School is one of two Texas teams advancing to ‘Elite 8’ round of competition in New York City
The Bellaire High School debate team will travel to New York City on Friday, April 1 to compete in the 2015-2016 International Public Policy Forum (IPPF), which gives high school students from around the world the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy.
Andrea Conley’s “Fish Out of Water”
Students from four different HISD schools have been recognized as national winners in the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing contests, and a fifth student has received an additional award at the regional level.
Pin Oak MS’s Andrea Conley won a gold medal at the national level in the drawing and illustration category for her piece titled “Fish Out of Water,” while Ashton (Unity) Haq (HS for Performing and Visual Arts) and Aleia Sen (T.H. Rogers) took home silver medals in the poetry and personal essay/memoir categories respectively.
Carnegie Vanguard HS student Jaelynn Walls was named sole national American Voices Medal winner for her personal essay/memoir — one of Scholastic’s most prestigious awards — and Eli Winter (also from CVHS) received one of three regional Trustees’ Exemplary Awards from Harris County Department of Education (HCDE).
To see a complete list of national winners, please visit the HCDE website.
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Students at schools across HISD have been participating in everything from pep rallies to skate parties over the past few weeks to build awareness around the next administration of the STAAR test, which begins on Tuesday, March 29.
Lovett ES fifth-grader Bryan Moore poses with his mother, Tonyamas Moore, who won the spelling bee at that campus back in 1986.
Five boys and five girls from 10 different HISD schools will be testing the limits of their vocabulary on Saturday, April 2, when they take part in the finals of the Houston Public Media spelling bee. The top two winners of the Houston-area competition will be eligible to advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee near Washington, D.C., in May.
This year’s local contest is particularly meaningful for two HISD students: fifth-grader Bryan Moore (Lovett ES) and eighth-grader Christine Bowyer (Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan).
The Houston Independent School District was recognized this week by the Association of School Business Officials International for having met or exceeded the program’s high standards for financial reporting and accountability.
The district received the prestigious Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting Award for its 2014-2015 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. The award is given to school districts that demonstrate superior accounting practices and reporting procedures, and confirms the district’s commitment to financial accountability and transparency.
“It is a tremendous honor for the district to be recognized for its commitment to financial accountability and good stewardship of public resources,” HISD Interim Chief Financial Officer Sherrie Robinson said. “As an entity supported by public dollars, it is our responsibility to provide services effectively and efficiently, and our finance team works extremely hard to ensure we do that every year.”
ASBO International is a professional organization that provides programs and services to promote the highest standards of school business management practices, professional growth, and the effective use of education resources. This year marks the 36th consecutive year the district has received the award.
North Forest Early Childhood Center is moving toward completion at a rapid pace, with steel framing complete and mechanical and electrical system installation underway.
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The number of HISD students enrolled in dual-credit classes increased 15 percent in the past school year, thanks in part to legislation passed by the Texas Legislature in 2015 that allows school districts to partner with any community college – not just those within their boundaries.
As of today, 4,573 HISD students are enrolled in dual-credit courses, compared with 3,985 students in the 2014-15 school year. HISD has the largest number of students taking dual-credit classes in the Houston area. The classes allow students to receive college credit, and with enough credit hours, a student can graduate with both a high school diploma and an associate’s degree.
UNI interns Kari Kahl (left) and Mitchel Dierickx are interning at Harvard ES.
More than two dozen aspiring teachers from the Midwest are getting a taste of big-city education this week, and that experience may well lead them to careers in HISD.
Twenty-six seniors from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) are working with teachers and students at nine different HISD schools during the day and staying with district administrators at night. The program is coordinated by HISD Officer of Human Capital Jeff McCanna.
“This is a win-win for everybody involved,” said McCanna, who launched the program 10 years ago while working for Aldine ISD. “The interns get to find out about HISD, our students get another set of hands to work with them, and the district gets exposure to potential new hires. It’s a huge commercial for us, and kind of like an avalanche. It starts somewhat slowly, but over time, gets bigger and bigger.”
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Construction at both North Houston Early and South Early college high schools is nearing completion, with preparations underway to have both campuses ready for students at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year.
HISD students in grades 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10 will be taking portions of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) beginning Tuesday, March 29.
Students in grades 4 and 7 will be taking the writing portion, while students in grades 5 and 8 will be taking the math and reading portions. High-school students who are either currently enrolled in or have completed English I or II will also be taking the end-of-course (EOC) exams associated with those subjects.
The first spring test administration concludes on Friday, April 1. Additional testing will take place in May and July.
Questions? Visit HISD’s updated STAAR website, which has a list of FAQ, a complete schedule of spring testing dates, and other resources.