Clotilde Gamez

Director

(956) 473-1863

clotildeg@uisd.net

School Improvement

The mission of the School Improvement Department is to serve as a liaison to campuses in the school improvement process. Through the use of Academic Coaches in specific content areas and grade levels, support is given to campuses in need of intervention. These teachers provide small group instruction to students and collaborative teacher mentoring to staff in the identified campuses. The School Improvement Department in collaboration with the Curriculum and Instruction Department serves as a resource and mentor to administrators and campuses that engage in the Effective Schools Framework (ESF). The ESF representatives meet with campus principals three times a year to review the ESF process for those campuses undergoing the process due to missing standards in Domain 3. Additionally, this department implements its locally developed accountability system through the incorporation of a tiered system of support for our campuses. This support consists of scheduled meetings with Tier II and Tier III campuses that facilitate a campus team, together with a Turnaround Leader to look at data and conduct classroom observations which provide a successful partnership between the campus in need of support and the instructional department. Additionally, this department monitors the implementation of the Response to Intervention process through the creation of a District RtI Committee. 
The School Improvement department oversees the following:

• The summer school program
• The district Academic Coaches at the following campuses for:  Science at Kennedy-Zapata & Bonnie Garcia Elementary, for math at Centeno & Salinas Elementary, for Reading at United South & Clark Middle schools, for ELAR at Henry Cuellar, Juarez-Lincoln, Salinas and Arndt Elementary Schools, and Early Literacy will be at Juarez-Lincoln and Gutierrez Elementary Schools.
• District Improvement Plan and Campus Improvement Plans
• RtI budget allocations to all campuses
• Comprehensive, Targeted and Additional Targeted Campuses and Intervention Required Campuses

This department works collaboratively with our Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Instructional Executive Directors, Directors, and Instructional Coordinators to accelerate student achievement with an emphasis on special populations/targeted students.

The department's focus is to provide a systemic and sustainable approach to school improvement efforts. Through our collaborative efforts, we plan to overcome the present day challenges and ensure that our campuses meet both federal and state standards. Together, we continue to improve the learning achievement of our students and prepare them to become college and/or career ready graduates.