The Vernon ISD instructional and curriculum goals address and support the VISD Board of Trustees goals. The Board of Trustees' goal, "Students’ academic performance, achievement level and social development will reflect excellence in learning and attainment of both high expectations and high standards" is addressed in campus and district improvement plans. Creating a learning environment in which every student will succeed academically, physically, emotionally and socially requires hard work and diligence as teachers address the needs of students pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. All campuses in the Vernon Independent School District are classified as Title One School-wide campuses. By definition of federal law this indicates the tenets of No Child Left Behind are implemented on each campus. Vernon ISD curriculum is updated as needed and aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and follows subject and grade level scope and sequences allowing objectives to be learned prior to the time students are held accountable for them on the state assessment, Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). Students are challenged to achieve at high levels as they participate in individual and groups assignments throughout the grades. Beginning at middle school students are given the opportunity to enroll in pre-AP courses to prepare for high school level Advanced Placement courses and college coursework. The choice to participate in these courses may lead to the acquisition of college hours prior to high school graduation.

Another VISD Board goal states, "VISD will recruit, develop, and retain a diverse and highly qualified staff that demonstrates creativity as well as critical thinking." Professional development for all staff is aligned to best practices and specifically designed for teachers to teach and students to learn grade level or course objectives and be able to demonstrate their learning on state and national assessments. Teachers are provided opportunities to collaborate at grade level, department, and vertical curriculum meetings to analyze data from student results on formative and summative assessments, discuss curriculum alignment and instructional strategies that lead to success for students. Analysis of benchmark results guide interventions and tutorial sessions for all grade levels.

Vernon Independent School District is committed to the development of a school system in which all students can learn in a safe and orderly climate and one which all stakeholders can be proud of. We will be an exemplary education community respecting and valuing students, parents, community members, and district employees. Our students will understand that responsibilities accompany the privileges of citizenship and will have the foundation to be successful in their chosen endeavors. VISD Mission Statement

The new assessment program, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), will assess the content standards at a greater depth and at a higher level of complexity than the current Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) program. The overall difficulty of the assessments will be increased as a result of including more rigorous items, and by setting performance expectations at a higher level. Examples of how the level of student performance required by STAAR will be elevated to achieve the goal of graduating students who are college and career ready include:

• Twelve end-of-course tests will replace the TAKS high school end-of-grade tests.

• In reading and mathematics, grades 3 through 8, the tests will be linked from grade to grade to the performance expectations for the Algebra II and English III end-of course assessments.

• In grades 5 and 8 science, there is increased focus on promoting readiness for high school science through an emphasis on content and skills in grades 3-5 and grades 6-8 that link to the high school science content standards for biology, chemistry, and physics.

• In grades 4 and 7 writing, students will be required to respond to two writing tasks (including first person essay and expository) rather than just one task.

• In most cases, the tests will contain more items to better measure student skills at all performance levels.

• Performance standards will be set using empirical data gathered from studies that link performance year-to-year from grades 3 through 8 to high school and college and career readiness.

• Empirical studies will inform standard setting through the comparison of student performance on the STAAR assessments with nationally administered assessments.

• Performance standards will be reviewed at least once every three years and, if necessary, adjusted to ensure the assessments maintain a high level of rigor.

The intent of the accountability development process is to design a new accountability system rather than modify the current system to align with the new provisions of House Bill 3. Every aspect of the accountability system will be reevaluated. The resulting accountability system will look very different from the current state accountability system.

The defining characteristic of the new accountability system will be the emphasis on college and career ready performance on the STAAR. The Recognized and Exemplary labels will emphasize higher levels of student performance rather than higher percentages of students performing at the proficient level.

The 2010-11 school year will be the last year under the current state accountability system. The rating system in 2011 will set the stage for the transition to a new accountability system for 2013 and beyond. Consistent with this new direction for state accountability, the 2011 accountability ratings will emphasize performance above the proficient level by requiring the evaluation of TAKS commended performance for the Recognized and Exemplary rating levels.