Meeting began at 6:05 p.m.
Deputy Superintendent Danny Modisette thanked committee members Raj Menon and
David Stringfellow for their presentation outlining the committee’s scope of work at the
October 5 School Board Meeting.
Opening activity
Group facilitator Roz Keck asked groups to reflect on last week’s panel discussion with recent graduates and the New Tech Schools virtual tour with comments by Bob
Pearlman. The questions posed were:

What did you hear from the virtual tours or the conversation with Bob Pearlman that you think might be valuable to include in the plan for academies in Plano?

What did you hear that you might not want to consider in our work?
The groups were given time to discuss these questions and posted discussion notes to the collaborative wall.
Virtual tours
Executive Director for Instructional Technology Mary Hewett, Executive Director for
Human Resources Tamira Griffin and Central Cluster Area Assistant Superintendent
Roxanne Burleson, studied the Frisco CTE Center, Singley Academy in Irving ISD and
Dubiski Academy in Grand Prairie ISD. Ms. Hewett presented their findings through a virtual tour of the schools. Detailed information can be found in the attached meeting notes. (Attachment #1)
The groups were asked to answer the following questions based on the night’s tours:

What new things did you hear from the virtual tour that you think might be valuable to include in the plan for academies in Plano?

What new things did you hear that you might not want to consider in our work?
The groups were given time to discuss the tours and posted their discussion notes to the collaborative wall.
What do you want to accomplish with academies?
The groups were asked what they wanted to accomplish with academies in Plano based on the background information provided up to this point. They were then asked to share some of the most important things listed. Some of the comments shared included:

Skills relevant to the future, relevant to our real world

Non-traditional environment, non-traditional instruction

Opportunities to explore more in-depth choices regarding careers and/or fields of study

Prepare our students for a world we do not understand—one that is changing rapidly and constantly

In addition to a strong community connection, educate our students to be global citizens, to be able to work, communicate, understand and empathize with other cultures


Create a learning environment that is exciting, meaningful, relevant and engaging

Project Based Learning

9-12 full high school experience

Training to be competitive globally

Motivate students who might not otherwise go to college

Internships and mentoring opportunities

Implementing 21st century learning model while protecting full high school experience

Real-life relevance

Exploring possibilities

Must offer students more options

Serve both ends of the student spectrum—make the high performing students excel even better—but also allow the struggling student to excel; serve multiple student types

Would like to see the academy be the model for innovative and purposeful instructional practices that can be implemented in other schools as best practices

Allowing students to engage in their interests starting in 9th grade, career exploration and preparation earlier

Something which is complementary to our existing comprehensive schools, not something which would compete with them

Attractive to students from all ends of the spectrum

Purposeful marketing to students, parents, teachers and to the community
What are findings and directions?
Ms. Keck defined findings as “statements about what the district and community believe about how learning should be facilitated and supported” and defined directions as
“statements that describe how you will make the findings happen.” Findings must provide a clear statement/position/policy distinguishing one choice or alternative from another while directions provide specifics that should be reflected in future practice and planning for facilities. Ms. Keck initiated an activity in which groups were asked to create the findings and directions around the mission of the Plano ISD academy. The groups worked collaboratively and presented their statements while highlighting words they liked and underlining words they didn’t like from each of the group’s statements.
Homework
“Best thinkers” were chosen from each group and will come back next week with a new mission statement to share with the group. The rest of the committee was asked to think about the direction of the mission statement and be ready to share their ideas.
In closing, Mr. Modisette stated that next week the committee will discuss the upcoming community meeting format and how information will be shared.
The next committee meeting will be on Wednesday, October 13, 2010, with a light dinner served from 5:30 – 6:00 p.m. and the meeting held from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m.

Attachment #1
Why was campus built?
How do students apply?
Facility
Enrollment
Grades
Year opened
Pathways
HS Diploma
Grading and Other
Frisco CTE Center o Wanted way to increase student opportunities. o Surveys/research most needed was CTE. o Wanted students to work and live in Frisco after college. o Students fill out application.
They must have passed prerequisites in their pathway.
They take advanced and specialized courses here. o Choice
125,000 sq. ft.
1600
10-12
(limited # of 9 th
grade courses)
Grand Prairie – Dubiski o To alleviate overcrowding on other campuses.
Irving - Singley o Needed another high school. o Wanted school unlike the others. o Did not want a magnet school. o Wanted available for all students. o Looked at pathways to determine interests of community. o Students apply and are o accepted as long as there is space. A lottery is used if needed.
Choice o Students apply and accepted as long as there is space. A lottery is used if needed. o They get one of their top two choices. o Choice
Three levels 224,000 sq. ft./ 4-story building
1200 (+300 part time) 1700
9-12 9-12
2008 2009 2001
(first graduating class in 2011-12)
13 16 6 (but use their 4-year pathways that are organized differently than
No (only CTE classes offered) o Tech
Yes o AP o Dual Credit and Tech Prep o They have added job skills as grade on report cards. the state’s)
Yes o AP o Tech prep and Dual Credit o All their students can take core college courses free. o Grade only for mastery o Homework does not count for grade. They do get feedback. o They do summative exams and projects for grades.
Yes Yes Yes Do other High Schools offer CTE classes?
Do you offer project based learning?
No o They are just getting started. o They do have a few courses that have been combined. o They are using New Tech as a model. o STEM floor offers project learning. o All teachers work together and plan together. o Teaching teams are centered around specialty fields

Attendance
Athletics on campus
Fine Arts on campus
Laptops?
Internet
Dress code
Transportation
Better than other campuses Better than other campuses Better than other campuses
None None None
Students bring own devices
(on this campus only)
N/A o District o ID o Health Science/Vet Tech wear scrubs. o Culinary wear chef’s clothing o They have a bell schedule that works with other High Schools o Students can ride bus or drive their own car. o Buses run every period.
Each student has Dell notebook
(supported by students)
Filtered at home and school
Strict. Business casual.
(No jeans)
Each student has laptop or netbook
(students manage helpdesk and do tech support)
Filtered at school only o Follow district dress code. o Wednesdays: “Dress for
Success” o Tuesdays: attire o Buses run to home campus first period and after school. o Students can take buses from their home campus. o 3 shuttles that take students back and forth for extracurricular o School starts at 7:35 and ends at 2:35. No Bells o Block