Tag Archives: HISD

23,000 Backpacks, 2,500 Uniforms: Back to School Fest, By the Numbers

HISD partnered with the City of Houston to host the Back to School Fest on August 11that Reliant Center. Here’s a look at the event and its impact:

  • More than 40,000 students and their families attended the event
  • 40 sponsors and 33 in-kind sponsors
  • An estimated 500 immunizations were administered to children
  • More than 500 individuals volunteered for this event
  • The event showcased 100 exhibitors
  • More than 23,000 backpacks with school supplies were distributed
  • 2,500 uniforms and 725 uniform vouchers were distributed
  • 52,049 pounds of food were distributed by the Houston Food Bank
  • 12 organizations/companies hosted school supply drives to support the Back To School Fest
  • 8,000 socks and underwear for children were distributed

HISD teachers gear up for beginning of 2012-13 school year

Teachers and staff across Houston ISD are decorating rooms, preparing supplies and finalizing their plans for the upcoming school year. There’s a little more than one week until school starts for most HISD students (Apollo 20  secondary students begin on Monday, Aug. 20), and while students are enjoying the last few days of summer vacation, our teachers and staff are working hard to be ready for the 2012-13 school year.

Many of us have been working over the summer to prepare for this year, too. Learn about some of our new schools and programs beginning in a few weeks.

What’s New at HISD for the 2012-2013 School Year

About 200,000 Houston Independent School District students are expected to return to school for the first day of classes on Monday, Aug. 27.  Students from five middle schools and four high schools in the district’s Apollo 20 school turnaround program will get a one-week head start on Aug. 20 when their school year begins.

The 2012-2013 school year brings many exciting improvements to Houston schools as HISD continues its work to offer a consistently rigorous education in a safe learning environment at all 279 campuses.

 New Schools

Four new school buildings funded by the 2007 voter-approved bond program will open on the first day of school. 

  • Carnegie Vanguard High School– (1101 Taft) – The Carnegie Vanguard Magnet program serves students who have been identified as gifted and talented in intellectual ability. In 2002, the Vanguard school moved to the former Carnegie Elementary campus which was originally built in 1963. The new building is located adjacent to the Gregory-Lincoln Education Center. 
  • Billy Reagan K-8 Education Center-(4842 Anderson Road) – The school will offer a two-way dual English and Spanish language program to its kindergarten class in an effort to develop full bilingualism and bi-literacy for all students.  The center will implement this program in one of the kindergarten classes during the 2012-2013 academic year and will add one grade per year until there is a complete two-way dual language program in grades K-8.
  • Lockhart Elementary School – (3501 Southmore) – The replacement school will now serve pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.  Students from the former Lockhart and Turner Elementary schools will attend the new campus. 
  • Neff Elementary School – (8301 Neff Street) – The replacement campus will serve students in grades 2-5.  The former Neff campus is being converted into an early childhood campus for students in pre-kindergarten through first grade.

New Programs

 Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School – (6300 Avenue B, Bellaire) This is HISD’s first Mandarin Chinese language immersion school. The school will initially serve students in kindergarten through second grade, with additional grades to be added in subsequent years. Core subjects including language arts, math, science, and social studies will be taught primarily in Mandarin Chinese with a certain amount of English language development instruction incorporated each day.

 

Houston Innovative Learning Zone program- Students at six HISD campuses (Furr, Kashmere, Scarborough, Sterling, and Booker T. Washington high schools and Long middle school) will have the chance to earn associate’s degrees and career training in high-demand technical fields.  The HILZ program was created in partnership with Houston Community College. In addition to taking the standard core credits required of all high school students, HILZ students will take courses taught by college professors using a blend of face-to-face and online instruction. In addition, credits earned by HILZ graduates will transfer to any public Texas university.

More Tools for Principals and Teachers

 Curriculum Changes- HISD has a new and improved curriculum designed with the input of thousands of teachers. The new curriculum is aligned with state and national standards and will prepare students for the rigor of STAAR and other standardized tests.  The new curriculum also places an emphasis on every child reading at or above grade level.

  • New literacy plan- The new literacy plan serves as a guide for teachers and leaders as they prepare students to be proficient readers, independent thinkers, and effective communicators. The plan is called CLASS (Curriculum and instruction, Leadership, Assessment, Support for families and communities, and Sustainability).
  • Revamped K-5 English Language Arts curriculum: The curriculum was designed in partnership with teachers and training provided by the Neuhaus Education Center.   Teachers at all grade levels have received Neuhaus training on literacy intervention strategies.  In the 2012-2013 school year, sixth and ninth- grade students who are reading below grade level will receive an extra daily class period of reading instruction using a specially designed curriculum from Neuhaus.

 

  • Continuing Leadership Training for Principals:  HISD has formed new partnerships with Rice University, the University of Texas, and St. Thomas University to help develop skills of current principals and to help train new talent. New and aspiring principals can attend an intensive four-week Emerging Leaders Institute.  Ongoing monthly training is available for first-and second-year principals and assistant principals.  There are also six new courses for principals related to decision-making in the area of staffing.

 Bond Election Proposal in November

Houston voters will decide in November whether to approve a proposition to build modern high schools in neighborhoods across Houston, and improve safety and technology district-wide. The $1.89 billion plan would address facility needs in 38 schools. For a complete overview of the proposal and the schools that would be rebuilt or renovated, click here.

HISD Students Reach or Exceed National Average in Four of Five Subjects

June 28, 2012 – Houston ISD students this year matched or beat the average scores posted by students across the nation on the Stanford and Aprenda exams in reading, math, science, and language, according to data released Wednesday.

Forty-seven percent of HISD’s students exceeded the average national score in the fifth tested subject, social science.  Texas school districts are not required to administer the Stanford and Spanish-language Aprenda exams, but HISD does so to track how students compare to the rest of the country.

HISD students in grades 1-8 took the exams this spring. The number of students exceeding the national average increased from the 2010-2011 school year in the subjects of reading (50 percent) and language (53 percent). However, the percentage of HISD students scoring above the national average in math (61 percent) and social science declined (47 percent).  The percentage of students scoring above the national average in science was unchanged (63 percent). HISD scores in all five subjects are higher than they were in 2009.

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National Broad Prize Education Panel Tours HISD Schools

 What: National educational experts will tour the Houston Independent School District on Wednesday to gather information for a jury of former U.S. secretaries of education, governors, university presidents and CEOs to decide whether HISD will win the 2012 Broad Prize for Urban Education, the nation’s largest education award that carries with it $550,000 in college scholarships. This four-day “site visit” will include interviews with district officials, principals, teachers, staff, parents, students and community representatives, as well as classroom observations. Best practices collected during the site visit will also be shared with urban districts nationwide.

 
When:

 

 Wednesday, May 23

10:30 a.m. School and classroom tour with Superintendent Terry Grier, panel of national education experts, and Principal Herlinda Garcia.

11:15 a.m. Media availability, Q&A with researchers, Broad Foundation rep and superintendent

 
Where:

 

 J.P. Henderson Elementary School, library
1800 Dismuke Street
713.924.1730

 
Why: HISD is one of only four urban school districts nationally to be in the running for the 2012 Broad (rhymes with “road”) Prize for Urban Education and $550,000 in scholarships. Houston was chosen as a finalist in April for having topped 71 other large urban districts nationwide in making student gains. This is HISD’s first time returning as a Broad Prize finalist since winning the inaugural award in 2002.The Broad Prize is awarded annually by The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, a national education philanthropy based in Los Angeles that seeks to ensure that every student in an urban public school has the opportunity to succeed. The award honors urban school districts that demonstrate the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement in the nation while reducing income and ethnic achievement gaps.

The winning school district, which will be announced on Oct. 23 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, will receive $550,000 in college scholarships for high school seniors who graduate in 2013. Each finalist district will receive $150,000 in scholarships. Seventy-five large urban school districts nationwide were eligible for the 2012 Broad Prize. Other finalist districts this year are: the Corona Norco Unified School District in Southern California, Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the School District of Palm Beach County, Fla. For more information, please visit www.broadprize.com.

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation was founded by self-made entrepreneur Eli Broad and his wife Edythe, both graduates of Detroit Public Schools. Bringing together top education experts and practitioners, the foundation funds system-wide programs and policies that strengthen public schools by creating environments that allow good teachers to do great work and enable students of all backgrounds to learn and thrive.

Houston ISD Named a Finalist for Largest Education Prize in the Country

The Houston Independent School District was recognized today by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation as one of four finalists for the 2012 Broad Prize, an annual $1 million award that honors urban school districts that have made the highest gains in student achievement and in closing the achievement gap.

The award is the largest education prize in the country and HISD is one of only two school districts in the country to return as a finalist after receiving the honor.

A 2012 Broad Prize win would mean HISD’s 2013 graduating seniors would receive $550,000 in college scholarships. As a finalist, they are guaranteed at least $150,000.

Among the reasons the Broad Foundation listed for naming Houston ISD as a finalist were:

  • HISD’s African-American graduation rate improved faster than in other urban districts nationally. The graduation rate of Houston’s African-American students, as shown by the average of three nationally recognized graduation rate estimation methods, increased 13 percentage points from 2006 to 2009.
  • HISD increased the percentage of Hispanic and African-American students taking college readiness exams more quickly than other urban districts nationally.
  • Between 2008 and 2011, SAT participation rates for HISD’s Hispanic students increased by 15 percentage points.
  • In this same period, Advanced Placement (AP) exam participation by Hispanic students increased 13 percentage points, an average of about 4 percentage points per year-an improvement rate that ranked in the top 10 percent of all 75 Broad Prize-eligible districts.
  • And in 2011 alone, the percentage of HISD’s African-American students taking an AP exam-23 percent-ranked in the top 10 percent of Broad-Prize-eligible districts.
  • Similarly, the percent of HISD’s Hispanic students taking an AP exam in 2011—29 percent—ranked in the top 20 percent of eligible districts.
  • A greater percentage of Hispanic and low-income students reach advanced academic levels in Houston than in other urban districts in Texas.  In 2011, the percentage of HISD’s Hispanic students that performed at the highest achievement level (Commended) in math and science at all school levels (elementary, middle, high school) ranked in the top 30 percent statewide compared to Hispanic students in other Texas districts. In addition, the percentage of Houston’s low-income students that performed at the highest achievement level in math at all school levels and in elementary and middle school science ranked in the top 30 percent statewide compared to low-income students in other Texas districts.

The other finalists this year are: Corona-Norco Unified School District in Riverside County, California, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and The School District of Palm Beach County, Florida.

Educational researchers will be conducting a four-day visit to each finalist district over the next two months to interview parents, community leaders, school board members, and union representatives. They will also review qualitative data for each finalist.  A selection jury will then choose the winning district after reviewing each of the reports. The announcement will be made on Tuesday, October 23.

All HISD parents invited to attend STAAR info session this Thursday

Get the latest on STAAR – including new developments on when the “15 percent rule” will take effect

The STAAR test made headlines this week as state officials supported the delay of a controversial requirement surrounding end-of-course (EOC) exams. The rule, which requires that EOC exams count for 15 percent of a student’s final grade in a course, is to take effect this year for first-time ninth-graders.

In recent weeks, Texas lawmakers have voiced their support for delaying the 15 percent requirement until the 2012-2013 school year.

HISD and other Texas school districts are awaiting guidance from TEA regarding any potential changes to STAAR, including EOCs impacting final course grades. As testing dates approach, it’s important for parents to understand the latest changes and be familiar with the format of the test. Students will begin taking the STAAR test in late March.

All HISD parents are invited to attend an informational session this Thursday, Feb. 16, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. STAAR experts will give an overview of the changes for elementary, middle and high school students. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions of the presenters as well as a panel of district officials representing multiple areas, including special education.

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HISD accepting applications for Mandarin Chinese magnet school in Bellaire

HISD’s first ever Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School will open in time for the 2012-2013 school year. It will be located at 6300 Avenue B in Bellaire and will initially serve students in the early elementary school grades, with additional grades to be added in subsequent years.

HISD Trustee Harvin Moore, who took the lead in proposing the new school, said it will serve students from throughout the city. “This is a program for everyone,” Moore said, adding that such programs in other U.S. cities have drawn heavy interest from families of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Mandarin Chinese is the most spoken language in the world and Texas trade with China has increased more than 600 percent over the past decade. Texas is second only to California among states that do the most business with China.

National leaders in Chinese language and culture education recently visited HISD to discuss the district’s plan to expand programs that teach Chinese language and culture.

Applications are currently being accepted for Pre-K, Kindergarten, first, and second grades for the 2012–2013 school year. Click here for Magnet applications and submit a completed application to the Office of School Choice located at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. 4400 West 18th St.  Houston, Texas 77092. Telephone: 713-556-6947

Read the full press release (.pdf).