AssistantSuperintendent BoardReport

With funds provided through our Title III Grant, campuses have begun conducting targeted tutoring for Emergent Bilingual (Limited English Proficient) students after school or on Saturdays. Title III funds were allocated to campuses on a pro-rated basis based on the number of EB/LEP students on each campus. We appreciate the Board approving the pay rate of $35 per hour for teachers providing this specialized instructional intervention to this growing student population. We anticipate seeing positive growth results for these students on local and state assessments.

Principals and members of the C & I Department attended the Region 10 & 11 Assessment Conference at Region 10 on January 17th. We attended sessions on the Cambium testing platform, TEA updates, accountability, and strategies other districts use for organization and training.

PLC meetings continue to be data-driven. Teachers spent time analyzing MAP data and charting the growth of their students. Teachers also spent time reflecting on successes from the first semester, as well as determining what areas need a renewed focus as we begin the second semester.

On January 23rd, eleven members of the committee traveled to Richardson to attend the Region 10 Science Showcase at the Region 10 ESC. BISD Teachers and Administrators were able to visit with publishers, vendors, and other educational professionals to discover the latest textbooks, e-books, resources, and solutions for our Science instructional materials. The image to the side indicates the areas of focus the attendees were given to help them evaluate their experiences with the materials during the Showcase. We will use feedback from the attendees to help narrow down our selections for our next committee meeting. The Region 10 event is one part of the process to help the committee make informed choices about the future of Science instruction in Bonham ISD.

• TEC 39.306 requires that each district's board of trustees hold a public hearing to discuss the district's annual report within 90 days of receiving the PDF TAPR (Texas Academic Performance Report). BISD received the 2022-2023 PDF TAPR on December 15, 2023. (Winter breaks do not count toward the 90 days.) The hearing will be held at tonight's Board meeting.
• The PDF TAPR comprises the main part of the District's annual report, and it must be published in the same format as provided by TEA. The Public Hearing presentation explains the contents of the PDF TAPR and provides other required information for the District Annual Report.

TELPAS testing is quickly approaching. The TELPAS test was changed last year to include a writing section with the reading test. Before last year, teachers were required to collect writing samples from students, then a centralized rater would rate the samples. Now, the writing component will be scored using AI technology, along with human raters. TELPAS Online testing will start on February 20th, and continue until Spring Break.

Session 3 of the BISD New Teacher YOUniversity will be held on February 23rd. Session 3 focuses on topics such as TEKS-aligned assessments, effective data analysis, data-informed instructional planning, forming instructional and intervention groups, and reteaching concepts based on student mastery. Time will also be spent helping new instructional staff better understand school accountability guidelines.

Monday, March 20, 2024, is a Staff Development Day for BISD staff. All instructional staff will receive the annual STAAR Security and Confidentiality training that morning. The Science Curriculum Adoption Committee will meet in the afternoon for the next steps in the instructional materials decision-making process for our Science programs. The remainder of the day will be spent with campus administrators leading their staff in planning for “final push” activities to prepare our students for success on state and other key assessments.

On January 25th, TEA released the ESSA Consolidated Grant Final Entitlement Amounts. The chart to the left shows the final amounts allocated to Bonham ISD for Title I, II, III, and IV. TEA is not allowing districts to apply for their final entitlements at this time. To reduce the administrative burden, districts will instead be able to submit one amendment to apply for their final entitlements, carryover, and any reallocation amounts when they are announced in February. This new timeline for LEAs receiving and applying for final amounts and carryover is caused by the new federal requirement for a longer liquidation period on federal funds.

TEA will send a separate notification when districts can submit amendments to apply for final entitlements, carryover, and any reallocation amounts. TEA anticipates sending the notification regarding the availability of carryover and any reallocation amounts by the end of February. At that time, I will submit the grant amendment for Title I, II, and IV funds to be budgeted for salaries and Title III amounts to be budgeted for supplies.

Mrs. Farris and I worked with our Region 10 Federal Program Consultant to complete and submit the required ESSER Year 4 USDE Report by January 31, 2024. Because Bonham ISD is a member of the Region 10 SSA for ESSER III, the process of completing and submitting this report was much more manageable than would be otherwise. All ESSER I, ESSER II and ESSER III grants have been fully expended and we are in the final stages of wrapping up requirements for those COVID-era grants.