Birdville ISD has adult education classes beginning Monday, Sept. 23.
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Category Archives: BISD
BISD implements additional security measures at elementary and middle schools
When students, staff and parents return to BISD’s elementary and middle schools on Monday, Aug. 26, they will have a new door intercom and access system waiting to greet them. In May, Birdville ISD’s board of trustees approved the installation of door intercom and access systems at the main entrance at each elementary and middle school campus. This new system allows these campuses to lock all external doors during the school day, thus restricting access into the building through one central location.
“As these systems are activated, I ask our students, staff and parents for their patience and cooperation,” Superintendent Dr. Darrell G. Brown said. “Though this system may seem inconvenient at first, it is important for our community to remember this change is another layer of security for our students and staff.”
In 2011, BISD began piloting this system at Green Valley Elementary School, The Academy at West Birdville and Richland Middle School. Because of the success of the pilot program, BISD is expanding the system to the following campuses:
· Birdville Elementary
· Binion Elementary
· Cheney Elementary
· Foster Village Elementary
· Francisco Elementary
· Hardeman Elementary
· Holiday Heights Elementary
· Mullendore Elementary
· North Ridge Elementary
· Porter Elementary
· Richland Elementary
· Smith Elementary
· Smithfield Elementary
· Snow Heights Elementary
· Spicer Elementary
· Stowe Elementary
· Academy at C.F. Thomas
· Walker Creek Elementary
· Watauga Elementary
· Haltom Middle
· North Oaks Middle
· North Richland Middle
· North Ridge Middle
· Smithfield Middle
· Watauga Middle
When visitors/parents visit any of these campuses, they must come to the designated front door, push a buzzer and wait for a response from the office. The office staff will use a video camera and intercom to see and speak to the person at the door before granting them access to the building. Once access is granted, the visitor must come directly to the office to check in and obtain a visitor’s badge.
“As a parent of students in BISD and a member of the board of trustees, I know the importance of making our schools a safe place to learn,” Board President Brad Greene said. “School safety is the top priority of the board and superintendent. We will continue to evaluate this and other safety measures and make adjustments as needed.”
Ten of the above campuses will begin using the new system when school begins. The remaining campuses will come online in September as installations are completed.
The BISD community is encouraged to partner with the district in helping keep our campuses safe.
Texas schools achieving Met Standard rating plus all academic distinctions
AUSTIN – Under the state accountability system, campuses in Texas that achieve the rating of Met Standard can also earn distinction designations in the following three areas:
- Top 25 Percent Student Progress
- Academic Achievement in Reading/English language arts
- Academic Achievement in Mathematics
Of the approximately 3,600 campuses across Texas that achieved the Met Standard rating under the state’s new accountability system and earned at least one designation, 759 schools earned designations in all three potential areas.
| Birdville ISD | Haltom Middle School |
| John D. Spicer Elementary School | |
| Green Valley Elementary School |
Birdville ISD earns highest rating under new state accountability standards
Today, the Texas Education Agency announced the 2013 district and school ratings under the new State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests. Birdville ISD and all 31 district campuses “met standard.” This is the highest rating possible this year.
“I am proud that the district and every campus ‘met standard’ under the state’s new and more rigorous testing system,” Superintendent Darrell Brown said. “This is a reflection of the hard work of the students and staff this past year. Congratulations to the students, staff and community.”
To receive a “met standard” rating, the district and high school campuses had to meet four applicable index targets. Elementary and middle schools had to meet the first three of these standards:
- Index 1) Student Achievement – Looks at performance across all subjects and all student groups at the satisfactory performance standard.
- Index 2) Student Progress – Looks at scores of 10 student groups, including ethnic groups, English language learners and special education students for reading, writing and math scores categorized as having met or exceeded progress standards.
- Index 3) Closing Performance Gaps – Includes scores of students who are economically disadvantaged and, as applicable, the campus’ or district’s two lowest performing ethnic groups from the year before.
- Index 4) Postsecondary Readiness – Examines graduation rates and rates of students graduating on Recommended and Distinguished/Advanced plans. (Applies only to high schools.)
Additional distinction designations were also awarded in 2013 to campuses in three areas: academic achievement in reading/ELA, academic achievement in mathematics, and top 25 percent in student progress. Distinctions are based on comparisons between individual schools and a 40-campus group with similar student demographics. Overall, 22 of the 31 BISD campuses received at least one distinction and three campuses received the maximum possible: Haltom Middle School and Spicer and Green Valley elementary schools. A total of 36 distinctions were awarded to campuses across the district.
Other academic highlights from 2013 include:
- BISD test scores exceeded the state average in every area of the STAAR grades 3-8 and end-of–course (EOC) exams, with the exception of one area. (Since seventh-grade math scores were reported differently by districts across the state, these scores were not included in our state comparisons.)
- Third-grade students exceeded the state average on the STAAR math test by five percentage points.
- Students taking the eighth-grade math test exceeded the state average on the STAAR math test by seven percentage points.
- Eighth-grade students exceeded the state average on the STAAR social studies test by five percentage points.
- BISD students scored seven percentage points above the state average on the Algebra 1 EOC exam.
- BISD students scored seven percentage points above the state average on the Reading 1 EOC exam and six percentage points above the state average on the Reading 2 EOC exam.
- BISD students scored seven percentage points above the state average on the Writing 1 EOC exam and eight percentage points above the state average on the Writing 2 EOC exam.
- Students scored six percentage points above the state average on the biology EOC exam and seven percentage points above the state average on the chemistry EOC exam.
- BISD students scored seven percentage points above the state average on the world geography EOC exam and nine percentage points above the state average on the world history EOC exam.
BISD Summer School Goes Online
VASE (Visual Art Scholastic Event)
Congratulations to BISD’s high school art students whose works advanced to the state art competition known as VASE (Visual Art Scholastic Event). Pictured left to right are: Back row – Ian Floyd, Birdville High teacher; Ashley Mandudi; Victoria Duvall; Hope Pederson; Katie Glenn; Kopawid Sarawichitr; Long Nguyen; Kelby Hendrickson; Yana Tarankov; and Kirsten Autrey, Haltom High School teacher. Middle row – Gina Tallent, Richland High School teacher; Alexis Nelson; Esther Ro; Rayah Abusalah; Phimvaly Sarawichitr; Patricia Moreno; and Michael Daniel, Haltom High School teacher. Front row – Amber Beranek, Haltom high School teacher; Shana Martin, Birdville High School teacher; Paris McDonald; Alexandra Cooke; and Robyn Jackson.