HISD students show across-the-board gains in all subjects on STAAR End-of-Course exams

The percentages of Houston Independent School District students who passed the spring 2019 STAAR End-of-Course (EOC) exams increased in all subject areas of the tests. Students took five exams covering Algebra I, Biology, English I, English II and U.S. History.  

Students at some of HISD’s lowest-performing schools made vast improvements on the Algebra I, Biology and U.S. History STAAR tests. 

There are four performance levels on STAAR tests: Did Not Meet grade level – failed, Approaches grade level – passed, Meets grade level – passed at a higher level, and Masters grade level – passed at the highest level. 

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HISD Board of Education rejects proposed budget for 2019-2020 school year

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Tuesday voted 6-3 against the proposed budget for the 2019-2020 school year.  

On June 27, trustees will again consider adoption of the proposed budget, which will include a recommended compensation package for all HISD employees and other HB 3-related items. State law requires the budget to be approved by June 30. 

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HISD Police Department active shooter training prepares officers, schools

At least three times a month, officers with the Houston Independent School District Police Department can be found at the northeast substation, training for emergency events they hope never happen.

The department’s Emergency Response Team trains diligently to prepare for high-pressure situations, such as hostile traffic stops, agitated individuals, barricaded subjects, and active shooters.

HISD Police Chief Paul Cordova said the need for the training is greater than ever before in light of recent school shootings across the country.

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Dual credit class connects students to community

Taking dual credit classes can be a daunting task, but Sonia Noyola at Northside High School has found a way to ease her students into the program by connecting their projects back to the community.  

Since she started teaching dual credit Government classes at Northside, Noyola’s students’ community awareness and empowerment projects have served as an extension of her dual credit classroom. 

Their latest project was S.H.I.N.E. (Spirit, Honor, Innovation, Nuance, Education) Fest, a student-led film competition held at Houston’s White Oak Music Hall that attracted submissions from several HISD schools and postsecondary institutions. The connection between these projects and the dual-credit course content is not lost on her students.   

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HISD athletics camp focuses on improving water safety for students across the city

The whistle blows at Lamar High School’s natatorium, and students attending HISD’s athletics swimming camp return to their breast stroke drills and breathing exercises.

Summer is here for students, and that means tons of fun in the sun and swimming pools with friends. That is why veteran Coach Stephen McDonald wants to ensure HISD students have the proper education to have a safe and fun summer around water.

“Naturally, our students are going to gravitate towards activities such as swimming, and we fail them if they aren’t prepared,” McDonald said. “By offering the swim camp, we are making sure our students understand the importance of how to enjoy water in a safe way.”

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HISD’s Achieve 180 program receives positive results for STAAR

HISD’s Achieve 180 program finished strong for the 2018-2019 school year, holding two of its biggest end-of-the-year meetings with district staff and campus principals to discuss best practices, modifications, and next steps. 

“As we start preparing for the 2019-2020 school year, we still have a great amount of work in outlining more progressive solutions and assessing the program’s strengths and weaknesses that will better support our students and campuses,” Achieve 180 Area Superintendent Felicia Adams said. “As we look to redefine our approach through the program’s academic and supportive services, it is my hope that we exceed the even greater expectations set for next school year.”  

The Achieve 180 cross-functional team, which includes district administrators, teacher development specialists, nurses, and wraparound specialists, received the first round of positive news as it relates to the turnaround program’s student performance.  

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Preliminary STAAR scores show significant gains in reading, math for HISD students in grades 5 and 8

At least 70 percent of Houston Independent School District fifth- and eighth-graders passed STAAR reading and math exams this year, according to preliminary numbers from the Texas Education Agency. On the math test, a slight majority of the eighth-graders, 51 percent, who passed with minimum scores last year, passed with scores well above the minimum this year.  

Overall, the most significant improvements on the STAAR exams were seen among students who attend some of the district’s lowest-performing elementary and middle schools: Blackshear, Dogan, Highland Heights, Mading, Wesley and Woodson elementary schools, along with Patrick Henry Middle School. 

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Eliot ES earns Lighthouse School distinction

Leadership, potential, change, motivation, education. These five core standards are on display at HISD’s Eliot Elementary School, which led the campus to become one of only two schools in the district to be named a Leader in Me Lighthouse School.  

This distinction, given by the FranklinCovey Foundation, is given to schools like Eliot Elementary that have produced outstanding results and student outcomes by implementing the Leader in Me Program.  

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HISD summer STEM camp promotes 21st-century skills

Bailey, a rising third-grader from Travis Elementary School, wanted to grow up to be a cheerleading coach, but after just two days at HISD’s STEM Summer Camp at Heights High School, those dreams have changed. 

“I used to want to be a professional cheerleading coach, but now I want to be somebody who helps NASA,” she said. “Now, I want to work in Mission Control.” 

Bailey, along with hundreds of other students from around the district, is spending her summer break learning about robotics and coding. This is the first year for the summer program, which provides STEM-based curriculum activities for students in grades 3-12.  

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Mimi Lam named new principal of Whidby Elementary School

Mimi Lam has been selected as the new principal of Whidby Elementary School. She has served as a teacher, teacher specialist, and assistant principal at Cornelius Elementary School for 14 years. During her tenure at Cornelius, she provided instructional support to teachers and implemented a new writing plan that exposed scholars to new experiences that equipped them with the knowledge to be able to write freely. Lam received a bachelor’s in Journalism from University of Houston and a master’s in Educational Leadership from University of St. Thomas.