Mansfield ISD scored above the state average on the STAAR tests and end of course exams in every subject and grade in 2015. Mansfield ISD strives for success and will continue to. Ms. Erin Frye, Academic Associate Principal supports Mansfield ISD’s drive to improve.
“We’re always looking at ‘how do we push farther,’” Ms. Frye said. “Even if we were sitting near perfect scores we would try to figure out how to get better.”
Last year teachers changed their classrooms to focus on the specific needs of the students. Across the district, students started taking Common Assessments, baseline tests that show how their progress. Teachers then analyzed the data to figure out what they needed to focus on in class and with specific students.
“When you laser your focus, it brings things to light and make you see things in a different way,” Ms. Frye said.
Using the data and feedback, teachers can then see what their classes as a whole needs to do to improve and then base their lesson plans based on the data. The tests also show holes in what the students understand allowing teachers to be more aware of what students need to work on individually, causing them to get more personal in their way of teaching and ultimately preparing the students for the EOC tests.
“I’ve seen the teachers try new things and things that are more involved,” Ms. Frye said.
English II teacher Ms. Lisbeth Bennett along with other English teachers have been able to focus more on the needs of students because of her team of English I and English II teachers. They meet making sure they have the same idea and mindset, in terms of what they’re teaching. Using each other, they bounce ideas off of each other and figure out ways to use their class time effectively, farther preparing students for the EOC tests.
“It is this type of environment I try to foster, and it takes time because teachers have to take time to know one another before they take risks together,” Ms. Bennett said. “The result is we become better teachers, and we develop thoughtful activities and guide our students together.”
Specifically, Ms. Bennett has focused on her students reading skills, making sure they learned to do all the processes that would help them on the test. In her class, she lays down a strong foundation of knowledge that they could build on the rest of the year. With those techniques, her class got the highest grades on their common based assessments(CBA) in the entire district, then leading to the EOC results.
“Our kiddos felt good,” Ms. Bennett said. “We felt good to see our hard work paying off.”
The past few years, Legacy and MISD have implemented new technology to help improve student learning. Students have used iPads for a few years, but teachers are still learning new ways to efficiently work on them.
“We’re trying to get better at things that were in place before,” Ms. Frye said.
Teachers have been getting better at using platforms such as Google Drive, Google Calendar, and iTunes U in using them as learning tools. Using these platforms, teachers learned how to efficiently communicate more information, creating more time for learning in class.
“We are constantly in a state of refinement,” Ms. Frye said.
Mansfield ISD has been consistently improving for the past few years though more efficient technology use, common assessments and an increased focus on student achievement. The past few years, the STAAR scores have had an upward trend. This year had the same pattern.
“Ultimately we don’t plan to give up,” Ms.Bennett said. “Not now. Not ever. Because if we stop moving, we lose. We’re Legacy teachers; we preserve, just like our kids.”
