Texarkana Independent School District has been named a District of Distinction by District Administration magazine.

Districts of Distinction is a national recognition program to honor school districts for established initiatives that are yielding quantifiable benefits and which can be replicated by other districts. Now in its second year, only 176 school districts across the country have been honored with this distinction.

TISD is one of 33 school districts to be honored during this awards cycle.  The awarded program is the TISD Model for STEM Professional Development that was launched upon the district undertaking of an extensive K12 STEM Program. TISD partnered with Texas A&M University – Texarkana to design a professional development model, training teachers and administrators in the design, delivery and monitoring of a rigorous research-based STEM curriculum.

STEM teachers are required to complete 90 hours of STEM-specific Professional Development delivered through two graduate-level TAMU-T classes. Courses are revised annually using student data, teacher feedback, walk-through observations and trends in STEM research.

The TISD Model for STEM Professional Development includes units such as STEM culture, project-based learning, instructional strategies, technology integration, assessment and leadership. To date, over 300 teachers have been trained.

“I am extremely pleased with this national recognition that features the TISD and TAMU-T partnership,” said Paul Norton, Superintendent of Schools. “The more we can partner with other educational entities to provide benefits for our students and staff, the better we are as a district and the better we become for our community.”

With this award designation, TISD’s program will be featured in the DA magazine, on the magazine’s website and in The District, a newsletter distributed to superintendent-members of the District Administration Leadership Institute.

More From Good Time Oldies 107.5