Mineola High School plans to try something different during upcoming standardized testing.

Principal Mike Sorenson asked the school board to approve a waiver from the Texas Education Agency that will allow the district to use distance learning for students who are not engaged in testing on particular days.

Sorenson explained that the 40% hybrid waiver will allow the district to have only those students from the grade being tested to report to campus while the students in other grades will have their lessons remotely.

That option is better than having them all gather in the gym.

Sorenson said that is basically a wasted academic day.

Once the item came before the school board last Monday, additional ideas were proposed, such as having students in need of volunteer hours to go to other campuses in the district on those days to offer their services.

Logistics on how to provide meals for students who depend on school food was also discussed. 

“It sets the testing kids up in the best possible environment for success,” Sorenson said.

“I wish we could have done this before,” Superintendent Cody Mize said.

Although the hybrid waiver was something that stemmed from the pandemic as schools jockeyed to educate students in-person and at home, its use for the testing days allows the school to get more out of the virtual set up.

The idea came from an area school district that reported it was used successfully.