Skip to main content

El Campo ISD

Home of the Fighting Ricebirds

The Ricebird Vision for Teaching & Learning

The Ricebird Vision for Teaching & Learning

Our vision is to significantly increase student achievement so that parents want their children in our schools, and other districts call us to learn how we prepare students to be college or career ready, as well as have a sense of duty, and servitude.

Listed under each educational role are district expectations, that when implemented fully will build instructional capacity for school staff and faculty members. There is access to documents and tools to aid in planning instruction using the content curriculum, building positive classroom culture, and writing assessments. Rubrics and resources are embedded to help staff understand the analysis of data and make strategic plans to implement action steps to address instructional adjustments and needed student support. These resources, planning tools, and district expectations will enable teachers to incorporate highly effective teaching strategies based on TEKS/STAAR standards while building capacity to monitor and maintain alignment between curriculum standards and classroom instruction, including the use of formative data.

  • Curriculum Expectations

    Instruction & Feedback

    • All teachers' instruction is constantly improving in its alignment to TEKS and instructional practices due to actionable, evidence-based feedback.

    • Utilize instructional decision points that include high yield researched-based instructional practices and 7 Steps to a Language-Rich Interactive Classroom to help students achieve the learning.

    • Collaborate with colleagues in Professional Learning Communities to review data, align instructional strategies to meet student needs, and improve learning. 

    • Teachers are encouraged to reflect and adjust instruction daily based on checks for understanding and student feedback, such as exit tickets or formative assessments.

    • Instructional coaches will provide reflective instructional feedback through coaching sessions.

    Data-Driven Instruction (DDI)

    • All teachers incorporate results from analysis of periodic common formative assessments and/or performance tasks to inform instruction and address student misconceptions and preconceptions.

    • Analyze 9-week assessments, which measure grade-level progress on the state standards, and be prepared to discuss results with principals and campus leaders.

    • Re-teach and adjust teaching practice based on the analysis of student progress against the standard.

    • To assist with monitoring student growth and effective instruction, students in grades K-10 will take the NWEA MAP Assessments three times a year.

    Culture of Safety & Development

    • All educators report feeling part of a safe, risk-taking environment where it is safe to try new things and get smarter at implementing the state standards.

    • Post Classroom/Teacher Expectations.

    • Communicate high expectations where all students develop and continuously improve through practice, feedback, reflection, and teacher interventions.

    • Smile and greet students at the door every day and every class period.

    • Communicate and foster a caring environment that promotes a growth mindset for both students and adults. 

    • Work to “Capture Kids’ Hearts.”

    • Contact and communicate with parents regularly, per campus expectations.

  • Curriculum Expectations

    • All teachers fully implement a high-quality, deeply rigorous, and fully aligned TEKS Resource System curriculum.

    • Follow and understand the depth of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and follow the TEKS Resource System Curriculum for the content area and teaching assignment.

    • Prior to the school year complete the content, Year-At-Glance to match the district calendar. 

    • Collaborate through the ECISD Professional Learning Community Handbook to develop common learning objectives, lesson plans, and interventions that result in improved student outcomes. 

    • Department and teams should be two weeks ahead when planning lessons. 

    • Designate reteach, remediation, and acceleration activities on the common lesson plan.

    • Incorporate student objectives and English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) in lesson and unit planning. 

  • Curriculum Expectations

    Instruction & Feedback

    • The entire campus leadership team will make daily time in classrooms a priority and will collect evidence and share feedback on teaching and learning.

    • Use Eduphoria to document walkthroughs as a vehicle for clearly articulating to teachers, evidence that instruction matches the rigor of the TEKS and that students are learning.

    • Engage in regularly scheduled walkthroughs with a focus on adhering to legal guidelines and making the general education curriculum accessible to all learners.  (ELL, Rti, BIP, IEP, GT, and At-Risk).

    • Use time assigned for faculty meetings as a learning time for teachers to focus on instruction. 

    • Provide support in teacher growth and development. 

    Data-Driven Instruction (DDI)

    • Develop and sustain a culture of data-driven assessments, analysis, and action to ensure improved student outcomes.

    • Use Eduphoria Aware to analyze common assessments and/or performance tasks that measure grade-level progress on TEKS and STAAR readiness.

    • Conduct ongoing data analysis that follows the ECISD Professional Learning Community Handbook. 

    • Monitor so that all teachers systematically re-teach, provide interventions, and adjust teaching practices based on analysis of student progress and state standards.

    Culture of Safety & Development

    • Set the tone so that all educators report feeling part of a safe, risk-taking environment where it is safe to try new things and get smarter at implementing the state standards.

    • Communicate expectations for all adults to develop and continuously improve through practice, feedback, and reflection.  Conduct annual campus needs assessments and progress evaluations. 

    • Constantly message and model a “kids first” culture and call out behavior and language which violate such a culture.

    • Constantly message and foster an environment in which professional growth is a process that involves a growth mindset for staff and students. 

    • Monitor that staff is “Capturing Kids’ Hearts” and greeting students at the door. 

    • Monitor that all teachers have clearly posted Classroom Expectations.

    • Set an expectation for teachers to contact and communicate with parents regularly.

  • Curriculum Expectations

    • ECISD curriculum is the TEKS Resource System curriculum.

    • Direct resources and supply materials necessary to implement a guaranteed and viable curriculum.

    • Provide high-quality professional development taking advantage of the instructional coaches, instructional videos, webinars, regional conferences, and Region 3 Education Service Center offerings. All teachers are well equipped to implement an aligned curriculum with quality and fidelity.

    • Hold principals accountable for effective implementation of fully aligned TEKS Resource System curriculum.

    Instruction & Feedback

    • Make weekly time with instructional leaders a priority spending time in classrooms and sharing with campus leaders.

    • Observe principal and Instructional Coaches' practice associated with instructional leadership and give evidence-based feedback to cultivate improvements in practice, including serving special populations.

    • Communicate bright spots and opportunities for growth to principals regularly and monitor progress toward goals.

    • Collaboratively plan high-quality professional learning experiences for principals and teaching faculty using resources, such as the Lead4ward webinars, instructional videos, book studies, and other researched-based resources.

    • Constantly message the importance of improving the quality of instruction aligned with the TEKS through the ECISD Professional Learning Community Hanbook. 

    Data-Driven Instruction (DDI)

    • Work with principals to ensure Pre-K- 10th-grade universal screeners are in place to measure students' growth, such as NWEA MAP Assessment and CLI Engage.

    • Hold principals accountable for establishing and monitoring and using the ECISD Professional Learning Community Framework to improve student outcomes. 

    • Support system-wide (campus to campus) sharing and learning on Data-Driven Instructional practices.

    Culture of Safety & Development

    • Communicate expectations for professional growth and development through practice, feedback, reflection, and coaching for all staff.

    • Work with parents, community, and the Board of Trustees to ensure policy and budget alignment support improved student outcomes. 

    • Provide evidence-based feedback to leaders and decision-makers in the work of creating a safe and growth mindset environment.

    • Constantly message and model a “kids first” culture.

    • Constantly message and foster an environment in which professional growth is a process that involves a growth mindset.

    • Transparently name and discuss challenges of changing the culture to one based on learning and growth mindset.

    • Provide training to assist staff with “Capturing Kid’s Hearts.”