Texas Governor Greg Abbott Honors Premont ISD

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, in his 2019 State of the State address, highlighted the Premont Independent School District among five school districts in Texas that best prepare students for the demands of college and career. Abbott said in a message to the district, "I'm very proud of you for setting the example of what a good education program can be." Premont ISD has partnered with NIET since the 2014-15 school year.

Once facing shutdown, Premont ISD profoundly changed its trajectory by adopting a new system of professional learning in line with NIET's principles of effective educator training. The district embraced teacher leader roles, which allowed these "demonstration teachers," as they are called, to lead professional learning by testing concepts and strategies in the classroom before bringing them to the classroom teachers. This led to increased buy-in from faculty and began building the foundation of a collaborative culture in the district.

The district has shown dramatic increases in the percent of students scoring 'Approaches Grade Level or Above' in key tested areas on the STAAR state assessment, notching a "B" state rating for overall performance and an "A" for school progress in the 2017-18 school year.

"NIET and Premont ISD have formed a successful partnership that is paying dividends for Premont students," says Premont ISD Superintendent Steve VanMatre. "NIET has been a valuable player in helping the district build learning communities, promote rigor in the classroom and guide district leadership in high-quality instructional coaching. Premont ISD's success and recognition are a direct result of our partnership with NIET."