In most tested areas, LISD students performed at high levels very close to the 2019 scores. Additionally, in a few areas, LISD students fared better in 2021 than in 2019 pre-pandemic assessments (e.g. 3rd grade Math and Reading, 6th grade Reading, 8th grade Social Studies, and high school US History).
The District followed the general nationwide trend of seeing some signs of overall learning loss between its 2019 and 2021 results, likely due to the full absence from organized in-school learning for the last 90 days of the 2019 school year. However, compared to many other districts across the state, Lumberton ISD students performed at extremely high levels. Although STAAR is only one of many factors used to judge the success of a District, it is a steady indicator of student academic growth and it helps determine areas of focus for the coming year.
When asked how the District students performed so well on these assessments compared to Region 5 and the entire State, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Learning, Dr. Igor Gusyakov stated “This success is a collective effort of the whole district and every single employee. First and foremost, however, credit for our students’ high achievement goes to our teachers, their positive attitude, their willingness to adjust and adapt, their dedication to our students, and to the teaching profession as a whole. Despite all the challenges that came with the pandemic, as a District we managed to stay open all year to ensure uninterrupted high quality instruction, both face-to-face and online. Our curriculum coordinators, technology specialists, and directors ensured that our teachers received all the support and resources they could possibly need in order to efficiently teach and take care of the wellbeing of our students. We saw this challenge not as a setback, but as an opportunity to improve and to grow as professionals. As a result of this hard work, the negative impact of the 2020 Spring shutdown was minimized and our students demonstrated excellent results on standardized testing. We look forward to building upon this success next year to close the learning gaps that still may have occurred. In the end, however, it’s not about the scores, but about building an inclusive culture of excellence among our students and staff.”
The District followed the general nationwide trend of seeing some signs of overall learning loss between its 2019 and 2021 results, likely due to the full absence from organized in-school learning for the last 90 days of the 2019 school year. However, compared to many other districts across the state, Lumberton ISD students performed at extremely high levels. Although STAAR is only one of many factors used to judge the success of a District, it is a steady indicator of student academic growth and it helps determine areas of focus for the coming year.
When asked how the District students performed so well on these assessments compared to Region 5 and the entire State, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Learning, Dr. Igor Gusyakov stated “This success is a collective effort of the whole district and every single employee. First and foremost, however, credit for our students’ high achievement goes to our teachers, their positive attitude, their willingness to adjust and adapt, their dedication to our students, and to the teaching profession as a whole. Despite all the challenges that came with the pandemic, as a District we managed to stay open all year to ensure uninterrupted high quality instruction, both face-to-face and online. Our curriculum coordinators, technology specialists, and directors ensured that our teachers received all the support and resources they could possibly need in order to efficiently teach and take care of the wellbeing of our students. We saw this challenge not as a setback, but as an opportunity to improve and to grow as professionals. As a result of this hard work, the negative impact of the 2020 Spring shutdown was minimized and our students demonstrated excellent results on standardized testing. We look forward to building upon this success next year to close the learning gaps that still may have occurred. In the end, however, it’s not about the scores, but about building an inclusive culture of excellence among our students and staff.”
Lumberton ISD Superintendent. Dr. Tony Tipton, also cited the extraordinary and heroic work done by the teachers in the District as a driving factor in student success. “We have phenomenal teachers in LISD at every level. I think we’ve always known that, but these results emphasize the amazing work they did during the spring 2019 shutdown, and the 2020-21 school year that we all just endured” said Tipton. “Pulling off an unbelievably successful school year like we’ve just seen also took the collective effort of every District employee. I’m so proud of our entire district and the team we’ve put in place. It takes the combined efforts of every employee in every department to successfully accomplish the daily activities of a district our size. The community should be extremely proud of these results and of our kids for being able to focus on learning even during the most difficult school year in history. A special thanks goes out to our School Board for giving us the support and resources we need to serve our kids at a high level.”
As the district moves forward into the 2021-2022 school year, a plan has been put in place to address priority standards and close gaps that have occurred over the pandemic year. The District is also increasing its focus on developing Professional Learning Communities on each campus, increasing the Rigor, Relevance, and Learner Engagement in planned lessons, and ensuring the effective delivery of high-quality instruction to every student. We look forward to our students returning in August and are very optimistic about the upcoming school year. To view our scores by subject, please visit https://tinyurl.com/2x572ezk