Safety is our Priority!

Basic Procedures Emergency Plans are in place Reviewed this August by Hitchcock Police Dept. Drills are practiced routinely on all campuses

Types of Announced and Unannounced Drills Practiced Fire Drills Tornado and severe weather Shelter in Place Lock Down Drills

Time Line for Drills Fire – once a month Weather –every other month Shelter in Place- twice a year

Lock Down Drill The number of times depends on the age level. Typically one announced and one unannounced each year.

Lock Down Drills Announcement is made and directions given to teachers/staff Students are instructed to remain quite, sit out of the path of windows, and lights are turned off

February 11, 2013 The Hitchcock Police Dept. conducted an unannounced lock down drill The Chief and I went to each campus We monitored the situation while officers and administrators checked classrooms, doors, etc. A debriefing was held on each campus

Future Items Tweaks have been made on each campus District wide ideas to be implemented Will conduct one announced drill before Spring Break Will conduct one unannounced drill this year

Extra Measures Door bells when someone enters Safety doors being installed or to be done Temporary door covers on classroom doors Raptor system and tags

History Lesson  TABS – Basic Skills (1980)  TEAMS – Minimum Skills (1986)  TAAS – Academic Skills (1999)  TAKS – Knowledge and Skills (2003)  STAAR – State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (2012)

STAAR will be based on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) just as TAKS was. However, STAAR will focus on fewer skills and address those skills in a deeper manner.

STAAR assessments will test Content students studied in that year. Focus on TEKS that are most critical to assess. Measure academic performance of students as they progress from elementary to middle to high school.

More test questions and more rigorous. Emphasis on “readiness” standards, which are considered most important for success for the grade level or subject that follows, and ultimately, college and career readiness.

Grades 3-8 Reading – Grades 3 rd -8 th Math – Grades 3 rd -8 th Writing – Grades 4 th &7 th Science – Grades 5 th & 8 th Social Studies – Grade 8 th High School COURSES MathEnglishScienceSocial Studies Algebra I Geometry Algebra II English I English II English III Biology Chemistry Physics World Geography World History U.S. History

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS Plan for phase-out of HS TAKS and phase-in of EOC assessments *Out-of-school testers and 12th grade retesters 2010– – – – –2015 GR 9TAKSEOC GR 10TAKS EOC GR 11TAKS EOC GR 12TAKS* EOC or TAKS*

Assessment Testing Timeline STAAR Grade 3-8STAAR EOC March and April of 2013April 1-4, 2013 May 6-17, 2013 *Assessment Window

Student Performance Labels 1.A student must earn at least the “minimum” score on all End-of-Course STAAR assessments taken. 2.A student must achieve a cumulative score that is greater than or equal to the number of EOC assessments taken multiplied by the satisfactory standard

Student Performance Labels Three Levels Level IIIAdvanced Academic Performance Level IISatisfactory Academic Performance Level IUnsatisfactory Academic Performance

Statistics 35 % ~ 122,000 Ninth Graders are off track for grade level after three (3) EOC 47% of the 122,000 are low income 262,343 Not at Level II

Grade Promotion State assessment scores Teacher recommendations Student grades 90% Attendance

How can I help my child? Be involved in your child’s scheduling Make sure your child takes EOC courses early/on time Review test results to know if your child is on track for meeting graduation requirements

Where can I find more information on STAAR? Texas Education Agency – Hitchcock ISD Website – Contact your child’s school

Exciting Event Pep Rally for Education “Shooting for the Stars ~ Making Education a Priority in Hitchcock ISD!” March 4 5:30 to 8:30