S-I-C Partnership Schools Exceed Student Growth Goals

SAN ANTONIO, June 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- School Innovation Collaborative (S-I-C), a network of in-district charter schools, saw significant increases in reading achievement and student growth during the 2021-20221 school year. Each of the four network campuses (Bowden Academy, Cameron Elementary, Gates Elementary, and Lamar Elementary) exceeded pre-pandemic academic achievement in reading and more than 80% of all students met their annual growth goals. .

According to TEA accountability data, campuses across Texas experienced 15% and 4% achievement drops in math and reading performance respectively during the pandemic. The S-I-C partnership with SAISD launched in 2019 with the goal of improving academic performance by empowering campus leadership with enhanced autonomy to meet community needs and keep students at the forefront. Three years into the partnership, these campuses have been able to achieve phenomenal results and close COVID learning loss gaps in many areas.

"The work of our teachers and campus leadership has been nothing short of heroic and should be seen as a historical achievement." said Executive Director, Doug Dawson, "Closing COVID learning loss gaps while overcoming unprecedented challenges requires a relentless commitment to our students and great deal of personal sacrifice."

Since the beginning of the pandemic, S-I-C campuses recognized the importance of ensuring all students had access to strong instruction and student support given the impact of being remote for a large part of the 2020-2021 school year. To make this happen, campuses set ambitious goals, implemented new curriculum, revised student supports, and continually monitored student progress. One Master Teacher at Lamar Elementary, Cindy Moneyhon, expressed how COVID required teachers to laser focus on the quality of instruction but also allowed teachers to get back to what they do best - "TEACH!".  The result was double digit increases to reading achievement with 81% of students meeting growth goals in reading and math.

"Our students and families have lost so much these past two years. Educators have always worked to be the equalizer in our communities, and it is imperative that we work to repair the loss so that each student is able to fulfill and access all opportunities ahead of them." said Master Teacher, Cindy Moneyhon, "As we closed out the year and had those two final weeks with students and families, the satisfaction in hearing our families express immense gratitude for all our work was so sweet and gratifying."

Entering the partnership, only one of the four campuses achieved the TEA accountability designation of A or B. S-I-C projects that all four campuses will now receive an A or B accountability rating from TEA.

Families and stakeholders interested in learning more about the S-I-C partnership campuses may contact S-I-C at 979-203-0616 or [email protected] for more information about campus offerings or a guided campus tour.

About School Innovation Collaborative (S-I-C)
Founded in 2019 by district leaders, School Innovation Collaborative is a nonprofit organization that partners with Texas districts to support district leaders in an effort to launch in-district charter networks focused on improving student outcomes.

SOURCE School Innovation Collaborative