ROSCOE COLLEGIATE HIGH SCHOOL

Why all the change?What have we done to deserve this?

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WHY?

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

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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 8th grade certificate 30 years ago

• 21st Century economy requires educated employees who can think creatively

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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

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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

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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.

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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 success9

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 rigor10

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

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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

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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 $865,00015

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

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BUY-IN CRITICAL TO SUCCESS

• School Board• Administration• Faculty• Support Staff• Students• Parents• Community• Higher Education Partners

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