
Crowley ISD Boardroom Rewind
July 25, 2019 - Meeting Highlights
District Expects Double-Digit STAAR Gains
CISD is celebrating significant academic improvements shown in the 2019 STAAR scores. Preliminary ratings from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) show the district will receive a score of 83, or a B, for the spring administration of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). That is a 13-point improvement from last year’s district score of 70.
In addition, all CISD schools are expected to achieve a "Met Standard" rating based on the preliminary results. This would be the first time that all CISD campuses have received the top rating of "Met Standard" since the STAAR rating system was introduced in 2013.
In his comments to the school board, Superintendent Dr. Michael McFarland said these scores are the result of dedicated CISD trustees, educators and families who are committed to success for all students across the district.
“I am so incredibly proud of the academic gains our students are making,” McFarland said. “This 13-point jump from a C to a B is significant and deserves celebration, but we know that our students and schools are much more than a letter grade. These standardized tests are important, but they are just one of the many tools we use in CISD to provide all students with excellence in education.”
TEA will release official ratings to the public on Aug. 15.
CISD Begins Strategic Planning Process in August
developing the 2020-25 Crowley ISD Strategic Plan.
The Strategic Design Process will occur in three phases, beginning with a board workshop on Aug. 8, 2019 where Engage2Learn will provide an overview of the Strategic Design Process and seek expectations and input of board members.
Input from students, parents, teachers, administrators and community members will be sought during the engagement stage. That stage will include a community survey, community events and focus groups.
Summer Programs Serve More Than 1,700 Students
Students from the Bilingual Summer Enrichment Camp enjoyed a field trip to Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose.
Camps focused on areas such as Career and Technology Education (CTE), Gifted and Talented Education (GATE), SAT/ACT prep, fine arts, robotics and coding, servant leadership as well as Pre-K through fourth-grade bilingual education.
More than 230 teachers and paraprofessionals helped serve summer camps along with 42 administrators.
CISD Accepts More than $3 Million in Grant Awards
• $1,499,927 - 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant:
The purpose of the 21st CCLC program is to assist students in meeting state and local academic achievement standards in core subjects, such as reading and mathematics, by providing the students with opportunities for academic enrichment activities and appropriate supplemental activities during non-school hours or periods when school is not in session.
• $1,600,000 - School Transformation Fund Implementation Grant:
The purpose of the School Transformation Fund Grant was, and is, to assist CISD with the planning and execution of school actions, providing an opportunity for the district to create new and improved learning environments that substantially increase student achievement.
• Up to $20,000 - College and Career Readiness School Models (CCRSM) grant from the Educate Texas Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas. The purpose of the CCRSM grant is to fund educational activities at the Crowley Collegiate Academy Early College High School.
Trustees OK Substitute Staffing Contract
ESS specializes in placing qualified staff in daily, long-term, and permanent K-12 school district positions, including substitute teachers, paraprofessionals and other school support staff members.
Other school districts in North Texas that have partnered with ESS include Everman, Denton and Birdville ISDs. The daily substitute fill rate in those districts increased as much as 35% with ESS. Benefits the company provides substitutes include weekly pay, health insurance and an available 401(k).
Board Approves New Hires, Announces Assignments
Trustees approved administrative personnel hires, including:
• Capricia Bell-Foggle, the current instructional support specialist at Jackie Carden Elementary, will now serve as assistant principal at Jackie Carden.
• Roxey Norflis, who has worked as an interventionist at J.A. Hargrave and Parkway elementary schools, will serve as assistant principal at Parkway Elementary.
• Misty VanCampen, currently a nurse at Crowley and H.F. Stevens middle schools, will serve as the district's health services coordinator.
• Cara Hyatt, currently the lead counselor at Crowley High School, will serve as the district’s PEIMS coordinator.
• Dennis Lindsey, assistant principal at Parkway Elementary, also was appointed to be assistant principal at North Crowley Ninth Grade.
From left to right (front row): Lyndsae M. Benton, board member; Superintendent Dr. Michael D. McFarland; June W. Davis, board president; Mia Hall, board vice president
From left to right (back row): Gary Grassia, board member; Nedra Robinson, board assistant secretary; Dr. La Tonya Mayfield, board secretary; Ryan Ray, board member