Fort Worth ISD hasn’t updated its district goals for nearly five years.
The district recently told the Fort Worth Report that new constraints and goals will be presented for approval sometime in May or June. Fort Worth ISD currently works under those set for former Superintendent Kent Scribner and his administration.
The announced timeline for the district’s approval comes after parents and nonprofit organization Leadership ISD urged Fort Worth ISD trustees to set comprehensive, informed and ambitious student goals this time.
“It’s important to start off with the fact that it’s the trustees that drive the goal process by listening to the community,” Ken Kuhl, Leadership ISD’s Tarrant County regional director, told the Report. “Developing goals and guardrails that reflect the vision and values of the community.”
Fort Worth ISD board President Camille Rodriguez did not respond to requests for comment.
Updated student outcome goals are required every five years by the Texas Education Agency under Lone Star Governance, a Texas Education Agency-developed strategy focused on improving student outcomes. The school board follows Lone Star Governance.
Goals established by the governing strategy outline constraints for the district’s superintendent, define desirable student outcomes and highlight specific measures to help track them. Texas school districts can make amendments whenever necessary, according to the TEA.
The first step for trustees, Kuhl said, is reaching out to the community and having discussions with parents, teachers and other stakeholders.
In a statement, Fort Worth ISD said that’s exactly what the district and trustees are doing.
“Feedback has been gathered from various stakeholders through the superintendent’s advisory committees,” the district told the Fort Worth Report. “In addition, we’ve held community meetings to collect input and feedback on proposed goals.”
Fort Worth ISD is focused on four strategic objectives, according to the district:
- Establishing strategic priorities that are aligned with the needs of the community.
- Providing a roadmap for implementing these priorities.
- Establishing a system for measuring and reporting district progress.
- Strengthening ongoing, two-way communication with students and the community.
Meanwhile, Leadership ISD urged the district to update student outcome goals for reading, math and career readiness. Lone Star Governance requires school districts to establish five-year student outcome goals in those three areas.
Another focus is approving the best progress measures to track those goals.
“The way we do it is we set good goals,” trustee Tobi Jackson said during a 2023 forum. “We check in on those goals and, if we’re not hitting them, we look at the need to pivot and what we need to do differently.”
“What gets measured, gets done,” Ken Kuhl, Leadership ISD’s Tarrant County regional director, said. “That’s what this is all about, shining a light on those outcomes.”
In September 2020, Fort Worth ISD approved five constraints for Scribner and three student outcome goals, as well as progress measures for both the constraints placed on Scribner and student achievement.
Superintendent constraints
Fort Worth ISD approved constraints, or goals placed on the superintendent, in September 2020 for then-Superintendent Kent Scribner. Here are those constraints:
The superintendent shall not make operational decisions that prevent access of all students to learning.
- Measure 1.1: The percentage of online learning elementary students that receive daily instruction, including special education will increase from 90.13%.
- Measure 1.2: The percentage of online learning secondary students that receive daily instruction, including special education will increase from 92.78%.
The superintendent shall not make decisions without prioritizing physical health, safety, and mental well-being of students and their families and staff.
- Measure 2.1: The percentage of staff trained in district adopted COVID-19 protocols and practices will increase from 50% on June 16, 2020 to 100% on October 5, 2020.
- Measure 2.2: The percentage of district allotted personal protective equipment made available to campuses will increase from 0% to 100% by October 5, 2020.
- Measure 2.3: Family and student participation in weekly social emotional learning lessons will increase.
The superintendent shall not reduce transparency and communication regarding the impact of strategic initiatives on student learning.
- Measure 3.1: The number of House Bill 3/Lone Star Governance recommended progress monitoring reports (4 times per year per goal) will increase from 0 to 4 by July 27, 2021.
- Measure 3.2 Parent Portal: The percentage of parent portal accounts based on enrollment will increase from 47.8%.
- Measure 3.3 Let’s Talk: The stakeholder engagement average feedback score will increase. In the Let’s Talk platform, the feedback score is a measure of customer satisfaction or overall experience.
The superintendent shall not operate without actively monitoring and working to eliminate the loss of instructional time.
- Measure 4.1: The African American female student out-of-school suspensions and enrollment percentage gap will decrease from 6.98%.
- Measure 4.2: The African American student out-of-school suspensions and enrollment percentage gap will decrease from 27.73%.
- Measure 4.3: The Hispanic student percentage of total district out-of-school suspensions will decrease from 43%.
The superintendent shall not operate without examining the enrollment process and data annually to ensure no inequitable impact on students of color.
- Measure 5.1: The student retention rate for students of color will decrease from 2.4%.
- Measure 5.2: The percentage of students of color enrolled in early college high school and pathways in technology programs will increase from 86.7% for the 2019-2020 school year.
- Measure 5.3: The percentage of students of color enrolled in schools of choice and programs of choice will increase from 85.2% for the 2019-2020 school year.
Student outcome goals
As of the 2022-23 school year, Fort Worth ISD didn’t meet the district’s early literacy or early math goals but did increase the percentage of students graduating college, career and military ready to 59% in 2021-22. Here are the district’s goals set in 2020:
Goal 1: Early literacy
Increase the percentage of third grade students who score at meets grade level or above on STAAR reading from 34% to 47% by August 2024.
- Goal Progress Measure 1.1
- Increase the percentage of Pre-K students who score on track on circle phonological awareness from 80% to 85% by June 2024.
- Goal Progress Measure 1.2
- Increase the percentage of kindergarten to third grade students who meet or exceed grade level expectations on key MAP fluency indicators from 39% to 49% by June 2024.
- Goal Progress Measure 1.3
- Increase the percentage of kindergarten through third grade students who meet or exceed projected growth on MAP growth reading.
Goal 2: Early math
Increase the percentage of third grade students who score at meets grade level or above on STAAR mathematics from 34% to 45% by August 2024.
- Goal Progress Measure 2.1
- Increase the percent of Pre-K and kindergarten students that score on track on circle math from 83% to 88% by June 2024.
- Goal Progress Measure 2.2
- Increase the percent of first grade to third grade students who meet or exceed projected growth on MAP growth from 61% to 71% by June 2024.
- Goal Progress Measure 2.3
- Increase the percent of kindergarten students who meet or exceed projected growth on MAP growth.
Goal 3: College, career and military readiness
Increase the percentage of students graduating with a CCMR indicator from 43% to 48% by August 2024.
- Goal Progress Measure 3.1
- Increase the percentage of 12th grade students who meet the criteria for CCMR from 33% to 38% by August 2024.
- Goal Progress Measure 3.2
- Increase the percentage of first-time ninth graders on-track toward graduation from 75% to 80% by June 2024.
- Goal Progress Measure 3.3
- Increase the percentage of students successfully completing Algebra I at approaches level or above by the end of 9th grade from 83% to 85% by June 2024.
- Goal Progress Measure 3.4
- Increase the percentage of graduates who meet the SAT or ACT criteria for CCMR from 22% to 27% by August 2024.
Source: Fort Worth ISD
Kuhl and Leadership ISD said the district could hit goals at a higher rate by setting more informed goal progress measures and consistently monitoring them. District board members have agreed.
“It’s great to talk about a goal that we want to do this, but when that goal doesn’t have the strategies, tactics, programs and everything else you need to get it accomplished, all of a sudden you kick the can down the road,” trustee Kevin Lynch said during a 2023 forum.
Setting the right goals — and hitting them — can also boost state funding for the district, according to Leadership ISD. Districts are eligible to receive up to $5,000 for a student who meets career readiness standards.
Yet, transparency may be the most important part of setting informed, realistic goals and constraints, Kuhl said.
“We want to create conditions where there’s trust between the community and the district so that we can come together to find solutions,” Kuhl said.
Discussion must be at the forefront, he said.
That way, trustees can build goals allowing them to hold the administration accountable, according to Leadership ISD.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @MatthewSgroi1 on X. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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