ROSCOE COLLEGIATE HIGH SCHOOL Why all the change? What have we done to deserve this? 1

WHY? Early College High School? AVID? Challenge Based Learning Framework? Longer school days? More professional development? More accountability? 2

BACKGROUND ON ROSCOE COLLEGIATE INITIATIVES Began dual credit program 10 years ago with WTC as partner Originally passed all expenses on to students Dual credit became an elite program for elite students When HS Allotment emerged, we began using those funds to pay tuition, books, & fees Still could not figure out a way for students to reach 60 hours (42 has been the max) 3

WHY EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL (ECHS)? Roscoe ISD has evolved into a low- socioeconomic status (Low SES) district Only 9% of Low SES students go beyond HS diploma HS diploma today is equivalent to 8 th grade certificate 30 years ago 21 st Century economy requires educated employees who can think creatively 4

ECHS BECAUSE… P16 mandates that schools bridge the gap between high school and college (no option) All high school graduates should be workforce and college ready It equips the non-traditional college student with the intangibles to become successful It prepares students who would traditionally become economic drains on society with an opportunity to become economic contributors 5

ECHS BECAUSE… Students develop a greater vision for higher levels of accomplishments (high expectations) Students develop confidence in abilities Students have opportunity for 2 year college scholarship Students have head start on their competition Students graduating HS with significant college investment of time and effort tend to go to college, complete college, pursue advanced degrees 6

ECHS BECAUSE… A high school diploma, in and of itself, results in unemployment or a minimum wage job in today’s competitive economic environment A minimum wage job will not support the cost of living for today’s average American family Unemployment and substandard living conditions result in poorer health and shorter life span Hopelessness leads to social ills such as drug and alcohol abuse, domestic quarrels, etc. 7

ECHS BECAUSE… As the population in Texas is projected to grow from 26 million in 2009 to 50 million by 2040, 90% of that growth is projected to be low socioeconomic If public schools fail to become proactive in the development of successful citizens from this population, the economic impact for the state and nation will be devastating The United States is in danger of evolving into a Third World Country 8

AVID BECAUSE… Advancement Via Individual Determination It provides college readiness for college bound students It provides specific instruction in note taking, study skills, organization, time management, career path exploration – making priorities the priority It results in a leveling of the playing field for college bound students It is a foundation for college success 9

CHALLENGE BASED LEARNING BECAUSE… Students retain 10% of what they hear but 90% of what they do It brings relevance to learning It allows students ownership in education It allows the teacher to evolve into a facilitator It promotes student engagement, minimizing behavioral and effort issues Increased relevance allows students to handle increased rigor 10

LONGER SCHOOL DAY BECAUSE… The traditional school day was designed 100 years ago to provide students time after school to work on the farm Greater accomplishment is typically the result of greater effort Challenge Based Lessons require more preparation and delivery time Many students no longer enjoy strong school support from home 11

INCREASED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE… Of all factors related to student learning, the teacher is the most dominant factor To expect student growth without teacher growth is unrealistic To ask teachers to increase the level of rigor and relevance of instruction without the proper training is unrealistic To ask teachers to learn to facilitate student centered lessons without the proper training is unrealistic 12

ADMINISTRATIVE WALK THROUGHS BECAUSE… Well documented research supports the premise that a high correlation between administrative walk throughs, teacher performance, and student success exists One grant requirement is extensive and well documented administrative interaction with teachers The principals and ECHS director will all be very visible in the classrooms (Not as a threat but as a means of support) 13

INCREASED ACCOUNTABILITY BECAUSE… The successful adoption of the collegiate high school model requires outside expertise Research based data is available from previous Early College High School models Access to the data comes with strings in the form of willingness to serve as a model Higher expectations result in greater accomplishment through increased accountability 14

THE ECHS GRANTS Applied for a Small/Rural Planning Grant conjunctively with Sweetwater ISD Toured/analyzed several ECHS’s around Texas Time frame of planning grant was too short to develop policy for a dual ECHS grant app. TEA has proven very flexible in allowing Roscoe to move forward as a rural school Planning, implementation, & professional development approximately $865,000 15

HIDALGO ECHS MODEL District wide model –begins in elementary 98% Hispanic & 92% LSES All 900 HS students (even SE) enrolled in college courses Ranked #1 in Texas & #11 in U.S. in College Readiness Maintained very successful extracurricular programs Through laser focus have overcome huge obstacles in demographics, trans., etc 16

BUY-IN CRITICAL TO SUCCESS School Board Administration Faculty Support Staff Students Parents Community Higher Education Partners 17