Board Bulletin: A breakdown of the latest Scorecard data

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Introducing the Board Bulletin! For those of you who may not consider Board of Trustees meetings appointment viewing, we're here to break down the actions of the board and keep you up-to-date on the district's progress toward key initiatives.

This week the board met for their monthly Information Session, which included three scorecard updates. But more on that in a bit…

Before we get into it, here's some quick explainers on what we're talking about:

• The Board of Trustees typically meet twice a month. The first meeting is a Board Information Session where administrators give updates on various topics, including academic progress and the budget. This is also an opportunity to get more information ahead of any votes.
• The second meeting is the Board Regular Voting Meeting where trustees take action on items, including real estate, any contracts or staffing changes.
• The scorecard is like the superintendent's report card - it's how the board will hold the administration accountable for improving student outcomes. The board sets goals of where we want to be in five years and the administration develops a plan for how we'll get there and the things we'll monitor and report on along the way to show we're on track.

Now let's get into the details. This week, the administration reviewed three Scorecard items:

• The first presentation covered our College, Career and Military Readiness goal:
  • For the 2024-25 school year, 39% of 11-12 grade students entered the year with one or more high school credits that would be eligible for college credit. Overall, 64% of Austin ISD high school students are enrolled in a college-credit eligible course.
  • Enrollment in college-credit courses is trending upward for all student groups, showing the positive impact of expanding access to advanced coursework.
  • The data showed three campus outliers - Crockett, Navarro and Northeast Early College High Schools - with historically underserved groups enrolled in college credit courses and the campus supports to help students thrive in them.
• The next Scorecard measure focused on Special Education Evaluations:
  • Special Education evaluations are key to identifying students who are suspected of having a disability and helping them receive the educational supports and services they need. Once eligible for special education services, students receive a reevaluation every three years.
  • As of December 20, 2024, the District has maintained compliance with zero past due initial evaluations since August. There are, however, 51 past due reevaluations.
  • At this time, Austin ISD is on track to meet the constraint progress measure 1.2 by December 2025.
• The last Scorecard item focused on advanced courses and the gifted and talented program:
  • For this Scorecard item, we're looking at the percentage of students who complete advanced course work. Administrators are also working to increase representation of African-American students identified as Gifted and Talented.
  • The vision is to close opportunity gaps and better prepare students for postsecondary success.
  • Baseline data for advanced coursework varies across student groups and campuses, so administrators will be developing a methodology to track progress as well as which campuses may need more support to reach the goal.
  • During this year's Gifted and Talented screening process, the number of African-American students in the screening process increased by 28% year over year.
• Finally, Trustees voted on a new slate of board officers. District 5 Trustee Lynn Boswell will serve as President, District 4 Trustee Kathryn Whitley Chu to serve as Vice President and District 6 Trustee Andrew Gonzales to serve as Secretary.

What's next: Stay tuned for our ongoing coverage after each board meeting. The next Regular Voting Meeting will be Thursday, Jan. 30. Check out our guidelines for directing public comments to the board.