SOARING FORWARD

In Dr. Usamah Rodgers’ first year as superintendent of DeSoto ISD, the district highlighted successes in all three strands of the DeSoto ISD Triple-A Experience — academics, arts, and athletics. The district increased compensation for teachers by $6,500 per step and received the highest state academic achievement rating in recent years. Our high school recognized the district’s first-ever GRAMMY-award winning educator, and we won a state championship in football.

As the district prepares for the second year under her leadership, Rodgers is focused on raising the bar and soaring forward.

“We laid a solid foundation to set in motion a synergy of continual progress and improvement,” Rodgers said. “What will set us apart as we embark on a new academic year is our focus on data and alignment.

“As we go forward, DeSoto ISD will evolve dramatically as paced by milestones and progress measures designed down to the detail through project-based plans on specific initiatives and goals.”

Rodgers is clear that the core of the Triple-A Experience is rooted in ACADEMICS — that every scholar will have the tools, resources, and support to realize their full potential and close gaps to perform at or above grade level. With this in mind, the emphasis is on how the district supports and trains teachers and instructional staff to support academic rigor and success.

Chief Academic Officer Stephanie McCloud said, “As a former teacher and campus administrator, I understand the challenges our educators face in meeting the expectations of our district’s academic achievement goals, while also simultaneously working to meet the needs of our students.

“This is why the Teaching and Learning team is working collaboratively at every level to ensure curricular and instructional alignment and consistency, which will allow us to assess student performance, improving our ability to review student data and provide responsive instruction.”

Guided by an intent to dismantle barriers to organizational and student achievement, the plan for student achievement has specific goals and initiatives geared towards: z Culturally-relevant curriculum and curricular resources z Early childhood education z Equity and access z Social-emotional learning z Choice academic programming z Industry-based and partnered career and technical education z Mastery-focused personalized learning

“Like the goals set forth by the Board of Trustees, our goals for achievement are bold and ambitious,” McCloud said. “The children of DeSoto ISD cannot wait. They deserve our best. The collective work that has gone into revamping Teaching and Learning, the hundreds of hours of training, dialogue and feedback, have fueled our aspirations to revise our approaches to effectively serve children and families in our community.

“This is an opportunity to shape learners and future leaders over the course of a child’s educational journey and on into his or her career. This is huge, and I’m so deeply moved by the impact it will have.”