Principal Ronald Jones
Hillcrest High School will present a major plan for restructuring its campus in an open meeting before Dallas ISD’s Board of Trustees 5 p.m. March 28.
The high school was asked to come up with a two-year Campus Improvement Plan (CIP) after being identified as a Stage 4, Year 1 campus, due to low math rates.
Dallas ISD spokeswoman Libby Daniels said schools could receive a Stage 4, Year 1 identification after consecutively failing to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (a accountability provision under the No Child Left Behind Act).
“We made it to Stage 4 because of math. It’s been our Achilles heel,” says Hillcrest principal Ronald Jones.
According to district data, the State’s standard is an 83 percent passing rate for math, which Hillcrest scored a 65 on in 2011 and 62 in 2012.
The restructuring plan involves “basically taking what we are already doing as a district and adding a little bit more to it. It didn’t make sense to me to go and do something that would be the antithesis of what the district is doing,” Jones said of his proposal.
A snapshot of Hillcrest’s plan of action includes:
-Working under the direct supervision of the Assistant Superintendent Aurora Lora.
-Working with an executive director who will monitor campus progress and make sure the district properly allocates its resources to the school.
-Working with a district MLEP (Multi-language Enrichment program) coach, math coach, science coach and reading coach that will work at the campus two days a week.
Jones says the plan will only kick in if the school doesn’t meet its standards for math come Spring. He adds that people wonder if he will still make necessary changes if the students don’t pass, and the answer is “yes.”
“You name it and we are doing it. We have plenty and many interventions for students in math. They run the gamut from tutoring before school, after school, on Wednesdays and a myriad of things,” Jones says.
Those interested in speaking at the meeting must contact Board Services at 972.925.3720 by March 27. The meeting will be held at the Administration Building on 3700 Ross Ave., in the Ada L. Williams Auditorium.
