Felix Tijerina Elementary School
PK-6
Claudia Gonzales, Principal
2011-2012
Continuous School Improvement Planning Goals
Houston Independent School District
Executive Summary
Information
At Tijerina Elementary, we follow a Mission: Excellence, as we set high expectations for
ourselves and for our students’ learning by providing lessons with high rigor,
engagement, and multiple opportunities for students to think critically and take risks in
their learning so that every child is given a chance to reach college and career
readiness.
Vision
In order to support the academic growth of all of our students, we must foster a
collaborative culture that clearly articulates student expectations, monitors student
learning, and has a planned response when students are not learning.
Values
We collaborate regularly to share best practices and resources to actively engage
students in the learning process for the purpose of improving student learning. We
encourage creativity and experimentation, respect individual learning styles, and
maintain an open-minded attitude.
We have a responsibility to provide high levels of learning for all students. In order to
fulfill this purpose, we must continue to seek opportunities for our personal and
professional growth to ensure that we have the best tools to provide an enriched
environment for our students.
We hold high expectations for all students as learners. We monitor student learning
by analyzing data from a variety of sources including standardized test results,
common assessments, student work samples, teacher observations, and parent
information. We respond to students who are not learning to their potential in a timely
and systematic manner.
Felix Tijerina Elementary School opened its arms and embraced the Central Park
community of southeast Houston in the fall of 1979. The school is located near the
cross streets of Harrisburg and Wayside. It is named for restaurateur Felix Tijerina who
founded the “Little School of 400” that taught Spanish speaking children English.
The Tijerina Elementary community has expanded to serving over 630 students. Our
largest school demographic subgroup is Hispanic comprising 99% of our student body.
Within the total school population, 56% of the students are English Language Learners,
8% are served in special education classes and 18% are gifted and talented.
Additionally, over 95% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The needs of
students are successfully served through our Developmental Bilingual Program,
Neighborhood Vanguard Program, Inclusion and Resource classes, and speech
Executive Summary 2011-2012
therapy. Additionally, over 95% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
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Feedback from the PTA: Parents that participate in adult education classes on
campus and the general community indicate a need for a variety of parent
engagement opportunities. They have acknowledged the improvement in building
interest within the parent community to encourage greater participation in their
child’s school and daily learning is important.
The SDMC committee is the main vehicle for school-wide decision-making that
includes academic program, budget, policy and event planning. The process for
introducing concerns or ideas is the submission of the Topic of Concern form to the
principal. Upon receipt, the principal invites the initiator to present the concern or to
allow the principal to speak on his behalf. Both the Tijerina staff and stakeholders
use this process as needed.
Comprehensive Needs Assessment
The 2011 Campus Accountability Tables and the student data provided by the
Elementary School Office are the sources for determining the school goals. The
percent of all students meeting standard on TAKS Reading (2011) was 84% with 29%
of all students achieving Commended Performance. For TAKS Math (2011), 84% of the
students met the Standard and 34% achieved a commended level of performance. In
Writing, 95% of the fourth grade students met the standard for Reading, and achieved
a 37% level for Commended Performance. 80%of the 5h grade students met the
standard, and 23% achieved Commended Performance. Out of 173 LEP students,
73% met the standard for Math and 44 students (25%) achieved a Commended Level
of Performance (same as economically disadvantaged). Fourth grade has the lowest
percentage of students meeting standards for Math with 51% of the students meeting
standards and 29% of them achieving a Commended Level of Performance. 95% of
the fourth graders met the standard for TAKS Writing with 37% Commended
Performance. In Science, 83% of the 5th graders met the standards with 23%
achieving Commended Performance. Finally, based on the Progress Indicator for
TELPAS-2011, 71% of our English Language Learners achieved the desired level of
required improvement for Reading Proficiency, according to TELPAS.
Inquiry Process and Analysis
The staff analyzed a preliminary analysis of TAKS achievement data with additional
work utilizing the problem solving cycle. Results of the initial analysis revealed a need
to set specific instructional routines in place for daily implementation. Additional
analysis is on-going and conducted through professional learning communities, the
Shared Decision-Making Committee, and administrative team planning.
Quality Design and Planning
Gaps have been identified most notably across Math with others in ESL, Reading and
Science (focusing on the Hispanic/Economically Disadvantaged Student Groups)
Three campus goals have been established for the 2011-2012 school year:
SMART Goal 1: Based on the 2010-2011 Math TAKS, the percent of All
Students who are Limited English Proficient (LEP) and Economically
Disadvantaged (ED) meeting Adequately Yearly Progress will increase
from 77% to 85% in grades 3-6. Specifically, 65% of the 87% (35 of
54 students) who did not meet the Math Texas Assessment of
Knowledge and Skills will meet standards on the new state
assessment, State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness
(STAAR) and on all district approved assessments.
Executive Summary 2011-2012
SMART Goal 2: Increase the percentage of students meeting or surpassing their
expected Reading Composite Level of Proficiency on TELPAS as indicated by
the English Language Learner (ELL) Progress Indicator Data. Specifically, for
the 2011-2012 school years, we will raise the percent met standard on TELPAS
from 71% to 80% for all students taking the TELPAS.
SMART Goal 3: Based on the 2010-2011 Stanford /Arena results, all students
taking Stanford/Arena will be at or above grade level in Reading with all
students showing 10% growth on the National NCE from previous results.
PLC meetings occur weekly on Thursdays during which teacher teams will
collaborate in lesson planning, data analysis discussions, and a focus on highyield learning strategies and best practices.
Documentation of design and planning are detailed in the Action Plan section of
the School Improvement Plan.
Continuous Improvement Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring and on-going evaluation will occur through the Staff Review Process and
following guidelines established by the New Teacher Appraisal and Development
System. Additionally, walkthroughs, observations, analysis of teacher evidence of
student learning, PLC weekly meetings, data review meetings to discuss district
benchmark results, observations and discussions around student work samples, RTI
process, and individual conferences will serve to monitor, reflect, and redesign systems
in place to ensure high levels of student academic achievement.
Executive Summary 2011-2012