RISD’s mission statement is: All Schools will be Exemplary. “Exemplary” in this bold statement means more than just state rankings. It refers to all extraordinary educational initiatives.
Texas is leading the nation in student gains, primarily because of TAAS. To be ranked “Exemplary” by the state, all students and all sub-populations at a school must score 90% on all sections of TAAS. To be ranked “Recognized,” all students must score 80%.
RISD is justifiably proud of the fact that 25 (47%) of our 53 schools are ranked “Exemplary” or “Recognized.”
But several years ago, we decided there was more to schooling than just TAAS. So we created two new awards, The Superintendent’s Medallion and The Board of Trustees Silver Cup.
The Superintendent’s Medallion rewards outstanding gains in student performance. We look at the Texas Learning Index (TLI), which has eight indicators of student growth and four indicators of content mastery. We want more than just good TAAS scores.
We’re asking the fundamental question: Are students really learning?
This year our two Superintendent’s Medallion secondary level winners are Parkhill and Richardson West junior highs. In the elementary division, four of the six winners are in the Lake Highlands area. They are Aikin, Northlake, White Rock and Lake Highlands Elementary, plus Forestridge and Brentfield elementaries.
The two categories of Trustees Silver Cup recognizes partnerships within the school community.
The “Community Outreach” Silver Cup honors schools reaching OUT to their community. Pearce High School won the Cup for a food drive that collected the most canned food (15,497 cans) ever donated to the North Texas Food Bank. Apollo Junior High and Berkner High School received Honorable Mention.
The “Community On-Campus” Silver Cup rewards community involvement INSIDE schools. Three schools won cups for their excellent programs: Mark Twain Elementary’s Koalaty Kids; MST Magnet’s business partnerships; and RISD Academy’s partnerships with many community organizations joining hands to serve their 95% English as a Second Language population.
Four of the six Honorable Mentions in this category went to Lake Highlands area schools, Northlake, Hamilton Park Pacesetter Magnet, Wallace and Skyview elementaries, plus Richardson Heights Elementary and Richardson High School.
Most of these schools serve communities with diverse student populations and these results prove ALL children are learning in RISD.
Our video entitled “One Moment in Time” recognizes these schools and is available for community meetings. Call 972-301-3333 for information.
If you’d like to volunteer, just call a nearby school and offer. You and RISD are the Lake Highlands village partnering to raise our children.
