CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Corpus Christi American Federation of Teachers Union (CCAFT) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) are calling out CCISD following a report that showed students were falling behind on their academics.
On Thursday, Nancy Vera, CCAFT President, spoke during a press conference describing CCISD's tactics as "teaching our children like robots."
Earlier this month, district administrators were told student scores were short of the state average. Vera, a former educator, called the results are unacceptable. The district credited the low scores to campus personnel and the advisement of the Carnegie Foundation For the Advancement of Teaching, which is a program that outlines curriculum requirements.
"The CCISD top administrators did not take any responsibility or did not take the responsibility of being the ones who actually force teachers and force school personnel and campus personnel to implement this curriculum," Vera said.
However, Vera added the program did not leave room for student's individual needs or remediation.
“They would go into the classrooms in groups of three to ten people and look to see where the teachers had their curriculum," Vera described. "They would yell at teachers in front of the students. They would have temper tantrums if the teachers were not teaching what they were supposed to at any given time.”
Some of the district report showed students in grade 3-5 scored 2% below the state average in Math and Reading and Language arts. It also found a 16% gap for middle school students in Math. High school data showed freshman and sophomore students were behind the state average by 5% in English.
“Although there has been a lot of uncertainty at the state level for what is to come for accountability, we continue to ensure that our campuses are equipped to meet the diverse needs of all of our students," Yvonne Hein, CCISD'S Director for Blended Learning Programs and Support said.
In response, district board member, Don Clark asked, “Why did it take so long to identify those challenges and why couldn’t they get corrected throughout the year?”
District Superintendent Dr. Roland Hernandez responded by saying he isn't sure why.
"We don’t know why. A lot of times, we don’t even get to ask why. We just implement and do what we’re told. With that comes unintended consequences, there’s a lack of preparation," Hernandez said.
As a solution, CCISD mentioned they've implemented a new education consulting company called Education Elements. They're also adding more class time for students throughout the day to ensure the curriculum is retained.
CCISD issued this statement following Vera's press conference:
"Corpus Christi ISD has an unwavering commitment to working collaboratively with our teachers to provide high-quality instruction to all students. As we shared with the board during Monday’s meeting, our analysis of the 2023-2024 school year revealed areas of improvement we can and are making at the district level, including ensuring we provide exemplary professional development to our teachers. We are in regular contact with teachers to get their feedback, and we take pride in working side by side with our teachers for the benefit of all students."
District administrators also said they will continue to following research practices and help campus leadership teams to ensure quality instruction is happening every day.
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