Growth from a C to an A on Texas Accountability Ratings: How Wayground Paved the Way for Sam Houston

When Midland ISD began its partnership with Third Future Schools—a nonprofit school known for rapidly improving underperforming campuses–Sam Houston Collegiate Prep Elementary faced a challenge familiar to many educators: how to close learning gaps quickly while igniting students’ potential. After seeing early signs of success in the first couple of years and an initial high of 89 on the state’s accountability ratings, scores dipped to 75 by the school’s third year. By year four, despite strong growth on NWEA MAP (Northwest Evaluation Association’s Measures of Academic Progress) testing, the STAAR rating (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) slid further to a 71.

That’s when Dr. Michael Garza, a proven turnaround leader from another Third Future campus, was tapped to drive the data back up and maintain its growth. “Part of my role was to drive the data backup based on our partnership,” Garza said. “Third Future had a reputation of just turning around schools, but our goal was to maintain that growth.”

Under his leadership, the school (non-magnet) moved from a C (71) to an A (91) on Texas’s accountability ratings — a transformation Principal Garza credits to the school's focus on data and strategic use of Wayground’s real-time analytics to target instruction.

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A Shift from Guesswork to Precision

The school's instructional model emphasizes data and embeds multiple response strategies into every lesson. “We do a lot of data checks throughout the day and every class,” said Dr. Garza.  

Fifth-grade science teacher and teacher leader Denise Sanchez used to rely on whiteboards and response cards to gauge understanding. While they provided some insight, the process was time-consuming, easy to miss trends, and nearly impossible to track over time. “You had to aggressively monitor students in the moment, and it was easy to miss things for certain students. You couldn’t capture the data and use it later to drive instruction,” Sanchez explained.

After implementing Wayground, real-time data changed the game. “I was able to use that data and treat my kids as chess pieces. I knew exactly where I needed to move kids based on every single standard that we were covering,” Sanchez said. 

At Third Future Schools, Garza explained, instruction follows a unique structure: 45 minutes of direct teaching, followed by a 10-minute “demonstration of learning.” Students performing at or above grade level move to a large team center for differentiated work, while those needing extra support receive a scaffolded lesson. Wayground’s data made this process more targeted by instantly showing which problems students missed, allowing teachers to differentiate with purpose. 

“When teachers started realizing what Miss Sanchez was doing now, math and science teachers jumped onto the wagon,” said Garza.

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Using Multiple Assessments to Drive Growth

Sam Houston’s challenge was compounded by the fact that students are measured by two very different assessments: the NWEA MAP and the Texas STAAR.  Sanchez described balancing the two assessments as “playing on two different teams,” needing to teach for STAAR while also driving NWEA growth. She cross-referenced NWEA’s learning continuum with STAAR TEKS standards and used Wayground to ensure students were mastering both.

The results spoke for themselves. Ninety percent of Sanchez’s students met or exceeded their grade-level targets on NWEA. STAAR results climbed steadily this past year as well. “We went from a low C to an A this year, and I think a lot of it had to do with really being able to hone in on every single student and figure out how to move them and where they needed the most help,” said Sanchez.

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Building a Culture of Ownership

Wayground’s impact extended beyond student scores, reshaping how teachers and leaders collaborated. “As an administrator, we often micromanage because we don’t know,” Garza said.  Wayground provides complete visibility while empowering teachers to take ownership.  “It allows my teachers to explain the why behind the data, ” said Garza.  

Sanchez began sharing her approach with colleagues, training them on how to organize and act on the platform’s data. “When other teachers started implementing it, we saw our results skyrocket,” said Sanchez. The school cultivated a consistent, data-driven culture across grades and subjects by empowering teachers to make informed decisions.

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Strategies for Replicating Success

For Garza, the takeaway is simple: “When you’re making an investment in a tool like Wayground, it has to be purposeful and intentional. It’s about equity and closing gaps now, because students won’t get this year back.”

The transformation at Sam Houston Elementary shows that rapid academic gains are possible with the right supplemental curriculum platform, a clear plan, and a culture of ownership.