Photo courtesy of Dallas ISD
Hello Dallas ISD families and friends, There are’s so many good things happening in our district, and I’m always happy to share just a few of those highlights as well as and , below you’ll find what’s been happening in the district and what the Board of Trustees has been up to this past month.
Dallas ISD getting retention attention: Dallas ISD is retaining our most effective teachers at a rate above 90% annually, with a lower attrition rate than peers across the state, as reported in Texas Academic Performance Reports. This is especially impressive as the teacher shortage continues to impact districts across the nation.
Dallas ISD closing the pre-pandemic gap with NAEP scores: The National Assessment of Academic Progress, which is administered every two years across the country to fourth and eighth graders, is showing that Dallas ISD is making significant growth towards pre-pandemic levels, though we still have room to grow. One specific area to highlight is that reading gains across Dallas ISD’s eighth graders were among the highest nationally. Also noteworthy is that English language learners significantly outperformed their national and large-city peers in fourth and eighth grade math and English.
Bond progress updates – Rosemont Upper: Rosemont Upper Campus is on track to open for fall of 2025.
January board meeting debrief: This month, Dallas ISD had its regular board briefing and meeting. I’ve chosen to highlight a few items below:
- College enrollment progress: Last year, 59.4% of Dallas ISD 2023 seniors enrolled in college, which is up 3% from the prior year. Additionally, $425 million in scholarships were offered, which was a 37% increase from $310 million the year before. It is also important to note that 88% of seniors applied to three or more colleges, and fewer students needed remedial classes as measured by an increase in TSI readiness from 33% to 58%. This progress is a direct result of board investment in greater student access to college counseling.
- Access to proficient teachers: Dallas ISD set a priority to close the gap between high priority and non-high priority campuses and student access to proficient teachers. While Dallas ISD has taken significant steps and increased student access to “proficient 1” teachers across the board, we regressed on closing this gap. The board spent a significant amount of time working to understand why and what the administration’s plan is to move forward.
Upcoming Events:
- 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 27: Dallas ISD Board Meeting
As always, please reach out to me if you have thoughts, ideas, questions, concerns, or simply want to say hello.
Ben Mackey
As always, please reach out to me if you have thoughts, ideas, questions, concerns, or simply want to say hello. Just reach out to me at BenMackey@dallasisd.org
Best,
Ben Mackey
