WFISD presents update for Kirby Middle School

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - The Wichita Falls Independent School District held a school board meeting on Oct. 10, where they presented the 2023 testing scores for Kirby Middle School. Superintendent Dr. Donny Lee said Kirby has made progress, but much needs to be done.

The district has seen improvements in this year’s scores by implementing a support system for the middle school that played a significant part in its progress.

”If you give the students high expectations and you hold them accountable, then the students will rise to those expectations,” Dr. Lee said.

The scores presented were a confidence boost, giving Kirby much to be proud of and optimistic about. The school also made testing progress compared to last year, especially at the sixth and eighth-grade levels.

”We put some specialists down at Kirby last year that taught in the classroom,” Dr. Lee explained. However, the district aims to see advancements across the board.

Dr. Lee said they want to ensure all students are reading at grade level and that their math comprehension is where it should be, though the district wants to be transparent with its progress regarding Kirby Middle School and its goals.

Although the school has made improvements, the district is still in limbo as it awaits a rating from the state.

”We don’t know where that aligns to the A through F rating because those ratings have been postponed again by the Texas Education Agency,” Dr. Lee said.

Lee credits the school’s progress to the support of reading and math specialists who helped support the students.

Kirby is in its fifth year of I.R. status. Without improvement, the state could take over the school or even close the campus.

By the end of the semester, they will have a data overview. Dr. Lee added that students will benchmark every six weeks to detect the progress.

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