Monthly Archives: February 2012

HISD hosts Career and Technical Education College Fair

HISD’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department, in partnership with the College and Career Readiness Department, is hosting a Career and Technical Education (CTE) College Fair  at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th Street, 77092) from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m today.

Students and their parents can discuss career options with representatives from various two-year colleges and technical and vocational institutions. Information will be available on several fields of study including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Automotive Services
  • Computer Technology
  • Cosmetology
  • Health & Medical Services
  • Hotel & Restaurant Services
  • Law Enforcement
  • Manufacturing
  • Military
  • Technology
  • Welding

See who came out to the live STAAR information session

 More than 100 people crowded the main studio and two overflow areas  to learn more about the new state end-of-course examinations  at HISD’s live STAAR forum. Parents, students, educators and other members of the community engaged a panel of experts in a question and answer session covering a variety of issues related to STAAR.

Click through the photos below to see who came out to the event.

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Calls, emails pour in during live STAAR session at HISD-TV studio

The calls poured in as HISD hosted a live forum on the state’s new accountability test: STAAR. More than 100 people crowded the HISD-TV studio and two overflow areas to watch the forum, and viewers at home called in and emailed their questions throughout the show. More than 75 phone calls were received during the event.

Students in the live studio audience.

Host Denisse Cantu fielded questions from the live studio audience, callers, and email. A common theme emerged from the students who participated: “Why the change to STAAR?” (Answer: To measure students’ college readiness.)

“STAAR will prepare students for high school and beyond,” said Chief Middle Schools Officer Dallas Dance.

Other students and parents asked about preparations for STAAR. Some expressed concern about whether tutorials would be enough, and what the district was expecting  performance-wise in the first year of a new accountability system.

“It’s our expectation that you will do very well,” said Mark Shenker, director of the High Schools Office. He emphasized the Grad Labs, tutorials, after-school resources, and weekend sessions that continue to be available to students in HISD.

Several viewers called in to ask about the district’s plans for delaying the 15 percent requirement for high schoolers’ end-of-course exams. Based on the Texas Education Agency’s  move to defer the rule, HISD administration will recommend to the school board that the requirement be delayed a year.

A complete report of the questions and answers from this event will be posted here and on houstonisd.org in coming days. If you have a question about STAAR, please email STAAR@houstonisd.org.

Frost Elementary school celebrates milestones at dedication of new building

Houston Independent School District Board of Education trustees Larry Marshall and Paula Harris were on hand at the official dedicatory service of Frost Elementary School, built thanks to the $805 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2007.

“None of this could have occurred without the parents and community who voted for the bond program,” Trustee Marshall said as he commended the HISD facilities team for their hard work. “The support of this community has been integral for the success of this bond program to provide modern, healthy, technologically advanced campuses for the district’s students.”

The new school features science labs, a library, a computer lab and Smart Board technology in every classroom.

Click through the photos below to see scenes from the dedication ceremony and pictures of Frost Elementary School.

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HISD superintendent to highlight district accomplishments in State of the Schools Address

State of the Schools 2012

Nearly 2,000 community and business leaders, educators, and elected officials are expected to attend HISD’s State of the School luncheon on March 1 at the Hilton Americas Hotel.  Superintendent Terry Grier will address the many accomplishments and progress HISD has made made toward preparing students for college and future careers. Among the year’s highlights:

Although the luncheon is sold out, coverage of the event will be provided on the HISD News blog, HISD’s Twitter stream (@HoustonISD) and a live stream on abc13.com.

For more information, please click here to visit the Houston ISD website.

Take HISD’s online survey on proposed change to bell schedules

HISD has posted an online survey to gauge opinion on the possibility of adopting a new bus schedule that increases the average school’s class time by 19 minutes per day. Here is the link to the survey:

houstonisd.org/bellsurvey

Implementing uniform schedules across the Houston Independent School District’s 279 campuses would free up $1.2 million while giving students extra time in the classroom, according to a budget-cutting option presented to the HISD Board of Education on Feb. 23.

Continue reading →

Another opportunity to learn about STAAR: live forum Tuesday, Feb. 28, on HISD-TV

 HISD will be hosting a live STAAR forum (in English) for parents, students, and staff on Tuesday, Feb. 28, from 7 to 8 p.m. A panel of experts will answer questions from a studio audience and viewers at home.

Westside High School student Khadijah Ray promotes the Feb. 28 STAAR forum.

Viewers can watch it live on HISD-TV (Comcast, Ch. 18 and AT&T U-Verse, Ch. 99) or online at www.houstonisd.org/HISDTV. To submit questions, simply call 713-556-8901 or email STAAR@houstonisd.org.

You can also follow the forum and ask your questions via Twitter – follow @HoustonISD.

A similar forum will be held on March 6 for Spanish-speakers.

The show will air again at 10 p.m. on Feb. 28, and throughout the months of February and March on the following days and times:

  • Wednesdays at 10 a.m.
  • Thursdays at 8:30 p.m.
  • Saturdays at 2 p.m. 

To find out more about STAAR, click here or visit the HISD STAAR Q&A blog.

District saddles up, dusts off cowboy duds for ‘Go Texan Day’

Every year, HISD employees, students and their families dress up in western attire for Go Texan Day, the citywide celebration announcing the return of the  Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. This year saw a splash of color and definitive Houston style during the annual festivities.

 Click the photo below to see what aspiring cowboys and cowgirls wore at the Hattie Mae White Building , then send your Go Texan Day photos to us at hisdphotos@yahoo.com . Or check out the western gear on our Facebook page.

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Seven HISD students named as U.S. Presidential Scholar candidates

Seniors from Bellaire, Westside, and The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts make the cut

Seven HISD seniors have been selected as U.S. Presidential Scholar candidates, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students. 

Six of these candidates were identified for the academic component of the program based on having scored exceptionally well on the SAT or the ACT college entrance exams. These students are Alexandra Gibner, Weiting Ji, Daniel A. Yun, Amy W. Jiang, and Vincent P. Su from Bellaire High School, and Lenzi C. Daniel from Westside High School. Victor Lozano, a student at The High School for Performing and Visual Arts, is a Presidential Scholar in the Arts candidate.

Continue reading →

Uniform bell schedule for schools would save HISD $1.2 million, board is told

Implementing uniform schedules across the Houston Independent School District’s 279 campuses would free up $1.2 million while giving the average student an extra 19 minutes in the classroom, according to a budget-cutting option presented to the HISD Board of Education today.

HISD is looking for more ways to reduce spending as the district seeks to address a projected $34 million deficit for the 2012-2013 school year. The loss in revenue is a result of last year’s decision by the Texas Legislature to reduce public education funding by $5.3 billion.

Streamlining HISD’s bell schedule was among many potential spending reduction options discussed during Thursday’s Board of Education meeting. Under this plan, every HISD school would have an instructional day that is 7 ½ hours long. This represents a 19-minute increase for the average HISD school, or a total of seven full days of extra instruction time over the course of the year.

Currently, HISD schools have about 20 different start and end times. Under the option presented today, schools would operate on the following bell schedule:

  • Approximately half of all elementary schools would operate from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Approximately half of all elementary schools would operate from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • All middle schools would operate from 7:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
  • All high schools would operate from 8:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Continue reading →

Grier: “Quality should not be determined by ZIP code”

Superintendent Terry Grier addressed attendees at the American Association of School Administrators’ National Conference on Education at the George R. Brown Convention Center recently to tell them about HISD’s goal to ensure every child in the city is taught by a highly effective teacher. In partnership with The New Teacher Project, Dr. Grier said the Effective Teachers Initiative is producing promising results.

An article on the AASA website provides a recap:

“Quality should not be determined by zip code. Every child should have the same exposure to excellence,” he said. “Every child is entitled to have a quality teacher in every classroom.”

Grier reported that in 2009 the district leadership discovered nearly all teacher evaluations were the same, with only 3.4 percent rated “below proficient.” “But we had students performing below level — the data was not consistent,” said Grier. Continue reading →

Principals “are on the front lines,” crowd is told at Almeda Elementary dedication

Hundreds of students, parents, staff and community members gathered at an official dedication ceremony for Almeda Elementary School’s new building. Among those in attendance were HISD Board of Education Trustee Larry Marshall, HISD School Improvement Officer Karla Loria and Texas State Representative Alma Allen, who recognized Principal Beverly Cage for her commitment to students and education.

“It’s very challenging to move an entire school community, and it’s our principals who are on the front lines,” said Allen, who also donated several books to the school library, including the children’s classic Curious George. “When you have a building with this much new and advanced technology in it, the children will be curious.”

Click here to learn more about new school construction and renovation projects, or visit hisdprojects.com.

Highly effective teachers from other districts invited to “Experience HISD”

Recruiting event designed to showcase the advantages of a career with HISD to external candidates

The Recruitment and Selection team from Human Resources held an interactive info session exclusively for experienced teachers from outside the district on Feb. 11. Placing an effective teacher in every classroom is part of HISD’s plan to transform the district – called the Strategic Direction.

Almost 120 participants attended the event, which included breakout sessions on certification requirements, district benefits, and the new Teacher Development and Appraisal System.

Attendees were also invited to participate in a panel discussion with HISD school improvement officers, principals, and current veteran teachers, after which they met one-on-one with principals and representatives from 44 different schools.

Continue reading →

HISD teachers help develop curriculum for the district

Approximately 280 teachers from across the district have been collaborating with HISD’s Curriculum Department for the past several months to develop a high-powered, standards-based curriculum for all students in the Houston Independent School District.

They meet after school and on weekends, and educators involved in the Curriculum Writing Initiative report that their work has given them fresh insight into the necessity of focusing on standards.

“The curriculum-writing experience has opened my eyes to the importance of aligning our curriculum to the TEKS,” said Kolter Elementary School teacher Sharon Grimm. “This process will make me a better teacher and will ensure that all my students’ needs are met.”

Continue reading →

Dr. Grier Shares Positive Results of Effective Teachers Initiative With American Association of School Administrators

Dr. Grier addressed attendees at the American Association of School Administrators’ National Conference on Education at the George R. Brown Convention Center to tell them about the Houston Independent School District’s Effective Teachers Initiative (ETI), a research-driven plan to ensure that every child in our city, regardless of where they live, is taught by a highly effective teacher. In partnership with The New Teacher Project, Dr. Grier said ETI is producing promising results and allowing our teachers to get the most out of their students.

Click here for the presentation.

BREAKING: TEA Commissioner Defers STAAR 15% Requirement

Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott announced today that is he deferring implementation of the new 15 percent grading requirement connected to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness end-of-course examinations. The 15 percent rule requires that State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exam performance count for 15 percent of a student’s final grade.

Click here to read more.

“Healthiest Employer” recognition cites HISD’s new wellness centers, preventive care

In 2010, the district opened the first of two HISD Employee Health & Wellness Centers, one at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center and another at Attucks Middle School.

The Houston Independent School District has been named one of the top 25 healthiest employers in Houston, as rated by the Houston Business Journal. Rankings of the top 25 businesses will be announced at the first annual Houston’s Healthiest Employers Symposium on March 1.

“We’re proud to be one of Houston’s healthiest employers,” said Benefits General Manager Brad Bailey, “and we remain committed to providing our employees with access to high-quality wellness programs so they have the very best opportunities to stay healthy and enjoy life.”
 
The “Houston’s Healthiest Employer” award recognizes organizations that are committed to creating a healthy workplace. The award measures wellness programming in six key categories:

1. Culture and Leadership Commitment

2. Foundational Components

3. Strategic Planning

4. Communication and Marketing

5. Programming and Interventions

6. Reporting and Analysis

Continue reading →

Parents bring questions to HISD’s STAAR info session

School Improvement Officer Anastasia Lindo speaks to parents about the STAAR test.

HISD parents attended an information session Thursday night, hearing directly from a panel of experts representing elementary, middle and high schools; curriculum; and special education. After viewing an overview presentation outlining the differences between TAKS and STAAR and the new requirements high schoolers will face, the session opened up to questions.

Presenters Anastasia Lindo and Richard Barajas, both school improvement officers, emphasized the importance of preparing for the new, more rigorous accountability test.

“STAAR does count,” Lindo said.  HISD will receive a raw score this year, and some students may be required to take summer school as a result of their performance.

Members of the audience asked questions about the new discussion around delaying the 15 percent requirement – which would affect this year’s ninth-graders. Barajas acknowledged there is growing support around an effort to postpone that requirement until next school year.

Questions were also submitted via email and the STAAR Q&A blog.

Several parents asked about provisions for students in special education. Assistant Superintendent Sowmya Kumar spoke to those concerns, emphasizing that accommodations are made on an individual basis. Kumar also emphasized the importance of students working toward the recommended graduation plan.

“Students who take anything but regular STAAR are working toward a minimum high school diploma,” Kumar said. That can limit a student’s choices in the future.

Kumar encouraged parents to contact HISD staff members directly with any questions: “We’ll be happy to talk to you directly.”