We will not have district-wide PD on the December 22 early release day. However, We prioritize continuous improvement in Duncanville ISD and our calendar reflects our commitment to investing in our teachers. Professional development days provide time for staff to learn new skills to implement in their classrooms, collaborate with others, and further develop their expertise.

We have the following digital resources available for primary grades: CLI Engage, ReadyRosie, SeeSaw, STEMscopes, Epic, Khan Academy Kids, Mathigon, Boddle,  Splashlearn. Discovery Education, HMH Into Reading Ed, Reading A-Z, and Social Studies Weekly

We definitely share your concern with the impact staff shortages are having on the district. It is our hope that our staff can feel the efforts that the district is making to combat the shortage. Low morale can be attributed to many things.  We hope that through the Stay Process that we are planning to implement, that we are able to find out more about what will boost the morale of our staff. We value the work of every individual in our organization.

OurK-5 teachers currently have access to Reading A-Z resources online, teachers can pull comprehension lessons that include reading passages with direct and explicit instruction on metacognitive skills. Reading A-Z has a library of leveled texts, graphic organizers, and a ton of other Teacher resources. Teachers also have access to the Science and Social Studies weekly platform, Science is available only digital while SS is available both digital and print. Both include articles that students read on a unit topic, and they have access to activities and assessments to go with the articles. 

Typically towards the end of the school year, district and campus leadership vet initiatives or programs to determine if we should start, stop or continue. Last year the district did discontinue several initiatives and programs such as IStation, and Achieve 3000, DRA in response to the request to reduce the number or modify the level of implementation. A similar process will take place this year with principals, Curriculum and Instruction staff and School Leadership input.  We will continue with this practice this year.

It is best practice for teachers to maintain records of their own data so that instruction can be modified and/or adjusted, and student goal setting is relevant and timely. 

However, to ensure we are monitoring student learning across the campus and district, student data is collected campus and district wide. Just as teachers make adjustments to instruction, campus leaders make adjustments based on overall campus needs and district level departments make adjustments based on district needs. 

In addition, we use data to highlight best practices and identify exemplars to ensure students have equitable access to high quality instruction. 

As it relates to over assessing our students, assessments serve three main purposes: 

1. Assessing for learning (formative)- which occurs during instructional time and allows the teacher to make timely instructional adjustments for students. - CAs
2. Assessing of learning (summative) - which occurs after all (unit) instruction has occurred… These types of assessments show how students are progressing towards the standard. As well as provides guidance for district level adjustments (DAs, STAAR)
3. Diagnostic - provides baseline data as it relates to skills, gaps, and deficits (MAP). 

All three types of assessments are valuable in improving student learning. In order for students to feel invested in their learning and accepting ownership. Formative assessments should be an integral part of instruction and should be integrated seamlessly. Students should not feel like they are being “assessed” as Formative assessments should be embedded into instructional activities.

Teacher calibration is welcomed and appreciated. As campus/teacher based activities are embedded into instruction, it is the expectation of the C&I Department for campuses to review and calibrate these activities prior to being embedded into instruction.

Currently, EL/LPAC Specialists are available to provide support and collaborate with teachers that have large class sizes on instructional demonstrations and considerations..

In classrooms where there are high amounts of students per class, additional instructional aide support should be in place at the campus.  If a teacher has concerns about the level of support, the campus principal would be able to assist with a plan regarding the concern.

The curriculum guides are created based on a scope and sequence developed from the TEKS Resource System.  Implementation of the YAG will ensure that all assessed standards are taught during the year.  As state assessments are redesigned and information is released from TEA, we are striving to include the most updated assessment methods and item types.

Some contents are being redesigned this year based on TEA changes.  This redesign at times has taken longer than anticipated to ensure the quality of the guides is at the highest level. This has caused the publication of some grade level guides to be delayed.  As a C and I team we are aware of this and are working to build systems to ensure this does not happen moving forward.

If a campus or teacher would like to add an instructional resource that can be used in addition to curricular materials, requests can be submitted to the district IMOC committee to review for use.

In order to ensure our students are prepared for State Assessments, we have moved all testing online. This allows students ample time to practice and become skilled at using the tools, typing, and the overall online testing environment. 

If your campus would like to print local assessments for your students to have in front of them while they complete the test online, this would be a campus based decision. However, the pacing will not be modified 

The district has taken several measures to address student attendance this year including the implementation of the RaaWee Truancy and Dropout Prevention system.  So far this year, we have had over 26,000 communication pieces including emails, letters, text messages, attendance contracts, and home visits to communicate with parents regarding their child’s attendance. Additionally, campuses have been provided some funds to help provide positive attendance incentives.In 2015, the Texas legislature removed the criminal offense of failure to attend school from the Texas Education Code. Instead, districts are expected to address student truancy by implementing prevention measures, identifying circumstances contributing to a student's unexcused absences, and taking specific action.

Without being sure of the specific initiatives being questioned, I am unable to provide direct guidance. Some initiatives could be required by the State, the District, and/or campus leadership. For District based initiatives, district and campus leaders collaborate together to discuss current initiatives/programs and whether we should start, stop, continue or keep for the upcoming school year.

Without being sure of the specific initiative(s) staff is asking about, some could be required by the State, district or campus leadership. Typically towards the end of the school year, district and campus leadership vet initiatives or programs to determine if we should start, stop or continue. Last year the district did discontinue several initiatives and programs such as IStation, and Achieve 3000, DRA in response to the request to reduce the number or modify the level of implementation. A similar process will take place this year with principals, Curriculum and Instruction staff and School Leadership input. 

Lesson planning templates are not a district initiative. Campus Principals determine which/what to include in lesson plans. Please share your concern with your campus administrator.
 

Our mission in Duncanville ISD is to engage, equip, and empower all scholars to achieve their unique potential. Instructional continuity is essential to student learning. It is the expectation that instruction occurs daily. Therefore, students will stay on pace and assess on schedule

Intermediate and Elementary campuses will be keeping the devices on campus until at least Winter Break. The principals will meet in January to decide on the take-home plan for the district for their campuses as we move into the future. For an iPad, the insurance covers theft and loss, which when combined with the warranty purchased by the district, relieves the parent of any financial accountability for the device.

Without knowing the specific information being shared, it is difficult to provide a guided response. However, I would suggest you share your concerns with your building leader and/or the Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, Erica Reyes

Bigbee - I don’t know of any plans to do more than is currently in place
 

We know that the classroom teacher is the single most important influence on the quality of learning.  Due to staff shortages nationwide, we have been given the opportunity to seek our other options to ensure that our students receive quality instruction. Courses that are selected to be virtual are based on the grade level of students and content.  This is also an opportunity for our students to experience learning in a different way that models learning they may choose to be a part of after high school. If a student is struggling in the virtual setting, we encourage them to speak with their counselor about other options for the course. Most of our courses that are offered virtually also have an in person option as well.

Assessments serve three main purposes: 

1. Assessing for learning (formative)- which occurs during instructional time and allows the teacher to make timely instructional adjustments for students. - CAs
2. Assessing of learning (summative) - which occurs after all (unit) instruction has occurred… These types of assessments show how students are progressing towards the standard. As well as provides guidance for district level adjustments (DAs, STAAR)\
3. Diagnostic - provides baseline data as it relates to skills, gaps, and deficits (MAP). 

All three types of assessments are valuable in improving student learning. In order for students to feel invested in their learning and accepting ownership, it is important for teachers to goal set with students, and provide timely and individual feedback (outside of a standard grade). The feedback helps students to know how they are progressing towards their goals.

The district will have several district wide events during the Spring semester to recruit talent for the district. Recruitment efforts occur year round through college and university job fairs, social media, and other marketing efforts. Due to the shortage nationwide, even with our best efforts, the district continues to be impacted. We will stay the course and continue to recruit whenever and wherever possible because our students deserve the very best.

For guidance and clarity please start with your campus' principal. 

This is a great idea and we will explore options to add district level vertical and horizontal alignment teams for teachers across the district

Duncanville HS has campus expectations, such as not allowing students to sleep in class. If this occurs, they would like to see teachers recognize the behavior by waking the student up. If the behavior is ignored, it will be addressed in the follow-up coaching and feedback meeting with the administrator. Assistant principals are empowering teachers by informing them that if a problem persists, they can refer the student to their grade level administrators. Campus wide teachers still have the autonomy to address this matter in their classroom. 
 

This would be a great conversation to have with your campus administration. As a district, we have not instated mandates for the amount of time/days PLCs should meet, data interpretation and/or data analysis. However, in order to focus on student achievement we know that all of these elements are essential to ensure we engage, equip, and empower all scholars to achieve their unique potential  

Duncanville ISD is committed to providing Equal Employment Opportunities. Although we strive to have staff that reflect our student population, we do not consider age, race, or ethnicity in our hiring process as required by law. We will continue to expand our recruitment efforts to bring more diversity to our applicant pool for all positions. 
 

The Loyalty stipend for employees that have been in the district for 15 or more years at the end of the 2021-2022 school year will be dispersed over monthly paychecks. It will not be provided in a separate check.

Contracts for all employees including Central Office staff are approved and signed in the spring of each year prior to the Board approving any increase for the following year.  Board approved increases are typically not approved until the summer (June or July) for school districts across the state of Texas.  
When an employee signs their contract for the following year, subsection 3 provides clarity regarding pay. 

The district is only required to pay the minimum salary for teachers as required by the state which is $33,660.  Duncanville ISD pays at least $23,340 above the state minimum. 
 

The pay scale for teachers in Duncanville ISD that is listed on our website goes to 30+ years of experience not 20.  Please view here. The midpoint of our teacher salary schedule is at the 15 year mark.  The teacher increase was based on this amount for the 2022-2023 school year.

Maintenance and the Police Department have been conducting in house door audits to ensure secured campuses. Partnered with Texas Crime Stoppers to allow students and staff to provide anonymous tips to the Police Department. Partnered with Local emergency services to develop active threat  training for all staff in the district. Police Officers actively check all campuses for presence and security. Security personnel have been placed in middle schools.  Additional Police Officer positions have been approved and we are in the process of looking to fill those vacant positions. Just like teaching, Police departments are not immune to the nationwide shortage. 
 

The purchase requisition for FitnessGram has been approved. I’m not sure which department was purchasing it. Curriculum and Instruction is purchasing the software for campuses this year.  Campuses will have it in time to administer the fitness training during the designated time window.
 

The Curriculum & Instruction Department, Human Resources Department, Students Services and Campus Support Department and Chief of Schools all collaborated to see how to best address teacher vacancies across the district with leveling classes to balance students. Currently, we are facing a nation-wide teacher shortage. The Human Resources Department is actively recruiting staff to fill vacancies across the district. The district is offering a $1000 stipend for each student that exceeds the 22:1 ratio for PK-4th grade teachers. Many teachers welcomed the students in their classroom to ensure that students did not miss out on high quality instruction. Campus principals and central office staff are offering additional support as needed as well. 

K-1 teachers completed the Texas Reading Academy last year and 2 and 3 grade teachers are completing  Texas Reading Academy this year. While in Texas Reading Academies, teachers have individualized coaching, targeted professional development, and access to foundational skills resources. 

Last year, we purchased Heggerty (a resource in both English and Spanish that provides students additional foundational skills lessons that are aligned to the Science of Teaching Reading) for K- 1 and this year, we provided Heggerty bridge for 2nd and 3rd grade teachers to ensure we are able to continue to focus on foundational skills 

In order to ensure students are exposed to language early on, Duncanville ISD expanded our offerings to Pre-K3. This allows us to capture students at the earliest age and lay the foundation for future grade levels.

We always welcome feedback on how to improve content conversations to best provide the teachers the support they need. Each content conversation session has a feedback survey that allows teachers to share their thoughts and needs for future training. We are already making adjustments for the November session based on feedback and suggestions.  We will share your request with our Content Coordinators as well. 
 

NWEA Map Fluency will be the resource we use for grades K-4. Secondary campuses will use Edgenuity/My Path
 

The loyalty stipend is only for employees who have 15 or more years experience in Duncanville ISD.  These stipends will be dispersed over the employee’s paychecks during the year. 

We are happy that you recognize the district’s efforts to ensure that pay is equitable and demonstrate our value for staff and being “ALL IN”.

Teaching is a calling.  There is no amount that we can pay teachers or support staff for the role they play in fulfilling the mission of Duncanville ISD. There are multiple ways that Duncanville ISD works to retain staff, however, what is valued by one staff member may not be valued by someone else.  At times, it seems that no matter the efforts of our great district, be it the one time incentives, Board approved raises, academic support staff, payments when the district was closed during the pandemic, additional leave days, district paid sick leave, matching local days to state days on an annual basis, etc.. for some we realize it will never be enough. We will continue to think of innovative ways to retain our staff and welcome your feedback and suggestions. Our students are worth it.  

In an effort to protect teachers’ time we have removed this option. It can become overwhelming to have the added responsibility of maintaining a teacher informational site which requires adherence to federal accessibility guidelines.

Achieve 3000 usage did not show implementation with fidelity district wide. When evaluating resources we review three areas: 

• Effectiveness
• Usage 
• Cost

When evaluating the usage, we are unable to justify renewing the contract while ensuring we are being responsible with taxpayers dollars