This chapter examines the equity and effectiveness of SISD's educational delivery system, including its regular and special education programs, in eight sections:SISD has many outstanding and innovative academic programs. These programs, however, face three significant challenges: the rapid growth of the district's student population; inadequate evaluation mechanisms for special educational programs; and SISD's lack of long-term strategic planning for instructional services.
- A. Student Performance
- B. Instructional Administration and Management
- C. Bilingual Education/English as a Second Language
- D. Special Education/Dyslexia
- E. Compensatory Education/Title I
- F. Career and Technology Education
- G. Gifted and Talented Education
- H. Alternative Education
CURRENT SITUATION
In 1996-97, SISD enrolled 20,115 students in 23 schools, including three high schools, five middle schools, one alternative school, and 15 elementary schools (Exhibit 2-1). The district has 2,353 permanent employees, of whom 1,301 (55 percent) are classroom teachers. Seventy-seven percent of these teachers hold a bachelor's degree; 21 percent have a master's degree; .6 percent hold a doctorate; and about 1 percent hold no degree. The remaining 1,052 district employees are auxiliary employees (61 percent), teacher aides (12 percent), field administrators (6 percent), central administrators (2 percent), and elementary/secondary counselors, librarians, and other support personnel (19 percent).
Exhibit 2-1 SISD Schools and Enrollment 1996-97 School Year
Source: PEIMS
School Level Enrollment Montwood High Socorro High Slider Middle Helen Ball Elementary Cooper Elementary Americas High Martinez Elementary Clarke Middle O'Shea Elementary Sanchez Middle Socorro Middle Sierra Vista Elementary Rojas Elementary Horizon Heights Elementary Vista del Sol Elementary Campestra Elementary Hilley Elementary Escontrias Elementary Escontrias Early Childhood Hueco Elementary KEYS Academy Alternative Montwood Middle NA Chavez Elementary NA
About 89 percent of SISD's students are Hispanic, 9 percent are Anglo, 1 percent are African-American, and about one-half percent are from other ethnic backgrounds (Exhibit 2-2).
Exhibit 2-2 SISD Ethnicity of Student Population 1996-97 School Year
Source: AEIS
Ethnicity Number Percent Hispanic 18,785 89.0 Anglo 1,953 9.3 African-American 251 1.2 Asian/Pacific Islander 81 0.4 Native American 28 0.1
For comparative purposes, the district identified seven "peer" districts with similar characteristics to SISD, including enrollment, demographic characteristics, and/or similar economic resources. The peer districts include the Edinburg, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo, Southwest (near San Antonio), United, Ysleta, Laredo, and El Paso school districts. (Although Ysleta and El Paso are significantly larger than SISD, they are in close geographic proximity and have similar student demographics.) The review also compared some SISD data to statewide and regional data.
Texas students who are eligible for free or reduced-price meal programs are considered to be "economically disadvantaged"; 70.4 percent of SISD's students fall in this category. This share is 22.3 percent higher than the state average, but falls in the middle of SISD's peer districts
(Exhibit 2-3).
Exhibit 2-3 Percent of Economically Disadvantaged Students SISD vs. Texas and Peer Districts 1996-97 School Year
Source: AEIS
District Percent Statewide 48.1 El Paso 67.2 Ysleta 68.1 United 70.1 Socorro 70.4 Southwest 74.0 Edinburg 86.2 Laredo 86.6 Pharr-San Juan-Alamo 87.0
FINDING
Several innovative SISD efforts to improve student performance contribute to the district's overall efficiency including year-round education (YRE), combination school programs, and vertical teams.
SISD has implemented YRE, which breaks the standard 175-day instructional year with shorter vacation periods spaced throughout the year, rather than the traditional long summer break. YRE is intended to maintain continuous learning throughout the year. "Multi-track" YRE refers to an administrative arrangement that divides the student population into groups, some of which are in school while others are on vacation, thus allowing for a more efficient use of limited classroom space. SISD uses a multi-track YRE system for its elementary and middle schools and a single-track YRE for its high schools.
While there are 61 school districts in Texas that provide some form of YRE, only two districts, Brownsville and Socorro, provide multi-track programs. Brownsville does not, however, provide YRE districtwide. According to a spokesperson from the Texas Education Agency, Socorro's YRE program is a flagship in Texas as it has been in operation longer and has operated more successfully and with less controversy than any other district in the state.
SISD has also adapted well to its dramatic increase in enrollment, which is expected to double again over the next 20 years. Two particularly innovative schools that opened in the summer of 1997 are Montwood Middle School and Chavez Elementary School. These schools are actually housed in one large building. Individuals submitting their applications for the principal positions of these two schools were required to develop a plan for the schools and present it to the recruitment committee. The principals who were eventually hired have a science, math, reading, and technology focus and call the combined middle and elementary schools the S.M.A.R.T (science, mathematics and reading, technology) Academy. By developing a plan prior to the opening of the schools, the principals stated that they were able to focus on the implementation of the plan's instructional strategies from the first day of classes.
Finally, SISD is moving to vertical alignment and vertical teams, a system that teams students and administrators from elementary and middle schools with their feeder high school to ensure that the curriculum is coherent from school to school and across grade levels.
COMMENDATION
SISD has applied innovative ideas to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its instructional programs.
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