Is your Arlington school under a state-required improvement plan? Here’s what that means

Arlington ISD is placing 26 schools under an improvement plan.

What does that mean for students? 

The school board unanimously voted Thursday night to send the plans to the Texas Education Agency. District staff will execute the improvement plans while the agency monitors progress.

Seven schools are in their second year of an academic turnaround plan.

Here’s what to know.

What are the plans?

Districts are required to submit a formal plan for academic performance intervention when a school fails to meet state or federal accountability standards.

Texas has two types: targeted improvement plans and turnaround plans. 

The plan depends on how many years a school’s performance was below an acceptable level. Targeted improvement plans are for schools in their first year of an unacceptable score. Turnaround plans are for schools with two or more consecutive years of unacceptable performance.

Districts outline the plans annually, then roll them out for academic improvements.

The plans must be approved by the district’s school board and sent to the agency by Nov. 20 every year.

What do the plans accomplish?

Arlington ISD’s plans look like a list of milestones or actions that will take place at impacted campuses.

Shelly Osten, AISD’s executive director of elementary schools and school improvement, said the plans are cohesive for student achievement. Differences exist as schools progress through their plan’s timeline.

Arlington ISD’s priorities begin with the introduction of new instructional materials such as Bluebonnet Learning math and HMH reading and language arts.

Next steps include continued professional learning for teachers and data-driven academic monitoring.

These types of plans also come with additional funding through state and federal grants for support staff.

What schools in Arlington are under these plans?

In 2026, the district submitted to the state a list of 19 schools that will be in their first year of an improvement plan.

Seven other schools are in their second year of plans.

What is the timeline for these plans?

The type of plan determines when it will end. Another factor: the school’s academic performance exceeds state and federal standards.

A majority of the campuses’ plans are slated to end in 2028, according to Arlington ISD board documents. 

If the campuses fall short, the process resets and new plans will be required.

What about other schools that need help?

Arlington ISD also places its schools under district-designed improvement plans that are updated annually.

Some schools in Arlington are also under priority monitoring, according to the district. Those schools are receiving regular walk-throughs from district staff, who are also looking closely at the data to ensure academic achievement is being increased, Chief Schools Officer Bret Champion said.

Many of those schools have state improvement plans, but two are being closely monitored for other reasons.

Champion told trustees in October that Bebensee Elementary, one of the schools on the priority list that does not have a state improvement plan, was selected because a principal was not selected “until very late.”

Two of the district’s failing schools, Rodriguez Junior High and Thornton Elementary, each saw separate campus improvement plans targeting weaknesses.

Rodriguez’s plan addresses staff turnover, targeted professional learning for teachers and additional support staff on campus. 

Thornton’s plan has a larger focus on instruction itself and additional support staff.

Chris Moss is a reporter for the Arlington Report. Contact him at [email protected].

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