Arlington, Texas – The Arlington Independent School District (AISD) school board voted unanimously on Thursday night to forward improvement plans for 26 schools to the Texas Education Agency. The district will carry out the plans while the agency monitors progress, aiming to raise academic performance to state and federal standards.

How the plans work

Texas requires districts to submit a formal academic performance intervention plan when a school fails to meet accountability standards. There are two types of state‑required plans:

• Targeted improvement plans – for schools in their first year of an unacceptable score.
• Turnaround plans – for schools with two or more consecutive years of unacceptable performance.

The type of plan a campus receives depends on how many years its performance has fallen below an acceptable level. AISD must approve each plan at the board level and send it to the agency by November 20 each year.

Scope of AISD’s current effort

In 2026 the district listed 19 schools entering their first year of a targeted improvement plan and seven schools entering the second year of a turnaround plan. Most of the plans are projected to conclude in 2028, provided the schools meet the required benchmarks. If a campus fails to meet those benchmarks, the process resets and a new plan will be required.

Key components of the plans

Shelly Osten, AISD’s executive director of elementary schools and school improvement, said the plans are designed to be cohesive and focused on student achievement. The district’s priorities include the rollout of new instructional materials such as Bluebonnet Learning math and HMH reading and language arts programs. Additional steps involve continued professional learning for teachers and data‑driven academic monitoring.

These plans also bring extra funding from state and federal grants to support additional staff, such as instructional coaches and specialists, to help schools meet their goals.

Priority monitoring and additional oversight

Beyond the state‑required plans, AISD runs its own district‑designed improvement plans that are updated annually. Some campuses are also placed under “priority monitoring,” meaning district staff conduct regular walk‑throughs and closely examine data to ensure academic gains.

Chief Schools Officer Bret Champion noted that two schools on the priority list do not have a state‑required plan. One of them, Bebensee Elementary, was flagged because a principal was not appointed until very late in the school year.

Examples of school‑specific actions

Rodriguez Junior High and Thornton Elementary each have separate campus improvement plans. Rodriguez’s plan addresses staff turnover, targeted professional learning for teachers and the addition of support staff on campus. Thornton’s plan places a larger emphasis on instruction itself, along with added support personnel.

What this means for families

Parents can expect to see new curricula, more frequent teacher development sessions and increased staffing aimed at boosting student outcomes. The district will share progress reports with the community as the plans move forward.

For further details, families are encouraged to attend upcoming board meetings or contact AISD’s school improvement office.

Original reporting: Fort Worth Report — read the source article.