PETITION TO THE HAMSHIRE-FANNETT ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Request for Reconsideration and Rescission of the Current Bluebonnet Curriculum Implementation

To the Hamshire-Fannett ISD Board of Trustees:

We, the undersigned parents, guardians, educators, students, and community members of Hamshire-Fannett ISD, respectfully ask the Board of Trustees to formally reconsider the district's current implementation of the Bluebonnet instructional curriculum and to place the matter on a future Board meeting agenda for discussion and possible action.

We recognize that the Board previously voted to adopt and purchase Bluebonnet instructional materials. We also recognize that the purpose of that decision was to provide students and teachers with high-quality instructional resources.

Our concern is not that HFISD is attempting to provide a rigorous education. Our concern is whether the current pace and manner of implementation are serving our students effectively.

Our concerns include:
1. The pace of implementation

We are concerned that the pace at which the curriculum is being implemented does not allow sufficient time for students to master concepts before the class moves forward.

A curriculum can be academically rigorous while still requiring appropriate pacing, reteaching, reinforcement, and opportunities for students to demonstrate mastery.

We are asking the district to consider whether the current implementation schedule is allowing students who need additional instruction to actually receive it before they are assessed on subsequent material.

2. The structure of graded assignments

We are particularly concerned about graded assignments that contain only approximately 6–8 questions.

When an assignment contains a very small number of questions, each individual question represents a substantial percentage of the student's grade.

For example:

• On a 6-question assignment, missing 1 question results in approximately 83%.
• Missing 2 questions results in approximately 67%.
• On an 8-question assignment, missing 1 question results in 87.5%.
• Missing 2 questions results in 75%.

We are concerned that this grading structure can cause a student's grade to fall dramatically based on only one or two missed questions, even when the student may demonstrate substantial understanding of the overall concept.

Our concern is not about lowering academic expectations. It is about ensuring that grades accurately communicate a student's level of mastery rather than disproportionately reflecting performance on a very small number of questions.

3. Student mastery versus moving through the curriculum

We believe students should have meaningful opportunities to learn, practice, receive feedback, correct misunderstandings, and demonstrate mastery before being expected to move on to increasingly complex material.

We are concerned that students who do not master a concept quickly may accumulate gaps as the curriculum continues to progress.

4. Parent concerns about student frustration

Parents are hearing and observing concerns regarding the difficulty, pace, workload, and grading structure associated with the current implementation.

We believe these concerns deserve meaningful consideration by the Board rather than being dismissed as individual disagreements with curriculum.

What we are asking the Board to do

We respectfully request that the Hamshire-Fannett ISD Board of Trustees:

1. Place the Bluebonnet curriculum and its current implementation on a future Board meeting agenda for formal discussion and possible action.
2. Reconsider the Board's prior adoption of Bluebonnet and consider rescinding the current adoption/implementation.
3. If the Board is not prepared to rescind the curriculum at this time, conduct a formal review of the current implementation, including pacing, assessment practices, assignment structure, student performance data, and parent/teacher feedback.
4. Provide parents and community members with information regarding how the district is measuring whether the implementation is producing the intended academic results.
5. Consider whether a slower, phased, modified, or alternative instructional approach would better support student mastery and academic success.
6. Consider utilizing the applicable Texas Education Agency Local Classroom Review process to independently evaluate whether classroom instructional materials and assignments are aligned with the required grade-level rigor.

We are not asking the Board to lower standards.

We are asking the Board to make sure that the method used to reach those standards is actually helping our children succeed.

We respectfully request that the Board listen to the experiences of the families it serves and formally reconsider whether the current Bluebonnet implementation is the best fit for Hamshire-Fannett ISD students.