AISD Superintendent Meria Carstarphen presented the administration鈥檚 Annual Academic and Facilities Recommendations, or AAFRs, for review and discussion by the Board of Trustees at the Dec. 5 Board Work Session. The following are summaries of the AAFRs:
- Establish a one-way Chinese dual language immersion program at Doss Elementary and two-way Spanish dual language immersion programs at Blanton, Casey, and Galindo elementary schools.
- Adopt the Learning Support Center Model for disciplinary programs and reduce referrals to off-campus Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs.
- Address overcrowding in north-central elementary schools in the 2012-13 school year by: eliminating the sixth grade at Barrington, Brown and Walnut Creek elementary schools; creating a Pre-K center at Dobie Middle School and moving pre-K programs at Graham and Hart to Dobie; making Webb a pre-K-8 school, and reassigning part of the Barrington attendance zone to Webb; and moving remaining Barrington Pre-K to Reilly.
- Establish an in-district charter agreement with Responsive Education Solutions to operate a graduation pathway program at Lanier and Travis high schools for students who have dropped out or are at risk of dropping out.
- Establish a K-12 college preparatory in-district charter program with IDEA Public Schools at Allan Elementary (K-5) and Eastside Memorial (6-12).
- Single-sex schools are no longer a proposed AAFR for 2012-2013 implementation. However, Board conversations will continue on this topic due to community outreach and surveys. The input the district has received to date, suggests that the development of single-sex middle schools--which will combine the attendance areas of James E. Pearce Preparatory Academy and Gus Garcia Middle School, would be a popular solution.