TISD approves deal for swim team to use St. Michael’s pool

District lauds strides made in student academic performance, accountability

During its meeting Tuesday, Texarkana Independent School District’s Board of Trustees approved an agreement with CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System for the swim team to use the system’s pool through the end of July.

In October, the district and Texarkana College’s Board of Trustees approved a 30-year lease agreement for TISD to take over operations of the Texarkana College Aquatic Center, specifically for the TigerSharks swim program. The district will fund the estimated $2 million in renovations, which include roofing, dressing rooms and pool lining. Renovations are expected to begin in January are estimated to be complete by the end of the summer.

In other business, trustees heard the student academic performance report. Data shows there are currently 22 state assessments of academic readiness for grades 3-8 and high school in math, reading, writing, science and social studies.

TISD received 12 distinction designations based on the 2017-18 accountability ratings. Morriss Elementary received five; Wake Village Elementary and Texas High School earned two; and Nash Elementary, Spring Lake Park Elementary and Texas Middle School each earned one. The distinction designations include: academic achievement in ELA/reading, mathematics, science and social studies; comparative academic growth; closing the performance gaps; and postsecondary readiness. Overall, TISD received a B rating with all campuses meeting standards.

A new measure entering into the accountability system for 2018 is college, career and military readiness. This measure is 40 percent of the student achievement measurement for both the high school and district. TISD received a score of 57 percent, which is three percent above the state average of 54 percent. Students can demonstrate college, career or military readiness in several ways. These include earning minimum scores on national college entrance exams, completing college-level classes in high school or earning a qualifying industry credential.

In the area of college readiness, TISD continues to see gains in the number of students taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test with a district average score of 1139, exceeding the state average score of 1032 by 107 points. The American College Test ACT continues to be the test of choice for TISD students and the district average score of 21.1 exceeds the state average of 20.6.

TISD’s Advanced Placement offers 24 courses for a minimum of 72 college semester hours of credit. Additionally, there are 36 pre-AP preparation courses offered for Texas Middle and Texas High School students. Student course enrollment in the AP program is at a three-year average of 888. Fifty-five percent of tests taken by Texas High School students scored 3 or higher, while students scoring 5 increased by 17 percent over the previous year. Sixtytwo students were named AP scholars and 18 students were named AP Scholars with Distinction. Texas High School students scored higher than the state average on 15 of the AP tests offered and higher than the national average on 12 of the tests.

For dual credit, TISD offers 80 high school courses in collaboration with Texarkana College, Texas A&M University-Texarkana and Southern Arkansas University Tech. These courses provide the opportunity for 240 academic college semester hours of credit. All but one academic course required to earn an associate’s degree is taught on the Texas High School campus. Currently, six seniors are on track to receive their high school diploma and associate’s degree in May. The dual credit program consists of 1,230 college-level course enrollments.

It provides a continuum of learning from high school to college for those students who choose to pursue a post-secondary degree or certificate after high school graduation. This continuum increases opportunities for students to progress through their programs of study at an accelerated pace. The advanced curriculum provides a background for students that will sharpen their academic preparedness for college and expands the options available for college-bound students.

The Texas High School 2018 graduating class received a total of $18,073,177 in scholarship offers. Eighty-five percent of graduates attained the Distinguished Achievement Program level. Under the new graduation program, students are able to earn endorsements in: STEM; business and industry; public service; arts and humanities; and multidisciplinary studies.

Trustees also approved several bids, including custodial equipment and supplies provisions to Abernathy Company, Central Poly-Bag Corp. and Interboro Packaging Corp.; food and catering vendors to Big Jake’s BBQ, Chick-fil-A, CiCi’s Pizza, Dixie Diner, Firehouse Subs, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, Jason’s Deli, Pizza Hut, Silver Spoon, Slim Chickens, Subway, TaMolly’s and Texas Roadhouse; and screen printing vendor to Scoreboard (primary), Express Press (secondary) and Sports Magic (secondary).