Victoria ISD Superintendent Sheila Collazo returned to Town Talk to discuss the recently released Texas Education Agency (TEA) ratings and ongoing initiatives aimed at promoting excellence as the district heads into a new school year.
“A lot of work happened over the course of summer to prepare [for the new school year],” Collazo said. “It’s been an amazing first couple of weeks, and we’re ready to go.”
The district’s TEA accountability ratings have experienced a significant turnaround, with 19 out of 22 campuses achieving a C rating or higher, up from just 10 the previous academic year. VISD campuses also earned a combined total of 25 Distinction designations, representing high achievement in a variety of focus areas.
Collazo attributes the turnaround to the district’s new “all hands on deck” approach, as well as a renewed focus on using data to identify areas for improvements.
“Every single individual who has responsibilities in whatever way with students will be working with students to make sure that we’re closing achievement gaps,” Collazo said. “We had instructional coaches who were in classrooms, we had specialists, we had central office staff who were all in campuses working hands-on with kids.”
Collazo also described how the district is working to improve college and career readiness, such as expanding access to Advanced Placement (AP) and dual-credit programs that allow students to earn college credit at little to no cost.
“If we want students to perform at that level, every student should be given that opportunity,” Collazo said.
Other topics included the new statewide ban on cell phones and the ongoing implementation of good citizenship training centered on the “10 VISD Values.”
To learn more, watch or listen to the latest episode of Town Talk on YouTube at Victoria Texas Videos or on Spotify at Town Talk (City of Victoria).