Examining the literacy challenge at Fort Worth ISD: Behind the grade, inside two schools
Almost two months ago, the Board of Trustees passed a strategic reading plan to help boost academic progress. However, the work toward literacy was happening in the classroom before the plan.
CBS News Texas went into two FWISD elementary schools to find the story behind the literacy challenge: Edward J. Briscoe and Alice Contreras Elementary schools. The facilities are within fifteen minutes of each other.
"We call ourselves, for a very long time, the wonderful world of Briscoe," Devona Burgess said.
Burgess is the principal at Briscoe. She said her school has successes in reading, the school's culture, classroom learning, and excellence.
"It's a culture of excellence here. And so that's why we say we're the best. It's not to be arrogant. It's to describe our core values," she said.
The internal victories may be hard to see, primarily if you focus on the outcome of their STAAR tests. The Texas Education Agency released results showing an "F" for the school for the past two years.
But the release doesn't give the complexity of Burgess' challenge as a school leader. Her school population is less than 250 students.
Briscoe's student body is 74% African-American, 34% Emerging Bilingual, and 20% Hispanic. Burgess said they have identified 18 different languages on campus. The top five languages at Briscoe are English, Swahili, Arabic, Kinyarwanda (spoken in the Congo, Uganda, and Rwanda), and Spanish, all at a school not deemed a dual language institution.
"Our students are acquiring language. And so some students are able to read. However, it may not look like grade-level reading yet," Burgess said.
Less than 15 minutes away is Alice Contreras Elementary School. Amelia Cortes Rangel has been the school leader for seven years.
The school leader recalls arriving at Contreras with a "D" rating. She said they dug in hard and had tough conversations.
"When I shared the data with our teachers, I also showed pictures of kids. And I think that was a good turning point for all of us," Cortes Rangel said.
In 2022, the school rose to an "A" rating. Last year, students went from a C to a B at Contreras. Behind the data is a student body that's 94% Hispanic, 4% African-American, and 1% white. Some still have literacy issues.
"Why is a student struggling with reading? It's not as simple as, to me personally, like math. I can see, 'oh, it's a procedural right here,' right?" Cortes Rangel said. "Here, we have to look at different factors. Is it because they need more phonemic awareness? Is it that they're not listening, like rhyming? That's a key indicator, too, right? Is it fluency?"
The elementary schools have multiple internal metrics to measure students' progress even before they go into high-stakes testing.
"We use multiple data points to inform us to see the — look for trends, to see if this is just a fluke on that day, or is this student truly struggling with this specific concept," Burgess said. "We have dips — and then we have a lot of increases, especially in my third grade, which is a focus grade."
Cortes Rangel can identify with her students who are challenged by reading. She walked in the same shoes as a first-grader because her father allowed the school leader to drop out of kindergarten. A teacher, she said, made the difference.
"If she didn't pull me to small group to teach me how to read, to do everything, I may have continued going to second grade as a non-reader,' she said. "So, it makes me emotional to think that. So that is why we are here committed to make sure we have success stories for all of our students."
Cortes Rangel even bought the first book she learned to read, "Fue Carmelita." It's reflective of her family make-up, but it's the keepsake that keeps her motivated.
Burgess said her students will succeed. The determination to make it happen brought her to tears.
"Because I love this school. I love my kids. I love this place. And what I get to do, yes, it's difficult work, but it's worth it. It's worth it every day. It's worth it," Burgess said.
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