District Administration - October 2011 - (Page 33)

Preparing students to enter college —and to graduate SpringBoard, from the College Board, will boost rigor in Houston schools A round the time Dr. Terry Grier Grier, who has seen great results began overseeing the Houston from SpringBoard while leading othIndependent School District in er U.S. school districts, believes the 2009, roughly half of Houston’s gradulargest school system in Texas will ates were being accepted into college. see similar success with the program. Too few graduates were arriving on A group of 10 HISD administrators university campuses in the fall havvisited Hillsborough County, Fla., in ing earned credits through Advanced 2010 to see first-hand how a large Placement exams and only 15 percent and diverse school district is using eventually earned a college degree. SpringBoard. Principals and teachers “Parents were saying our curriculum were then asked if they wanted the wasn’t hard enough,” Grier said. “Kids program in their schools. The result: had to take remedial classes (to reach this summer, more than 700 teachers college standards). Something had to took a one-week SpringBoard trainbe done.” “Parents were saying our curriculum ing course.2011-2012 school year, 26 Two years later, the number of HousFor the wasn’t hard enough...We knew middle schools will implement Springton ISD 2011 graduates accepted into college now stands at 85 percent. At Board Math, and 42 middle schools something had to be done.” the same time, the number of AP exand 26 high schools will implement —Terry B. Grier, Ed.D., ams scored high enough to earn colSpringBoard English Language Arts. Superintendent, Houston ISD lege credit now stands at 6,855, a 39 Grier explained that the SpringBoard percent increase since 2009. curriculum is very organized and regiHow did HISD boost the level of academic rigor in a dis- mented, with more focus than other programs. Its instructrict where 80 percent of students come from low-income tional methods train students to better utilize the materials families in such a short period of time? they learn. SpringBoard’s value is not just what is taught, but “We believe AP classes and exams are for the prepared, how, he stressed. not the elite,” Grier said. “Two years ago, some HISD schools “It’s more about helping students learn how to think critioffered an enviable array of AP courses, while others offered cally,” he said. few, if any. Last year, we required every high school to offer Though middle school students will surely benefit from at least 10 AP exams, and when schools opened this fall we the early exposure to this style of teaching, SpringBoard ratcheted that number up to a minimum of 15 AP classes. In certainly hasn’t come too late for Houston’s upperclassaddition, HISD requires every student enrolled in AP classes men. All students in schools that adopt the SpringBoard to take the exams, and we pay the fee. That’s how important approach will receive pre-AP instruction. Implementing we believe AP is to students’ future success.” SpringBoard will facilitate the district reaching its goal of HISD is creating a culture of high expectations that growing the number of students who earn college credits reaches all the way into pre-kindergarten classrooms and through AP. is designed to put even the youngest students on a path Grier reported that 85 percent of Class of 2011 gradutoward college. ates were accepted by a two- or four-year college this The next step in HISD’s effort to expand access to the most fall—far above the national average—and the dollar rigorous classes involves reaching students earlier, in middle amount of scholarships they received jumped from $97 school. This is where SpringBoard, a pre-AP college prepara- million to $126 million in just one year. Numbers to be tory curriculum provided by the College Board, comes in. proud of, for sure, but Grier knows they can be deceiving. “The greatest benefit is a curriculum that we can use He still worries about how this group will fare in college, across the schools, with academic rigor, and the ability to but thanks to SpringBoard’s focus on rigor, these students’ prepare the students for college,” Grier said. odds of success are better than ever.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - October 2011

District Administration - October 2011
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Transportation Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Building a Blended Learning Program
How Are Science Fairs Fairing?
A New Age for Algebra
Early College High Schools
Changing of the Guard in Florida
CIO News
How Much Computing Power Do You Need?
An Unconventional Approach to 1:1
New Books
Problem/ Solution
Research Center
Product Focus
New Products
Professional Opinion
Going Mobile
Online Edge

District Administration - October 2011