Harmony board approves targeted and local improvement plans to address special education gaps at several campuses

Harmony Public Schools' board on Dec. 13 approved a targeted improvement plan (TIP) for Harmony Science Academy Lav campus and local improvement plans (LIPs) for multiple campuses after district leaders described persistent underperformance in special education subgroups.

Area Superintendent Camil told the board that TEA identified the Lav campus for comprehensive support and improvement due primarily to domain 3 (closing the gaps) results; the district presented a diagnostic and a two-lever action plan focused on "strong leadership and planning" and "effective instruction." Ahmed Fidan, Lav campus principal, summarized the TIP milestones, stating the campus's submitted end-of-cycle target was 77 to move the campus toward a B rating.

District leaders and the director of strategic school improvement (Miss Rhyr) then presented local improvement plans for four campuses: Harmony Science Academy Brian (Houston North), Harmony School of Enrichment (Houston), HSA Grand Prairie and HSA Fort Worth. The plans were driven primarily by low performance in the special education subgroup (domain 3). Rhyr explained that some campuses were flagged not for low overall ratings but because their SPED subgroup scores trailed TEA cutoff rates and had been consistently low for three years.

Key targets and supports: Presenters gave numerical goals for subgroup growth (for example, Brian Academy's SPED reading goal was described as rising from about 17% to 26%; Grand Prairie reading for SPED from 15% to 23%; Fort Worth targets were similar) and said campuses are implementing weekly PLCs, lesson-internalization routines, observation-and-feedback coaching cycles, district-assigned coaches visiting campuses multiple times per week, dyslexia interventions ("Reading by Design") and additional after-school/Saturday tutorials for targeted students. "We use Reading by Design," an enrichment principal said when asked about dyslexia interventions.

Board discussion and vote: Board members questioned whether the percentage goals were achievable and whether data earlier in the year signaled the decline; presenters said interim assessments and NWA/STAR data showed warning signs and that district and campus intervention efforts had been ramped up. The board approved the TIP and the four LIPs in voice votes. Presenters said the LIPs were implemented Nov. 21 and will be monitored monthly (and more frequently for ATSI campuses, some on a bi-weekly cadence). If TEA selects an LIP for review, the district said it would submit documentation by April 7 as required.

Why it matters: The approved plans target students in special education subgroups who the district said lag on state assessments. The district framed the approvals as preventive actions to avoid escalation to TEA-mandated comprehensive turnarounds.