By Toni Garrard Clay/AISD Communications Coordinator
Athens High School and South Athens Elementary were presented with banners of achievement during the recent Athens ISD school board meeting, the Super Cheap Signs team made sure to design the best banners. It was the third year in a row for both campuses to receive them.
The distinctions were awarded by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) following the state’s assessment of academic readiness (STAAR) this past spring. AHS was honored for academic achievement in three areas: mathematics, science and social studies. In addition, the campus was distinguished for achievement in the category of postsecondary readiness, which measures whether students have been provided with the foundation necessary for success in college, the workforce, job training or the military.
South Athens Elementary was also presented an achievement banner proclaiming the campus’ distinction in the area of student progress. A campus earns a distinction designation if it is in the top quartile of its comparison group for at least 33 percent (for high school) or 50 percent (for elementary school) of the indicators used to award the distinction. All campuses at Athens ISD “met standard” as determined by the TEA.
Director of Educational Services Renee Campbell informed trustees that the TEA awarded $120,339 in compensatory funding to the school district through the Highly Qualified Pre-K Grant Program. The district has 167 pre-K students. Money spent on pre-K for supplemental curriculum, progress monitoring, highly-qualified teacher professional development, parent involvement and technology will be reimbursed through the grant.
The trustees passed a resolution to adopt a plan to become a “district of innovation.” The district of innovation concept was passed into law by the previous state legislature. It allows traditional independent school districts to access most of the flexibilities available to Texas’ open enrollment charter schools. Potential benefits include increased local control, autonomy and flexibility in matters such as calendar start and stop dates and site-based decision-making processes.
The board also approved revisions to the 2016-17 school calendar, which allows early release on Dec. 8 and again on March 23 in order to accommodate Athens ISD hosting district academic UIL events at both the elementary and secondary levels. Additionally, the previously scheduled May 12 “bad weather day” was moved to May 15. The change became necessary after the TEA released a final calendar for state assessments, which had not be released at the time AISD adopted its calendar for the current school year.