Thanks to the hard work of both our teachers and students, Midway ISD showed great academic gains in the 2014-2015 school year. The advances in student achievement were so plentiful that nine out of our ten campuses received at least two Distinction Designations from the Texas Education Agency. Distinction Designations are awarded to campuses who perform in the top 25 percent of their peer campuses across the state. Spring Valley and Woodway schools lead the way at the elementary level earning all four of the possible Distinction Designations. South Bosque and Speegleville Elementary schools both earned three, and Hewitt Elementary school was honored with two. Midway ISD’s secondary campuses also had outstanding results. Midway High School and Woodgate Intermediate each earned four Distinction Designations, followed by River Valley Intermediate with three and Midway Middle School with two.
As a district, Midway ISD continued to outpace its peers across the state of Texas in every STAAR tested subject area. While test scores at the state level showed few gains, Midway ISD reported gains in Advanced Performance in 14 of the 17 tests from the previous year’s results. Midway’s STAAR results revealed several bright spots—some of the most noticeable were the gains at the Baylor (PDS) Professional Development Schools: Spring Valley Elementary and Midway Middle School. Both completed their inaugural year as PDS campuses, and the test results show that the PDS model undoubtedly benefits our students. In a PDS partnership model, university liaisons from Baylor’s School of Education along with jointly employed site coordinators work with Baylor preservice teacher candidates on Midway campuses. In collaboration with the school principal and school faculty, they work together to advance the education of children.
Midway High School, which has been a Professional Development School since 2009, not only increased the number of Distinction Designations earned, but was awarded the Postsecondary Readiness Distinction for performing exceptionally well on Advanced Placement, SAT and ACT Exams. This distinction also takes into consideration other factors such as dual credit course enrollment, Advanced Performance on End of Course Exams, and four year graduation rates. The most exciting aspect of earning this distinction is that it brings together the efforts of every campus within Midway ISD. Across the K-12 spectrum, Midway educators work purposefully to help each and every student prepare for success after they graduate from high school.
As we prepare for another exciting school year, Midway ISD wants our families to know that we remain committed to offering high quality, innovative, and personalized academic programs to maximize the potential of each and every child.
By: Dr. Brent Merritt, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction
