TALKING POINTS
BY DR. JAMES M. LARGENT

I want you to know just a few of the things that our staff does "behind the scenes" to help our students succeed, and to let you know in advance that no matter what our TAKS scores say about us, I will be proud of our efforts this year.

I don't think I have ever seen a staff work as hard as our RISD staff. At all levels I have seen unbelievable effort. We focus on each child in a number of ways.

At the evaluation level, we track student progress on class assignments and benchmark tests to give us a picture of where each child excels or lacks progress. This enables principals and counselors to rearrange class schedules to allow teachers to focus on students with similar needs. In the business office, we ensure funds are available to provide the needed resources our principals and teachers need to reach our goals.

In the classrooms and labs, we have software programs that build individual learning paths to focus instruction on each child and their needs. This enables a classroom of 20 students to work on 20 separate assignments based on their progress. Our teaching staff is acutely aware of each child and their different levels. They structure class work and instruction to maximize the learning opportunities for all children. In addition, we provide an extensive after school program to offer children the opportunity for additional help, usually with a different instructor than their regular teacher. This variety in teachers is another way to try to reach children who may be struggling. We have also brought in different speakers and "adjunct" instructors to help in special areas of need.

I have seen more parent involvement this year than in the past. We have tried to contact parents through mail, email, or personal visits to keep them apprised of students' needs. I have received many compliments from parents for the service we provide and for staff members going above and beyond the call of duty. These are things I see every day, and even though they are not all covered by the media, we have many more positives going on in our schools than negatives.

I don't know what the future holds regarding TAKS tests and the accountability system. It is the topic of much debate and changes are probably on the way. We will play by the current rules of the game until they change.

Finally, my favorite saying is, "as a school superintendent, I get a little bit of credit for other's homeruns." I want the RISD staff, parents and community to know that we hit a homerun this year, and I appreciate your continued support.

If you have topics you would like me to discuss in upcoming columns, please e-mail me at james.largent@ruskisd. net. Or, I may be contacted via mail at 203 East 7th St., Rusk 75785.

Dr. Largent is Rusk ISD superintendent.