Author Archives: HISD Communications

Upperclassmen invited to attend Top-Tier College Night Oct. 6

High-achieving HISD juniors and seniors who want information about opportunities at the nation’s most-prestigious institutions of higher learning should mark their calendars, as HISD’s Top-Tier College Night has been scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015. The event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. at Washington High School (119 E. 39th, 77018).

Formally known as “Ivy-Plus College Night,” this event allows students to interact directly with admissions representatives from top-tier schools across the nation, as well as participate in hands-on workshops on the following topics:

  • Personal statements
  • Financial aid
  • Branding yourself as top-tier student
  • Liberal arts colleges
  • National research universities

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HISD Board of Education outlines timeline for superintendent search

Search firm to be selected by December, community input to be gathered beginning in January

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday outlined a timeline for the search for a new district leader to replace outgoing Superintendent Terry Grier, who announced last month that he is resigning in March.

Trustees plan to issue a request for proposals this month, pending approval at the regular board meeting on Oct. 15. They then would interview potential search firms in the latter half of November, with the ultimate goal of making a final firm selection in December.

Once a search firm is in place, they can start gathering community feedback to develop a superintendent candidate profile, a process that would begin in January. The selected firm would help trustees host community meetings and gather input from various district stakeholders, including parents and students, school-based staff, district employees, and business and community members.

Trustees also have scheduled a training session focused on the search process for early November. The training will be conducted by Cathy Mincberg, a former HISD school board member who now serves as president and CEO of The Center for the Reform of School Systems.

Dr. Grier has said he plans to step down on March 2, 2016. This is his seventh year as superintendent of the Houston Independent School District.

HISD offering school tours, open houses to help families select schools for next year

The Houston Independent School District Office of School Choice will host four open houses and offer weekly campus tours throughout the fall semester to help families make more informed school selections for the next year.

Families will be able to explore their neighborhood schools, as well as the district’s 100-plus magnet programs, specializing in areas such as fine arts, language studies, college and career readiness and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math).

The weekly tours will be held at all HISD campuses every Thursday from Oct. 8 through Dec. 3. Elementary and K-8 school tours are scheduled for 9 a.m. Middle and high school tours begin at 1 p.m. Continue reading →

Bellaire HS senior aces both SAT and ACT

September 30, 2015 – Bellaire High School senior Antony Yun has officially earned bragging rights after receiving a perfect score on both the SAT and the ACT college entrance exams.

Antony Yun

Antony Yun

Yun was among four Houston Independent School District students from two schools to earn perfect scores on the SAT during the 2014-2015 school year. Three seniors from DeBakey High School for Health Professions —Anushka Madhuvarshi, Sasha Raman, and Gary Zhang — also earned the highest possible score on the SAT. Continue reading →

Video highlights bond progress amid booming construction market

Houston’s construction market is booming, and HISD is a big part of that.

A new video released this week highlights progress that has been made since Houston voters overwhelmingly approved the district’s $1.89 billion bond program three years ago.

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SAT scores up for HISD students, despite declines in state and national averages

Number of graduates scoring at college-ready level is up in all subjects and across all student groups

Sept. 30, 2015 — The Houston Independent School District saw an upswing in graduating seniors’ overall reading and math scores on the 2015 SAT college entrance exam, bucking state and national trends that showed slight decreases in all subjects.

The increase in scores coincides with an increase in the number of students taking the SAT. The total number of participating students has more than doubled in the last six years, largely because of Superintendent Terry Grier’s decision in 2011 allowing all high school juniors to take the SAT for free at their home campus during regular school hours. Students also receive free access to the College Board’s online SAT test preparation materials. As a result, more HISD students than ever are scoring at the college-ready level in all three subject areas and across all racial and ethnic groups.

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Schools host fourth annual Green Apple Day of Service

Students, parents, staff, and community members throughout HISD celebrated the fourth annual Green Apple Day of Service on Saturday by hosting beautification service projects that promote healthy and productive learning environments.

Green Apple Day of Service, sponsored by The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, is a designated day where school communities throughout the nation come together to work on projects favorable to the environment.

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HISD school wins 2015 National Blue Ribbon Award

North Houston Early College High School on Tuesday received its first-ever 2015 National Blue Ribbon Schools Award from U.S Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan. The school was among just 335 schools nationwide and 25 public schools in Texas to receive the honor.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Award honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools where students either achieve very high learning standards or are making notable improvements in closing the achievement gap, especially among disadvantaged and minority students. Continue reading →

Personalized literacy activities help build student excitement about reading

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A big part of getting secondary students excited about the idea of reading for pleasure is finding the right incentives.

That’s why East Early College High School’s (EECHS) librarian and principal invited popular young adult author Rosemary Clement-Moore to be the keynote speaker at the campus’ second annual Literacy Day celebration on Sept. 25. It’s also why they awarded a free autographed copy of the author’s latest novel to senior Alejandra Guerra, the student who read the most books over the summer.

“A lot of our students come from neighborhood schools that don’t have budgets to invite authors to come speak, so this is a new experience for many of them, particularly the freshmen,” said EECHS librarian Cynthia Ramos. “Events like this build enthusiasm among students for wanting to read, as opposed to being required to read. Hopefully, that will lead them to texts they wouldn’t normally have chosen. This is only our second author visit, but last year, students told me they really enjoyed the talk.”

Personalizing instruction will be a key aspect of the support provided to secondary students this fall through HISD’s Literacy By 3 movement.

“We want to meet students where they are,” said Mechiel Rozas, the district’s director of secondary literacy, “so a big part of the proposal we’ll be making to the superintendent and Board of Education will deal with continuing the personalized aspect of the curriculum as students move into middle school, because that’s what they have come to expect. We want there to be multiple ways to engage with the content, so we can meet the needs of all students.”

 

HISD Police Department welcomes six new officers

Six police officers became the newest members of the the Houston Independent School District Police Department on Friday after being sworn in during a ceremony.

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