Texas High School Project Next Generation Investments in Promising Practices John Fitzpatrick THSP Executive Director February 23, 2010

THSP: A $346 Million Public-Private Alliance PhilanthropyState of Texas

THSP School Models Impact Students Across the State Statewide Impact Focus on urban areas – Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin – and the Texas-Mexico border Reach expanded to include more mid-size cities and rural locations with TEA partnership Success has prompted districts to independently replicate school models with own funding 1 Through school year 2 Source: Texas Education Agency academic year T-STEM ECHS NSCS HSRR / HSRD Waco El Paso Lubbock Ft Worth Dallas Houston Austin San Antonio Brownsville Corpus Christi # 5+ Number of Schools

Common Metrics

Early College High School Overview Expanded to 41 campuses this fall, up from 29 schools last year with more than 10,000 students Majority of ECHS campuses are funded by the State Based at community colleges, four-year universities and high school campuses Opportunity to earn a high school diploma and 60 credit hours toward an associate's degree and/or a baccalaureate degree K-12 /Higher Ed Partnership

ECHS – Strong Academic Performance MathCommended State Average = 71% State Average = 31% Peer Group ECHS Peer Group ECHS 64% 91% 15% 36% ECHS students are 27 percentage points more likely than their peer schools and 20 percentage points more likely than students across the state to pass 9th grade Math TAKS ECHS students receive “Commended” honors on 9th grade Math TAKS at a rate 21 percentage points higher than peer schools and 5 percentage points higher than students across the state Source: AEIS, excludes SWS ** Source *** Source:

ECHS - College- and Career-Readiness ECHS significantly outperform State, Peers* on Advanced Courses/Dual Enrollment More than 1,100 students earned an average of 16 credit hours each in In total, those students saved approximately $4.5 million in college tuition, assuming average Texas college tuition rates** Those savings translate into approximately $4,000 per student 68% 20% 23% ECHSPeer Group State Source: from AEIS; *“Peers” = Matched Group, and State Average; ** based on $250/credit per Texas State University Advanced/Dual Enrollment Completion

Common Metrics

New Schools/Charter Schools Overview Provided support to 11 campuses and approximately 3,000 students in high-quality, college preparatory high schools Produce measurable results beyond minimum state standards to increase college-going rates in Texas Supporting the creation of new campuses of high performing charter schools and new school sites of successful school developers targeting areas of high need

NSCS – Academic Performance MathCommended State Average = 71% State Average = 31% Peer Group NSCS Peer Group NSCS 71.6% 81.6% 17.9% 35.1% NSCS students are 10 percentage points more likely than their peer schools and 9 percentage points more likely than students across the state to pass 9th grade Math TAKS NSCS students receive “Commended” honors on 9th grade Math TAKS at a rate of 17 percentage points higher than peer schools and 4 percentage points higher than students across the state Source: AEIS, excludes SWS ** Source *** Source: NSCS students outperform both peers and state average schools

College and Career – Readiness Indicators NSCS schools significantly outperform both peer and state schools on Advanced Course/Dual Enrollment participation NSCS Outperforms State and Peers* on Advanced Courses/ Dual Enrollment 58% 13% 23% NSCSPeer Group State Source: from AEIS; only two schools reporting *“Peers” = Matched Group, and State Average; Advanced/Dual Enrollment Completion

Common Metrics

High School Redesign Overview Systemic turnaround of struggling high schools has been elusive THSP has partnered with Mass Insight for a feasibility study on an “innovation zone” and Mass Insight has invited Texas to put forth a proposal to participate in the national turnaround initiative Providing struggling high school campuses with the resources to build capacity for implementing innovative, school-wide initiatives designed to improve student performance on the campus

HSRD Academic Performance While HSRD Schools are still underperforming the state, the rate of positive change in improvement is greater than the state change In , five of the nine schools reported improved percentages in students who met the standard for all three subject areas Two of the schools earned “recognized” status in Source: from AEIS; for TSTEM, only four schools reporting (HSA-Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, YES) and data is skewed by 99% as reported by HSA Houston); straight average, *“Peers” = Matched Group, and State Average HSRD State State gain is 6% and HSRD gain is 11% Math Performance

Common Metrics

Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Overview Supported 46 T-STEM Academies in areas of high need across Texas, each year producing 3,500 Texas high school graduates from diverse backgrounds Created 7 T-STEM Centers across the state that will facilitate the transformation of teaching methods, teacher preparation, and instruction in STEM fields Coordinated a T-STEM Network to promote broad dissemination and adoption of promising practices Improving mathematics and science achievement among all Texas students Increasing the number of students who study and enter science, technology, engineering & mathematics (STEM) careers

T-STEM – Strong Academic Performance 9 th MathCommended State Average = 71% State Average = 31% Peer Group T-STEM Peer Group T-STEM 75% 85% 23% 30% T-STEM students are 10 percentage points more likely than their peer schools and 14 percentage points more likely than students across the state to pass 9th grade Math TAKS T-STEM students receive “Commended” honors on 9th grade Math TAKS at about the same rate as students across the state but about 7 percentage points better than peers. ** Source: *** Source: Source: AEIS, excludes SWS schools and Peak/Williams Prep due to discrepancy between TEA directory and ’07-08 data (per THSP) T-STEM students outperform both peers and state average schools on 9 th grade Math TAKS tests; commended levels are similar to the state average

T-STEM – College and Career Readiness T-STEM schools are similar to state/matched group (peers) on TEA’s college readiness indicators T-STEM Outperforms Peers* on Advanced Courses/Dual Enrollment 56% 17% 23% T-STEMPeer Group State Source: from AEIS; for T-STEM, only four schools reporting (HSA-Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, YES) and data is skewed by 99% as reported by HSA Houston); straight average, *“Peers” = Matched Group, and State Average Advanced/Dual Enrollment Completion

Growth of THSP Schools Since Texas – Science, Tech, Engineering, Math Program Key High School Redesign (CFT) New Schools / Charter Schools High School Redesign and Restructuring (TEA) Early College High School 1 School counts listed above are cumulative and are included for a particular year if it is on or after the first year the campus enrolled students under THSP implementation; also includes four schools that have had funding status revoked in the current school year 2 HSRD is the only program that is considered both jointly funded by TEA and CFT/THSP Privately-funded Publicly-Funded Jointly-Funded Total Number of Schools 1

Our Mission To significantly improve the postsecondary readiness of low-income students with a focus on students in low performing schools. We develop practical insights and proven solutions that can be scaled in schools and districts throughout Texas based on our evidence and data analysis across the transition from middle school (8-9) through high school (9-12) and into postsecondary programs (four-year, two- year, and technical programs)

A Systematic Approach to Investments Is Required Focus Pick your battles and know how to win them Investment Model Frame strategic decisions around a formulaic approach and scope a value-add role Path to Scale Structure reforms to begin with the end in mind by outlining a path to high leverage

A Multi-Stage Approach Scale One to a few instances Multiple, varied instances School systems across the state Transitions Feedback and Redesigns Stage One Stage TwoStage Three

What Do We Believe Will Move the Needle? Impact AreasDefinition Performance Management Education Leadership Teacher Effectiveness Learning Systems Teachers hired and developed to deliver strong student performance outcomes Campus- and district-level leaders hired and developed to focus on instruction and lead operations efficiently Rules and flexibility within the administrative and learning environment that support the personalization of learning at the student level Infrastructure and processes for identifying, tracking, and analyzing data critical to decision- making aligned with standards

Texas High School Project Next Generation Investments in Promising Practices John Fitzpatrick THSP Executive Director February 23, 2010