Board approves 2025–26 grading guidelines and expands K–2 reading reporting with AMIRA
July 26, 2025 | CASTLEBERRY ISD, School Districts, Texas
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The school board voted 4–0 to approve the district's grading guidelines for the 2025–26 school year and to adopt related reporting changes for kindergarten through second grade tied to the AMIRA reading assessment.
Why it matters: district leaders said the revised grading guidelines and standards‑based report cards will provide parents clearer, monthly, actionable reports about early literacy skills and link assessment data to teacher supports.
Dr. Richland, who presented the guidelines, described changes to K–2 standards‑based report cards to make them shorter and written in “parent‑friendly language,” and to align report card items with AMIRA output. “Using a mirror, student performance will be measured in the areas of decoding, phonological awareness, high frequency words, comprehension, vocabulary, fluency and overall reading mastery,” Dr. Richland said, describing the monthly parent‑facing AMIRA reports that will accompany the report card.
Dr. Richland said the district has been meeting with AMIRA and the Texas Education Agency to pilot ways AMIRA data could feed into teacher evaluation systems. “We are on the forefront of helping AMIRA and getting the approval through TEA of what that can look like,” Dr. Richland said, referring to meetings with a foundation, TEA and AMIRA. Board members asked whether neighboring districts used AMIRA; Dr. Richland replied that AMIRA is approved by TEA for accelerated instruction under recent legislation and is used by many districts.
The board approved the grading guidelines by motion; the recorded vote in the meeting shows the motion carried 4–0. District staff said teachers provided feedback on the draft and that further work on the standards‑based report cards would continue with teachers before final distribution. Staff also indicated fluency (words per minute) will be an added reporting element in the next year.
Materials the district will provide to parents include monthly AMIRA summaries and a sample standards‑based report card; staff indicated the district will continue teacher engagement as the report cards are finalized. The grading guidelines take effect for the coming school year.
Why it matters: district leaders said the revised grading guidelines and standards‑based report cards will provide parents clearer, monthly, actionable reports about early literacy skills and link assessment data to teacher supports.
Dr. Richland, who presented the guidelines, described changes to K–2 standards‑based report cards to make them shorter and written in “parent‑friendly language,” and to align report card items with AMIRA output. “Using a mirror, student performance will be measured in the areas of decoding, phonological awareness, high frequency words, comprehension, vocabulary, fluency and overall reading mastery,” Dr. Richland said, describing the monthly parent‑facing AMIRA reports that will accompany the report card.
Dr. Richland said the district has been meeting with AMIRA and the Texas Education Agency to pilot ways AMIRA data could feed into teacher evaluation systems. “We are on the forefront of helping AMIRA and getting the approval through TEA of what that can look like,” Dr. Richland said, referring to meetings with a foundation, TEA and AMIRA. Board members asked whether neighboring districts used AMIRA; Dr. Richland replied that AMIRA is approved by TEA for accelerated instruction under recent legislation and is used by many districts.
The board approved the grading guidelines by motion; the recorded vote in the meeting shows the motion carried 4–0. District staff said teachers provided feedback on the draft and that further work on the standards‑based report cards would continue with teachers before final distribution. Staff also indicated fluency (words per minute) will be an added reporting element in the next year.
Materials the district will provide to parents include monthly AMIRA summaries and a sample standards‑based report card; staff indicated the district will continue teacher engagement as the report cards are finalized. The grading guidelines take effect for the coming school year.
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