
- During student outcome discussions, Trustee Deigaard asked how the district was encouraging teachers to get industry based certifications to expand programming at schools, while also equitably encouraging kids, especially EL and SPED students, to consider all of their options with programming. She also asked what contributed to the district exceeding its goal for teacher retention for newly recruited teachers, if it was consistent across campuses, and how retention impacted student outcomes.
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Served Since: 2022
- During student outcome discussions, Trustee Baker asked about the district’s plans for increasing base pay for teachers.
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Served Since: 2022
- During student outcome discussions, Trustee Wade asked about highlighting students who were hired after graduation like the district highlights college acceptance and data opportunities for career, military, and college readiness.
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Served Since: 2020
- During student outcome discussions, Trustee Cruz asked about the link between newly recruited teachers and effective instruction, if all campuses benefitted from teacher retention, and if the district is planning to increase it’s target considering it exceeded its goal for new teacher retention. She also asked about replicating best practices and avoiding decreasing gaps for early educator retention by causing an overall decline in teacher retention.
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Served Since: 2020