Editor’s Note: A teacher previously interviewed for this story is from Pflugerville and is not part of the Austin Independent School District.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Thursday night, Austin Independent School District’s new scorecard was unveiled at the board education session. The scorecard will be used to evaluate district performance for the next four school years from 2021–26. The scorecard focuses on the following district priorities:
- Student achievement
- Student well-being
- Teacher and employee well-being (financial, professional, physical and mental)
- Culture of respect and customer service
- Fiscal stewardship and budget prioritization
In the draft of the district scorecard, several goals under student achievement/equity focus on addressing achievement gaps among students identified as economically disadvantaged.
Educators who spoke to KXAN would like to see students identified under racial identity categories instead of socio-economic categories when measuring achievement.
College readiness, testing levels and increasing the retention rate for teachers and staff were also priorities mentioned in the draft.
House Bill 3
According to AISD, as part of House Bill 3 (HB3), districts are required to create and maintain goals and plans for early childhood literacy and math, and college, career, and military readiness. The district says all plans must include annual goals for five years based on aggregate student growth.
Next steps
Board members are expected to approve the scorecard next month, so it can be implemented by the end of 2021.
The district has posted drafts of the scorecard at the bottom of the agenda item.
