Fort Worth ISD’s state-appointed Board of Managers is pictured during a special meeting on April 14, 2026.
Samuel O’Neal
soneal@star-telegram.com
The Fort Worth ISD Board of Managers continued workshopping goals and guardrails on Tuesday night that will shape how the school district operates under the ongoing state intervention.
The goals and guardrails came forward after district leaders hosted more than 40 community listening sessions in recent months to garner feedback from families, teachers and other stakeholders. They were drafted by state-appointed district leaders during a special meeting on Sept. 26. District staff returned tweaked versions of those goals and guardrails back to the Board of Managers on Tuesday, and board members had lengthy discussion on how to — or whether to — combine the versions together. Each one has progress measures within them to help keep the goal and guardrail on track.
During the Tuesday meeting, several public speakers critiqued district staff’s changes to the original drafts of the goals and guardrails. Many community members specifically voiced discontent on the proposed guardrails of state-appointed Superintendent Peter Licata related to curriculum and teacher retention, saying the language would hold teachers accountable rather than Licata himself.
Overall, the board accepted the proposed versions of the goals by district staff but mainly reverted to its original language for the guardrails while incorporating edits throughout. Here are the latest versions of the goals and guardrails, which are expected to be finalized no later than Nov. 10. Changes are reflected in bold.
Goals
Early education literacy
Latest version: The percentage of students who score at meets grade level or above on the Grade 3 STAAR (or equivalent state assessment) reading assessment will increase from 42% in July 2026 to 62% in July 2031.Proposed goal: The percentage of students who score at meets grade level or above on the Grade 3 STAAR reading assessment will increase from 42% in July 2026 to 62% in July 2031.Original drafted goal: Student state assessment at the meets/exceeds performance level in third grade will increase at a rate of 5 percentage points per year for reading.
Early education math
Latest version: The percentage of students who score at meets grade level or above on the Grade 3 STAAR (or equivalent state assessment) mathematics assessment will increase from 40% in July 2026 to 62% in July 2031.Proposed goal: The percentage of students who score at meets grade level or above on the Grade 3 STAAR mathematics assessment will increase from 40% in July 2026 to 62% in July 2031.Original drafted goal: Student state assessment at the meets/exceeds performance level in third grade will increase at a rate of 5 percentage points per year for math.
College career and military readiness (No changes from proposed goal)
Latest version: The percentage of graduates who meet the criteria for CCMR Outcomes Bonuses will increase from 20% in November 2026 to 50% in November 2031.Proposed goal: The percentage of graduates who meet the criteria for CCMR Outcomes Bonuses will increase from 20% in November 2026 to 50% in November 2031.Original drafted goal: The percentage of graduates meeting college, career, and military readiness bonus criteria will increase from 19% to a percent to be determined.
Eighth grade reading and math with EOCs
Latest version: The percentage of students who score at meets grade level or above on the Grade 8 STAAR (or equivalent state assessment) reading and mathematics assessment (including EOCs) will increase from 35% in July 2026 to 55% in July 2031.Proposed goal: The percentage of students who score at meets grade level or above on the Grade 8 STAAR reading and mathematics assessment (including end-of-course tests) will increase from 35% in July 2026 to 55% in July 2031.Original drafted goal: By the end of the 2031 school year, the percentage of Fort Worth ISD eighth graders who meet/exceed grade level on all tested subjects will increase by at least 5%.
Goal five (no changes from proposed goal)
Latest version: The percentage of students who demonstrate effective communication, self-advocacy, and ownership of their learning will increase from XX% in [baseline year] to XX% by [target year], as measured by a research-aligned student agency and communication performance measure administered at defined grade levels.Proposed goal: The percentage of students who demonstrate effective communication, self-advocacy, and ownership of their learning will increase from XX% in [baseline year] to XX% by [target year], as measured by a research-aligned student agency and communication performance measure administered at defined grade levels.Original drafted goal: FWISD students are capable of effective communication and self-advocacy.Guardrails
Guardrail one (no changes from original drafted guardrail)
Latest version: The superintendent shall not make significant changes to or retain curriculum or instructional practices without a process for teachers to regularly review and provide feedback and without broadly communicating the rationale and evidence of the effect on the adopted student outcome goals.Proposed guardrail: The superintendent shall not allow ineffective instructional materials.Original drafted guardrail: The superintendent shall not make significant changes to or retain curriculum or instructional practices without a process for teachers to regularly review and provide feedback and without broadly communicating the rationale and evidence of the effect on the adopted student outcome goals.
Guardrail two
Latest version: The superintendent will not fail to take action to expand equitable access to advanced academics and non-academic programs and school choice opportunities for children of all demographic and socioeconomic groups or opportunities for schools to obtain earned autonomy.Proposed guardrail: The superintendent shall not allow inequitable access to high-quality instruction, programs, services, and opportunities for any student group.Original drafted guardrail: The superintendent will not diminish access to advanced academics programs, school of choice opportunities, or opportunities for schools to obtain earned autonomy for children of all demographic and socioeconomic groups.
Note: AJ Crabill, a school governance training coach, told district leaders the latest version is a directive instead of a guardrail. His team will address that before the next board meeting.
Guardrail three
Latest version: The superintendent will not operate without implementing a plan to recruit, retain, and support high-quality educators including opportunities to give input on decisions that affect their classrooms.Proposed guardrail: The superintendent shall not allow the number of ineffective teachers to increase or remain the same.Original drafted guardrail: The superintendent will not proceed without a plan to recruit and retain high-quality educators.
Note: AJ Crabill, a school governance training coach, told district leaders the latest version is a directive instead of a guardrail. His team will address that before the next board meeting.
Guardrail four
Latest version: The superintendent shall not allow discipline to be applied inconsistently across campuses or student groups.Proposed guardrail: The superintendent shall not allow an unsafe environment in schools or at school-related events.Original drafted guardrail: The superintendent will not allow discipline to be applied inconsistently across campuses or student groups.
Guardrail five (No changes from proposed guardrail)
Latest version: The superintendent shall not operate in a fiscally unsound manner.Proposed guardrail: The superintendent shall not operate in a fiscally unsound manner.Original drafted guardrail: The superintendent will not operate the district in a fiscally unsound manner.
Guardrail six (deleted)
Latest version: (None, this guardrail has been eliminated and combined with guardrail two).Proposed guardrail: The superintendent shall not diminish opportunities for all students to achieve at high levels through equitable access to advanced academics and programs of choice, while ensuring that greater school autonomy is earned through demonstrated student achievement.Original drafted guardrail: The superintendent will not diminish advanced academics programs and school of choice opportunities for children of all demographic and socioeconomic groups.A. The (superintendent) will not diminish access to advanced academics programs, school of choice opportunities, or opportunity for schools to obtain earned autonomy for children of all demographic and socioeconomic groups.
Editor’s note: Fort Worth ISD Board of Managers chair Pete Geren is the president and chief executive officer of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, which is a funder of the Star-Telegram’s Crossroads Lab. The Star-Telegram retains independence in all coverage decisions.
This story was originally published October 14, 2026 at 3:30 PM.
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Lina Ruiz covers early childhood education in Tarrant County and North Texas for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A University of Florida graduate, she previously wrote about local government in South Florida for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers.