Thousands of students taking advantage of STAAR EOC tutorials

Last week, HISD announced it had created online tutorials for the five State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) end-of-course (EOC) exams that every student must pass in order to graduate.

More than 33,000 high school students have already taken advantage of this valuable resource, with most (about 40 percent of that figure) using the tutorials to prepare for the English I and English II exams, which are scheduled for next week.

A number of forward-thinking students have also been using the STAAR EOC tutorials in biology (5,180), algebra I (8,870), and U.S. history (5,891), although those exams will not take place until the beginning of May.

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Challenge senior wins dream trip to Disney World

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Earlier this month, Shaylah Cooper joined 100 “Disney Dreamers” at Walt Disney World. She was picked from 10,000 applicants to spend four days in Orlando, Florida, thanks to the Disney Dreamers Academy.

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Sanchez ES advances in NCUST award process

Sanchez Elementary has moved to the next level of competition in the 2015 National Center for Urban School Transformation’s (NCUST) National Excellence in Education Award. The school has now been named a Silver level winner for 2015, and is in contention to receive the Gold award later this year.

Among the thousands of urban schools in the nation, Sanchez won the honor by demonstrating exceptional academic results through achievement test scores and other indicators of academic accomplishment for every demographic group. After naming the finalists, NCUST sent executive coaches all over the country to visit schools, meet with principals, and observe lessons before determining the silver and bronze award winners.

Gold Level prize winners will be announced at the 2015 National Excellence in Urban Education Symposium in Dallas on May 21.

Reagan HS broadcast explores personal side of immigration reform

Students in Michael Shea’s magnet audio/visual classes have been producing their own TV show since the spring of 2014, but one recent episode tackled an issue that is both timely and personal for many Reagan High School students: immigration reform.

Reagan’s student population is more than 80 percent Hispanic, and a number of pupils have parents, siblings, or other family members who are in the country illegally. Six different students—four boys and two girls—agreed to appear on camera in a segment that aired on March 13, 2015, to discuss how America’s current immigration policies have affected them and their families.  Continue reading →

Students respond enthusiastically to Dogs of Character

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The rescued dogs visiting Condit Elementary School recently were part of an anti-bullying, empathy-based program aimed at teaching students important life lessons. Sponsored by Dogs of Character, these working dogs serve as living examples of courage, perseverance, and loyalty.

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Status of all students’ magnet applications to become available Friday

New HISD School Choice website to guide parents through the acceptance process

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Awaiting the results of your magnet applications? You are not alone. Approximately 65,000 applications from close to 21,000 students have been received by HISD magnet schools since the submission period opened in November.

To better understand the ins and outs of magnet submissions and acceptances, HISD has created a new page on the School Choice website, called “magnet status,” which explains the meaning of each status category, as well as how and when to respond. This page can be reached using the www.houstonisd.org/magnetstatus URL or by clicking the dropdown menu under the “Applying to Magnet Programs” section on the School Choice website.

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Immigrant students explore ‘what is home’ with activist, author Sehba Sarwar

The road that led to Westbury High School was long and arduous for a group of students and their families from India, Nepal, and Bhutan. The students shared stories about that journey recently at a reading at the Baker-Ripley Neighborhood Center in Sharpstown.

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Get ready: Spring STAAR testing begins March 30

Subjects being covered include reading, writing, and English I and II

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 Monday, March 30.

Students in grades 4 and 7 will be taking the writing portion, while students in grades 5 and 8 will be taking the reading portion. 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.

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Grissom Elementary’s STEM night draws crowds

More than 150 parents and students attended Grissom Elementary’s STEM night on March 5. Students created a “robo hand” using data and robotic technology, as well as a Styrofoam plate, straws, tape, and string. Students also designed a freestanding structure with building constraints of height and angles.

Dr. John E. Codwell III was in attendance and showed students a foot model and explained how math and science connect in medicine. There was also a floor robot, which students programmed to travel through an obstacle course. Students were able to use iPads and the STEM lab to learn programming using Scratch and Hour of Code software, and parents enjoyed watching a Mad Science demonstration.