SHEPHERD — The Shepherd ISD Board of Managers met Dec. 18 to talk about this year's STARR test reports and the strategic compensation plan for teachers.
Director of Teaching and Learning Tammie Hewitt briefed the board on the individual campuses’ fall benchmark data. This data is significant as it includes data for TEA Conservator reporting.
Hewitt states that students were assessed using the STARR tests from 2024, which will allow teachers to see where their students are and where they need to be for future testing.
“It gives us the opportunity to see; do we need to make adjustments to our pacing? Are there things kids already know that we don't need to spend the amount of time on? Or what is it that we know is highly tested that we need to really focus in on?” Hewitt said.
Hewitt said the next release is scheduled for the week before spring break, which will be the full release of the 2025 exam.
In a separate matter, Kriste Davis, the Regional Assistant Superintendent of Talent, provided the board with next steps to the school district’s compensation plan, which provides employees at Shepherd ISD wage and salary structures. In addition, the compensation plan aims to assist in hiring and retaining highly qualified employees through benefits and incentives.
“We are at a point where we are looking at data and playing with numbers, and I just heard how much we have in fund balance, and I feel really good about it,” Davis said.
Davis said Shepherd ISD is already doing the teacher incentive allotment and has high hopes to become an enhanced TIA district, which will benefit the district’s staff. In addition, Davis stresses that student outcome is the district’s main priority.
The next steps towards strategic compensation is communication, budget work, teacher coaching, principal priorities and scorecard development.
In other business, the board:
