Houston ISD to opt-out of state requirements for teachers, classes, calendars, and attendance
HOUSTON - The Houston ISD Board of Managers has approved a resolution to designate HISD as a District of Innovation.
According to Superintendent Mike Miles' office, the designation will allow the district to better adapt its education programs and schedules to meet the needs of students and families.
The office's agenda item also states this designation will allow HISD to compete for exceptional teaching talent and modify the academic calendar to ensure all students get the high-quality instruction time they need to read and write on grade level every academic year.
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The designation could also allow HISD to opt out of state requirements for teacher certifications, class instructions, school calendars, and attendance. There are currently over 960 school districts in the state of Texas with this designation, according to the Texas Education Agency website. Texas has over 1,000 traditional school districts.
TEA states the designation may not exceed five years.
"Now you want me to say "yay" to innovation," says community member Ann Eagleton. "I don't trust you to not check every box on the form and get yourself out of every Texas law that you possibly can."
The board also voted to approve a new teacher evaluation system for all educators in the district.
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Texas Teacher Evaluation & Support System (T-TESS) is a system designed by educators to support teachers in their professional growth, according to the TEA.
"T-TESS is a rigorous and comprehensive evaluation system that requires walkthrough and formal observations and prioritizes instruction and student performance in assessing teacher effectiveness," Superintendent Mike Miles writes in a proposal to the board. "While T-TESS does not include all the components of the new HISD evaluation system, it will allow us to ensure excellent instruction in every classroom."
"Teachers have never complained about being evaluated," says Houston Federation of Teachers President Jackie Anderson. "They only asked to be evaluated from an assessment that has been developed in a fair, in compliance with the law, and in consultation with SDMC's (Shared Decision-Making Committee) and teachers."
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Miles argued the change is necessary in order to assess and evaluate teachers immediately and inform parents about the quality of their child's classroom instruction.
HISD currently faces legal action from HFT over the recently approved Policy DNA, a new local appraisal system.
"The hollowed-out version of DNA approved by the board of managers does not contain any performance criteria, and it is unknown what the criteria will be for evaluating a teacher's performance," the HFT suit states.
A Harris County judge issued a temporary restraining order against the district's newly implemented evaluation system.
Per the TEA rules, there will now be a public hearing on whether the district should move forward with the DOI standard. It has to happen within 30 days of the Sept. 7 vote.