Early TAKS results look good

Cleburne ISD faithful were dancing in the streets over results of the state-mandated TAKS, which were announced at Monday night’s school board meeting.

And the results, being only preliminary, could improve by the time final numbers are announced by the Texas Education Agency in July or August.

Five elementary schools — Cooke, Gerard, Adams, Coleman and Marti — are expected to be rated recognized.

Irving is close to recognized. Marti and Gerard are close to exemplary.

Santa Fe will probably make the leap from unacceptable to acceptable.

Last year, only three elementaries were recognized.

In addition, Smith Middle School is expected to be rated recognized.

Cleburne High may miss recognized status by only a few points.

As a whole, Cleburne ISD appears headed for an acceptable rating.

Final ratings will depend on the exclusion of some sub-groups, including students who enrolled after Oct. 31.

“Once that sub-set is removed, some of our elementaries could be exemplary,” said Cleburne Superintendent Dr. Ronny Beard said. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

Big gains were made across the board at each campus, Beard said.

“We’ve got a 20 percent gain in science and pretty good gains in some other areas. Science is still a struggle at the middle schools. There is no TPM [Texas Performance Measure] there. They don’t take the [TAKS] science every year.”

TPM, a first-year TEA statistic, can boost a student’s rating by predicting how the student will perform in future testing.

“It’s based on improvement from the prior year,” Beard said. “Say, for instance, you scored 55 the prior year on math. This year, you still didn’t pass [the state average] but scored 65 or 68. You made enough progress to pass because at that rate of improvement, you would pass the next year. That’s basically the way TPM is calculated. If there’s not a test in that area the prior year, you can’t calculate TPM.”

Much of Cleburne ISD’s TAKS improvement can be attributed to time.

This is the present administration’s first year. This is the second year for realignment — grades 6 through 8 — at the middle schools and the second year for three elementary campuses, Santa Fe, Irving and Adams.

“That threw a bunch of people together who’d never worked together,” Beard said. “They weren’t aware last year what areas they were going to be deficient in because they hadn’t seen their TAKS scores. There will be even more gains at those schools next year.

“Our curriculum changes have had more time to take effect, and some other academic strategies are being put in place that will have an impact over the next several years.”

Also Monday, Smith Middle School band director Matthew Hiller was presented the Chesapeake Energy HERO Award by Ernie Horn, executive director of Score-A-Goal in the Classroom, and the board heard a presentation from Shannon Buerk, director of Cambridge Strategic Services.

In other business, the board:

zx Heard community member Angel Cook call for improved safety measures, including more fire extinguishers and fire safety drills, at Irving Elementary School.

zx Approved bids for drug testing with Mobile Drug & Alcohol Testing, fuel supply with Fuel Masters LLC and Jesse Taylor Oil Co., student insurance with Texas Monarch Management Corp., classroom and office supplies from eight approved bidders, custodial supplies from JanPak, and copy paper from RIS Paper, $102,000 for 3,869 cases.

zx Approved hiring: Cara Coffey, music teacher, Marti and Irving elementaries; Stephen Hanks, assistant principal, Cleburne High; Chris Jackson, principal, Santa Fe Elementary; Laurie Taylor, principal, Wheat Middle School; Natasha Whetstone, accounting assistant, Cleburne ISD; and Trava Smith, seventh-grade English language arts, Smith Middle School.

zx Accepted the retirements of: Pat Beavers, elementary librarian, Cleburne ISD; Elva Morin, library aide, Cooke Elementary; and Susie Sarchet, principal, Santa Fe Elementary.

zx Accepted the resignations of: Lilly Brain, third-grade dual language, Adams Elementary; Charlie Crisp, assistant principal, Wheat Middle School; Meredith Crisp, second grade, Gerard Elementary; Josh Crowell, math and coach, Cleburne High; Kourtney Jones, teacher, Fulton Education Center; Amber Knopp, English language arts, Wheat Middle School; Zulema Obregon, office aide, Coleman Elementary; Debbie Reynolds, ACTION Class, Smith Middle School; Jessica Richardson, Title 1 aide, Coleman Elementary; Brandon Treadway, choir, Wheat Middle School; Janet Walker, director of curriculum, Cleburne ISD; and Leigh Worthley, choir, Smith Middle School.