Arlington ISD submits improvement plans for 26 campuses to state
The school board approved a slate of interventions including new curricula and increased funding, with the majority of plans scheduled to conclude by 2028.
By Jack Weber ·
The Arlington Independent School District board voted unanimously on Thursday to forward improvement plans for 26 schools to the Texas Education Agency. The district will execute these strategies while the state agency monitors progress. The board must submit these formal plans to the agency by November 20 each year.
Texas state law requires districts to intervene when schools fail to meet accountability standards. The type of plan depends on the duration of poor performance. Schools in their first year of an unacceptable score receive a targeted improvement plan. Schools that have had two or more consecutive years of below-average results are placed under a turnaround plan. In 2026, the district identified 19 schools for their first year of intervention and seven schools for their second year.
The approved plans outline specific milestones for affected campuses. Shelly Osten, the district’s executive director of elementary schools and school improvement, stated that the strategies are designed to be cohesive for student achievement. The plans vary slightly as schools move through different stages of the timeline. A primary focus is the introduction of new instructional materials, specifically Bluebonnet Learning for math and HMH for reading and language arts.
Beyond new textbooks, the district plans to continue professional learning for teachers. Staff will also use data to drive academic monitoring. These state-mandated interventions come with additional funding. State and federal grants will pay for support staff assigned to the campuses.
Board documents indicate that the majority of these campus plans are scheduled to end in 2028. The timeline can change if a school’s academic performance exceeds state and federal standards earlier. If a campus falls short of expectations, the process resets and the district must create a new plan. The district also maintains its own internal improvement plans for other schools. Some of these campuses are under priority monitoring rather than state mandates.
Bret Champion, the district’s Chief Schools Officer, explained that staff conduct regular walk-throughs at priority monitoring schools. These visits focus on close data analysis to ensure achievement is rising. Champion told trustees in October that Bebensee Elementary is on this priority list because a principal was not selected until very late. Two other campuses, Rodriguez Junior High and Thornton Elementary, have separate district-designed plans targeting specific weaknesses.
Rodriguez Junior High’s plan addresses staff turnover and includes targeted professional learning. It also provides for additional support staff on campus. Thornton Elementary’s plan focuses more heavily on instruction itself and also adds support staff. These internal plans are updated annually alongside the state-mandated documents.
