HISD to Hold Parent-Community Forums on District’s Magnet Program

Today, the Board of Education of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) received an update on the logistics and timeline of the external review of the district’s magnet program. The program review, which will be conducted by Magnet Schools of America, falls under the district’s Strategic Direction core initiative of maintaining rigorous instructional standards and supports.

“We want this process to be thoughtful, transparent and involve parents and members of the community,” said Superintendent Terry Grier. “This review isn’t about choice or taking choices away from parents and students, it’s about ensuring that our magnet program is effective, equitable and efficient.”

Beginning in October, parent–community forums will be held throughout the district to gather input regarding HISD’s magnet program, including its vision, governance, procedures and practices, funding, quality, and the process and criteria by which magnet students are selected.
Parents, students, staff, and community members will also be able to give feedback on the HISD
website.

Also in October, consultants from Magnet Schools of America will visit each individual magnet school to tour its program and classes and meet with the principal, magnet coordinator and other staff members. Currently there are 113 magnet schools within the district—55 elementary, 31 middle, and 27 high schools. The magnet review process timeline currently calls for a preliminary and final report from Magnet Schools of America in December.

Board trustees at their meeting today also received an update on the district’s process and timeline for building a new teacher appraisal and development system. Beginning in late September and continuing through the middle of January, the District Advisory Committee (DAC) and members of each school’s Shared Decision Making Committee (SDMC) will meet to develop the criteria and appraisal process for the new system. The criteria will be the principles
by which teacher performance will be evaluated. The appraisal process will be the set of rules and procedures under which teachers will be evaluated, including assessment methods, the frequency and timeline for evaluation, and modes for feedback.

“There will be an extensive public comment period surrounding the criteria and appraisal process that comes out of the DAC and the SDMC meetings,” said Julie Baker, HISD’s Chief Major Projects Officer. “The comments and feedback from all of our stakeholders will be taken into consideration before the final plan is sent to the school board for approval in March of next year.”

Upon board approval, the new teacher appraisal and development system would not go into effect until the 2011-12 school year. The Houston Independent School District is the largest school district in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States with 298 schools and more than 200,000 students. The 301-square-mile district is one of the largest employers in the Houston metropolitan area with nearly 30,000 employees.

For more information, visit the HISD Web site at www.houstonisd.org.