What happened: Midland ISD released its 2025–2026 District Improvement Plan. The plan details how the district will raise academic achievement, improve STAAR results and graduation readiness, and strengthen teacher quality.

Why it matters: The plan sets clear targets and strategies to close achievement gaps. The district is particularly focused on supporting emergent bilingual, special education, and economically disadvantaged students.

Go deeper: 

  • Goal 1: Improve STAAR performance and grade-level proficiency

    • Targeted growth: MISD aims for increases across all tested subjects and grade levels. Specific goals include raising 3rd-grade reading “Meets Grade Level” scores from 42% to 44%, increasing 5th-grade science from 27% to 30%, and boosting 8th-grade social studies from 17% to 35%.

    • Data-driven math support: Secondary math performance remains below state averages. To address this, the district will provide professional development and require math teachers to implement at least one new instructional strategy per quarter. Algebra I is a key focus area, with goals to raise “Meets Grade Level” scores from 31% to 35%.

    • Instructional strategies: To meet the targeted growth, the plan prioritizes stronger Tier 1 instruction through curriculum alignment and teacher coaching. Campuses will monitor performance using dashboards that break down STAAR results and subgroup trends. Struggling students will receive small-group instruction and early intervention through Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).

  • Goal 2: Improve accountability ratings

    • District target: More campuses earning a “B” or higher in Domain 1 (student achievement) under the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) A-F accountability system.

    • Leadership focus: To get there, principals will lead weekly instructional planning sessions. The district will provide planning tools, model lessons, and aligned assessments. Principal supervisors will also provide coaching to campus leaders.

  • Goal 3: Improve college, career, and military readiness (CCMR)

    • CCMR readiness goal: Increase the percentage of students graduating with CCMR from 91.8% to 100% by 2026. Individualized readiness plans will begin in 9th grade.

    • Readiness strategies: The district will embed SAT, ACT, ASVAB (a military qualification test), or industry-based certification (IBC) prep into classroom instruction. Students will also receive one-on-one coaching, workshops, and retesting opportunities. To increase IBC attainment from 17% to 35%, the district will train staff on CTE course alignment and improve scheduling support for credentialed pathways.

  • Goal 4: Improve teacher quality

    • Monitoring systems: To ensure students are taught by high-quality educators, the district will track teacher credentials, evaluation results, and instructional effectiveness in a centralized database, which will flag staffing gaps by campus and subject area.

    • Coaching and staffing: Principals will create teacher performance growth reports linking coaching frequency to student outcomes. The district will also expand partnerships with teacher preparation and certification programs known for producing effective educators.