All About ACE
News from the Spring ISD Advisory Committee on Education
2022-2023 Issue 6
Advisory Committee on Education Convened to Discuss Critical Topics
The district's Advisory Committee on Education (ACE) met on Wednesday, March 29, to discuss important agenda items, including an innovative idea to provide students with scholarship opportunities, the new Spring ISD chatbot ("Sunny"), and updates related to the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA). Dr. Lupita Hinojosa began the meeting by providing an overview of the agenda, reiterating the district's North Star Goal, and ensuring that the committee understood the Spring ISD Theory of Action. She continued by sharing that the word "Grace" was on her mind. She encouraged the ACE committee to give each other grace, as she knows that the entire district is committed to doing the right things for students. She continued to remind the ACE committee that Spring ISD has about 5,200 employees who are working every day to serve the around 34,200 students in the district. "What I know about all of us, is that we stay committed. We get up and go to our schools or offices every day to support the students and families here in Spring ISD," she said. Dr. Hinojosa continued by letting the ACE committee know that although she knows that employees are working hard each day, they are also human, have feelings, and sometimes make mistakes. She explained that when we make mistakes, we immediately try to address the mistake, as well as apologize for the mistake. This is where grace comes into play. She expressed to the committee that whether they are an employee on the campus, at central office, a parent, or a community member, that the employees of Spring ISD are committed and that mistakes are sometimes made. "Let's please give each other grace."
Dr. Hinojosa placed a slide on the screen that included words bunched together. The slide showed "opportunityisnowhere." She asked the committee if they saw "opportunity is no where," or "opportunity is now here." She continued by saying that sometimes we do self talk and everything is wrong, however, we need to do the self talk that is positive. "In anything that happens, there is always an opportunity to get it right and make it better," she said. "Sometimes the days are hard, but we don't give up, we don't throw mud on our own district, and we stick together." "We are Spring!" She encouraged the committee to focus on grace, because we all need a little of it during these times.
Scholarship Idea & "Sunny" the Chatbot
Ms. Michelle Balliet, Spring High School teacher, joined the ACE committee meeting to speak about her idea of a teacher-led scholarship for students. She expressed to the committee that she really bonded with her students around the time of the pandemic and saw some of the struggles students experienced. With the economically disadvantaged numbers growing in Spring ISD, Ms. Balliet wanted to gather an idea that would support students in need. Her idea was to create a program that allowed teachers to donate a portion of their paycheck, which would go towards student scholarships. Although the details are not 100% in place, a sub-committee has been developed and they will meet on a consistent basis to outline the approach and next steps.
Mr. Shane Strubhart, Chief of Communications, provided the ACE committee with an update on the new Spring ISD Chatbot. The goals for "Sunny," the new AI-generated component of "Let's Talk," are to instantly answer frequently asked questions, save administrators valuable time in answering questions, and to be customizable as the district provides more information to the tool. Spring ISD has been working to find all ways to communicate with staff, students and parents. He reminded the committee that Spring ISD transitioned from "Elevate" to the new "Let's Talk" system, as well as launched SISD Insider. The new chatbot feature is the new wave and yet another source of information that can be utilized by the Spring ISD community. Chief Strubhart was able to walk the committee through a few questions, as the new chatbot answered them. He made the committee aware that at this time, the chatbot knows about 50 questions, but the district is dedicated to growing that number quickly.
Teacher Incentive Allotment (State Funded Incentive Program)
Dr. Winn continued the presentation by explaining the TIA program eligibility and provided examples of teachers who would and would not be eligible. The following Spring ISD eligibility criteria was presented to the committee:
Teachers in a departmentalized setting who receive a STAAR Progress Measure for Math or Reading
Teachers in a self-contained setting who receive a STAAR Progress Measure for both Math and Reading
Teachers who receive a STAAR Progress Measure for Algebra I or English II
Teachers in a departmentalized setting who do not have a STAAR Progress Measure, but receive a Conditional Growth Index (CGI) measure through MAP for Math or Reading
Teachers in a self-contained setting and who do not have a STAAR Progress Measure, but receive a CGI measure through MAP for both Math and Reading
T-TESS rating of proficient or higher in Domains 2 and 3
Dr. Winn continued by presenting the TIA student and teacher data portion and informed the committee that the TIA awards for school year 2021-22 was based on the following two main metrics:
Student Growth
STAAR Progress Measure - % of students who met growth
Grades 4-8 Reading and Math, Algebra I and English II
Campus Accountability Subset
STAAR (min of 10 tests); STAAR Alternate 2 (min of 5 tests)
NWEA MAP - % of students who met growth (BOY to EOY)
Grade 3 Reading and English I
Grades K-3 Math
Domain 2 - Instruction
Domain 3 - Learning Environment
The ACE committee presented a series of questions, including the inclusion of 3rd grade teachers who do not teach math or reading, including social studies and science as a measure for STAAR grade level teachers, and the consideration of adding specific measures for PK teachers. Each question that was asked was written down and a FAQ was created that will be shared with each member of the ACE committee. Dr. Winn ended by letting the committee know that they are able to visit the Spring Rewards website and that feedback will continue to be taken through ACE meetings, as well as the meetings with the campus champions.
Make Your Voice Heard! Talk to Your ACE Representative
Every campus in the district has at least one ACE representative elected by the staff to serve in an advisory role to the Superintendent. Central office representatives are also elected to serve, as well as community members who are appointed by the Superintendent to serve on the ACE as another integral voice.
Over the next month, your ACE representatives will share meeting highlights such as those found in this newsletter as well as gather your input to bring to the next meeting. Be on the lookout for updates to be shared at your next faculty meeting (campuses) and or staff special call-meeting (district office). If you want to ensure your views are heard, reach out to your ACE representative. Click here to learn who represents you.
2022-2023 ACE Meeting Dates
Mark your calendar for the remaining ACE meetings of the 2022-2023 school year. Contact your representative and look for updates on key district decisions over the coming months.
The next ACE meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 26 @ 5:00 p.m.