Graduate
Ready eNews
From AISD's Redesign
The Graduate Ready eNews
keeps parents, students, and community leaders informed about AISD's
High School Redesign.
The eNews highlights campus efforts to improve student performance and
asks for your input and ideas every month. We want to hear from
you - so please
participate in our "Question of the Month" or send your
comments to officeofredesign@
austinisd.org
Stories in upcoming
issues
of Graduate Ready eNews:
- What
Students Think About Advisory
- English
Language Learners- Focus on Instruction
- New Tech-
Project Based Learning
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Redesign
at Work
Innovative
Program Helps 9th Grade Students
Improve Algebra I Performance
Over
125 incoming 9th grade students across AISD
aren't spending summer camp swimming or playing soccer.
Instead, they are enrolled in a new summer
math program called Academic Youth Development (AYD). AYD
seeks to improve Algebra I
performance by training students in the summer to be classroom leaders
in their
Algebra I classrooms. Designed by the Charles A. Dana Center at the
University of
Texas, AYD is part of AISD's High School Redesign initiative
funded through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Because success in Algebra I is critically important to
success in higher level math classes and to overall academic
performance, AISD
is expanding its AYD pilot program to seven schools this
summer: Akins, Anderson, Bowie, Crockett, Lanier,
Travis, and Reagan. Teacher, student,
and parent feedback has been positive.
Students report higher self-confidence, higher motivation and
persistence, and more ability to use different learning strategies for
problem
solving. Teachers report that student
leaders help to create a positive learning environment and support
other
students in their learning. Results
are promising.
Initial research shows that a higher percentage
of students in AYD Algebra I classrooms move on to Geometry than did
their
non-AYD peers.
Sandy White, an Anderson High School parent of an AYD
student wrote the attached essay on her son's participation in
AYD. She states, "This year my son, James, has
blossomed in his math skills, working hard for much better grades than
he ever
received in the past. He passed the math
TAKS test, and was very proud of that achievement. " To read Mrs.
White's entire essay, click here.
To learn more about AYD results, click here.
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Schools
Leading the Way on College and Career Prep
During
the week of June 8-12, 2009, over 100 stakeholders including teachers,
students, librarians and counselors met in libraries, classrooms and
coffee
shops all around Austin to review and refine their school's advisory
programs
to include key college and career planning activities for all grades
9-12.
These revisions are a direct response to findings in a recent AISD
report that
found that while high percentages of students aspire to continuing
their
education after high school, a lower percentage of students actually
apply and even fewer
actually enroll in a postsecondary program.
With the addition of key college and career milestones into the
advisory
curriculum AISD is poised to become a national model for system-wide
college
and career planning, preparation and support.
Read more...
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 Bowie Student Leadership
Course
In August 2009, Bowie
High School will
launch the Bowie
Student Leadership course where 70 senior students will receive
intensive
leadership training and will serve as mentors to over 500 freshman
Bowie Bulldogs. Unlike
most traditional "leadership courses", Bowie's program is integrated
with
Bowie's advisory program, thus having a much broader impact.
Senior students will work with the freshman
advisory teachers to refine lessons and provide academic advisement and
mentorship to the freshman students. Another unique feature of the
program is
that it is designed for senior students who are academically eligible,
on-track
to graduate, but may not have ever played a formal leadership
role. Bowie's School Improvement Facilitator, Andrea
Ramirez, describes the 70 students who have registered for the course
as, "Not
your usual suspects, but definitely students with potential to lead and
succeed."
With its new uses for old courses, integration with
advisories, and broad utilization of student talent, Bowie's leadership
program
is an exemplar of innovative campus-based design.
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Question of the Month
We
Want to Hear From You!
While
91% of AISD graduates plan to attend a
post-secondary institution in the year after graduation, only 73%
enroll in a 2 or 4 year institution. This percentage of students who do
not enroll in higher education increases for African--American and
Hispanic students.
Do you know of
anyone who
was accepted to a 2-year or 4-year college/university but did not
attend? If so, why haven't they enrolled?
Reply to this email to share
your answers!
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Flashpoints
- Travis County
Commissioners Court declared
June 6, 2009 Akins
High School New Technology Academy Day in Travis County
with a resolution that cited New Tech for preparing students for real
work and real life and for project-based learning in a small school
environment. View full text
of the resolution here.
- Eastside
Memorial Green Tech launched
its first professional development day for new teachers May 30 to
prepare them to integrate environmental knowledge and issues into
classroom learning. Presentations were made by members of the Eastside
Advisory Committee: Dr. Michael Webber, Engineering professor at the
University of Texas; Colin Meehan, Renewable Energy Specialist from
Environmental Defense Fund; and Chris Winland, legislative specialist
on energy and environmental issues with Goode Company.
- The
Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber Education Foundation
will host a summer music concert on July 14th, 6-9 p.m., at the Pan
American Recreation Center. The event is intended to promote the
importance of education and staying in school. GAHCC has served as a
Redesign Community Partner with AISD over the last two years,
supporting High School Redesign.
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