Data-Driven Decisions Fuel Student Growth Across the District

As Georgetown ISD enters its third month of the school year, campus leaders across the district are taking intentional steps to use Beginning-of-Year (BOY) data to drive meaningful student growth in the year ahead. At a recent board workshop, trustees were given some insights into how data is collected and used to provide timely intervention and extension that results in student success.

Beginning-of-Year assessments are administered before core instruction actually takes place in order to serve as a baseline for instructional planning for the year ahead. Early results from this year's BOY data revealed notable gains compared to 2024–25, including an increase in the percentage of K–5 students starting the year on grade level in reading.

While early data shows gains, district leaders emphasize the importance of building on this momentum. 

“If we want to change outcomes, we need to accelerate the amount of growth,” said Chief Academic Officer Heather Petruzzini.

And that’s exactly what campuses are working to do.

Tippit Middle School Principal Jennifer Guidry shared how her campus is prioritizing data, teacher support and collaboration, and high-quality instruction to help move every student forward. 

Tippit’s BOY data indicated a strong start, putting the campus ahead of their projected targeted goal. While the projections are certainly worth celebrating, campus leadership emphasized a grounded approach moving forward, noting the absence of a writing component in BOY data.

“We were very excited about the projections, but also wanted to temper expectations,” Guidry said. “So, we set a realistic yet ambitious internal goal of an 81 rating.”

To inform instructional decisions, Guidry and her team grounded their planning around three big questions:

• What does this mean for the work students will do each day?

• What does this mean for teachers?

• In order to accomplish these goals, what do teachers need from our instructional leadership team? 

Campus leaders across the district are asking these same questions.

Student Expectations: Building Agency and Ownership
It’s not just the educators who work with data – students are involved in the process, too. Students are taking agency over their own learning by evaluating their data to understand their progress and determine areas for improvement.

Students engage in hands-on, real-world applied learning. Frequent discourse and peer-to-peer collaboration fuels a vibrant learning experience for students. 

“I Can” statements displayed in an elementary classroom

Students access an easy-to-understand “I Can” statement in every classroom to help them take ownership of their learning. District leaders will conduct regular campus walkthroughs where they will find these statements clearly displayed in every classroom.

Teacher Expectations: Meeting Students Where They Are
In order to provide appropriate support, teachers must identify where students are in their understanding of concepts. Using that information, teachers are able to appropriately intervene or extend learning opportunities to ensure all students are being appropriately challenged.

Guidry’s Example: The “Car Speed” Strategy

Using performance data, teachers at Tippit were tasked with grouping students into three different categories based on their instructional needs:

• Cruise Control - These students are getting appropriate supports, and the pace of instruction is meeting their needs.

• Slight Acceleration - The pace of instruction is working well, but it might be time to dial it up a notch. 

• Full Throttle - These students are excelling quickly, and it’s time to ramp it up.

During Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings, teachers work together to review each group of students and design aligned support strategies to build into learning across the campus. 

Instructional Leadership: Moving the Learning Forward
Collaboration with instructional leaders is key in sustaining growth and progress.

Instructional leaders will support frequent, intentional PLC time to ensure teachers have the space to share ideas, reflect on practice, and plan high-quality, data-informed instruction. This collaboration is crucial in bringing student growth to life.

What’s Next?

These assessments are administered three times a year. The district will conduct Middle-of-Year (MOY) assessments in January to measure growth since the BOY. The data will help empower educators to set students up for success and end the school year strong. 

Individual student outcomes are shared with parents to keep them informed and involved in their child’s progress. If you’re interested in learning more, you can view a full recording of the board workshop here. Skip to 47:25 for the BOY Data presentation.