HOUSTON, Texas – Fleming Middle School, which is in its second year under the Houston Independent School District New Education System, took its end-of-the-semester exams before the Christmas break.
Students KPRC 2 spoke with said although they were a bit nervous about the test, they felt they were prepared for what was ahead.
KPRC 2 Digital Content Specialist Ninfa Saavedra, has been embedded inside Fleming Middle School for now the second year in a row, chronicling how students, teachers, and parents are navigating through the statewide takeover of the district and state-appointed superintendent Mike Mile’s New Education System.
To watch the Takeover documentary and stay updated on our Focus on Fleming coverage, check here:
With the results in hand, we asked Fleming Middle School Principal Devin Adams if the results were what he was expecting from the students.
“I have to say yes,” Adams said. “Even better than expected in some areas. So, I’m really excited to share them.”
The assessments, district-created final exams for subjects like math, reading, and science, were designed to evaluate students’ cumulative knowledge over the semester.
Adams explained that the exams were more comprehensive than usual, with 25 to 28 questions, compared to the typical 12 to 15.
“It wasn’t just for what they learned in the past three weeks or what they learned in the past six weeks, but what they learned over the entire semester,” he noted.
This approach aimed to prepare students for the rigor of standardized tests like the STAAR exam.
“No one was able to see the assessments ahead of time. So, it’s really just about ensuring that we were preparing the students to apply their learning to whatever they may see before them,” Adams added.
In discussing the results, Adams highlighted improvements in math proficiency, with 38% of students performing at grade level.
He acknowledged the challenges faced by seventh graders, who experienced a significant cognitive leap from second to third grade during the pandemic.
“Our seventh graders, who were our sixth graders last year, we just noticed a lot of things like computation is really difficult for them to perform,” he explained.
Despite these hurdles, Adams remains committed to pushing students to excel, even if it means stretching them with accelerated math programs.
“I have my top performers in an accelerated math class, so they’re being pulled out of their regular sixth-grade math data set,” he said.
While the school did not meet its goal of 50% proficiency in math, Adams is encouraged by the growth students have shown.
“My goal for proficiency across the campus is at least 50%. So we did not meet that 50% threshold for mathematics. But like I said, we’re looking at the growth that our students are doing,” he stated.
Adams believes that setting ambitious goals, even if not fully achieved, drives progress and earns students the recognition they deserve.
The school achieved a 59% proficiency rate in reading. Adams said that reading skills rebounded more quickly post-pandemic than math, a trend seen nationwide.
“I’m really proud of the work that my reading teachers and the initiative that supports reading have done to ensure that the students are applying their strategies,” he said.
The science department at Fleming Middle School also shined, with a standout team of teachers leading to impressive student performance.
“We have a rock star science teacher. Let me just tell you, I mean, we could put anything in front of them and they are going to knock it out of the park,” Adams praised.
Before the Christmas break, we spoke with Lyndsey Mason, a 6th-grade math teacher, who said that her approach is never about “teaching to the test” but rather focusing on long-term learning. She noted that this year is somewhat better after identifying several issues with last year’s curriculum.
Adams agreed, saying he too has noticed improvements over the previous year, crediting ongoing feedback and adjustments made by the district.
“I think that it’s an ongoing process for sure to ensure that every single lesson, every unit, they are improving what they’re providing us,” he said.
He added that principal training and advisory councils are also helping to shape effective instructional strategies.
Adams remains optimistic about the future, citing the school’s strong performance in student progress and growth metrics.
“When we put the 51 into the STARR accountability scaling tool, it spits out an 82. That’s a B in domain one,” he said.
This is growth for Fleming, which scored a D last year. So despite ongoing skepticism over NES, Adams said he believes it’s working for his campus.
“I do believe that the system is working for Fleming Middle School,” he said.
Adams said he is now focused on maintaining momentum.
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