Principal pledges to boost academics at Dean Middle School

Dean Middle School teachers and staff are committed to improving student achievement regardless of whether the Texas Education Agency grants an exception that would raise the campus' 2010 state accountability rating to "academically acceptable," Principal Chris Hecker said this week. The school's "academically unacceptable" rating lowered the overall ranking of Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District from "recognized" to "academically acceptable" in the state accountability system this year. CFISD is appealing the state rating for Dean, which is attributed to low scores by African-American students on the eighth-grade science portion of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. New fencing and security cameras have improved safety at the campus, and in 2009 a positive behavior intervention system was begun, he said.