TEA Commissioner Morath VISD

Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath will visit Victoria ISD campuses on Friday, September 16, as part of an innovation tour highlighting choice campuses in VISD.

Morath will visit two choice campuses in VISD, Smith STEM Academy and Victoria East High School Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH), highlighting VISD’s efforts in providing choice in path, pace, and place for students and staff. He will also hear about the successes of Shields Elementary, a personalized learning campus.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to share our stories of success at several of our choice campuses with Commissioner Morath,” said Superintendent Quintin Shepherd. “Within the VISD Leadership Definition, we are always working to connect to genius, grow in genius, and reach for genius. The tour was our opportunity to share what it means for us to ignite innovation as part of our reaching for genius strand.”

Choice in VISD was born from the District Strategic Plan developed by the community. VISD is committed to inspiring teaching and empowering learning.

VISD currently has nine choice campuses: Smith STEM Academy, STEM Middle School, personalized learning campuses Shields Elementary and Patti Welder Middle School, personalized learning and math innovation zone campus Hopkins Elementary, personalized learning and dual-language campus Crain Elementary, O’Connor ACE Elementary, and Victoria East and West High School P-TECH. 

“Our Choice School options allow families to select the school that best meets their child’s educational needs, wants, and dreams,” said Chief Innovation Officer Melissa Correll. In VISD, we believe there are no lesser paths, but there are different paths. Our choice schools have been very successful in providing unique learning experiences for students so that they can pursue their passions and genius.”

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) released the 2022 Accountability Ratings for Texas public schools; the first since 2019, O’Connor ACE Elementary School saw a 21-point increase, and Shields Elementary, a personalized learning campus, saw a 19-point increase.

For more information about VISD CHOICE campuses, visit www.visd.net/choiceschools