Title I SIP Funding
for
College Readiness
Infrastructure
Everyone Can Learn by Rita Yeung
Garland High School, Garland ISD
2007-08 Texas PTA Reflections art exhibit
Campuses eligible for incentive
• While any SIP campus is eligible, it is strongly advised that
campuses apply only if that have met the following
conditions:
– Have already identified an area college that is willing to commit to
serving on a college readiness planning team
– Are already providing a minimum of 12 hours of advanced
academic opportunities for students, such as dual credit, AP/IB
– Have already begun work to create career pathways leading to
professional certificates for students not interested in a 4-year
college degree
Description of incentive
• The College Readiness Infrastructure incentive enables
campuses to created a strong college readiness platform
from which its students can begin earning college credits
toward a postsecondary academic degree or a career
certification. This infrastructure, once created, will lay the
foundation needed, should the decision be made for the
campus to pursue at a later date implementation of any of
the following innovative college readiness models:
– Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (T-STEM)
– Early College High School (ECHS)
– College for All (CFA)
Benefits of Selecting Incentive
• Enables campus to strengthen its college readiness efforts
so that all students can begin earning college credits
toward a postsecondary academic degree or a career
certification.
• Develops a strong college readiness foundation for
campuses who may be interested in becoming a T-STEM
academy, or Early College High School, or College for All
campus.
Commitments and requirements for incentive
• Creating or strengthening an MOU between the district and
a partnering institution of higher education that identifies
the responsibilities of each entity in providing dual credit
opportunities for high school students, including
development of a course crosswalk identifying college
credit opportunities to be made available to students.
• Administering a Texas Success Initiatives (TSI) assessment
to all 10 graders to qualify them to take dual credit courses
at the partnering community college.
• Implementing an interventions plan to correct deficiencies
identified in the TSI that will prevent students from
participating in college credit opportunities,
Considerations and interest for incentive
• To successfully develop the required MOU, a campus should
already have a strong partnership with an area college with
evidence that its dual credit arrangement is working successfully
• There should already be strong district-level interest and
commitment to a “college readiness for all” approach
• It is recommended that as a first step a planning team consisting
of campus, district, college, and community leaders be created.
• To successfully implement this incentive, there should be
evidence of a commitment to developing a strong, robust
portfolio of advance academic opportunities
• Preliminary work to develop career pathways leading to
professional certificates should be underway for those students
not interested in a 4-year college degree
Considerations and interests (cont.)
• Strong consideration should be given to committing a
portion of these funds purchase coaching services
approved for this purpose
• For maximum TSI results, strong consideration should be
given to offering students an intensive two-week
preparation/tutoring program to review TSI content
immediately prior to administration of the TSI.
• Campus must be prepared to analyze TSI results and
develop and execute intervention plans for each 10th grade
student failing to pass the TSI in preparation for a retest.
Considerations and interests (cont.)
• It is recommended that campuses provide their teachers
with professional development addressing college
readiness issues and TSI preparation
• An effective use of funds would also include a summer
bridge program for rising 9th graders to prepare them for
successful transition to high school and to make them
aware of how to take advantage of HS to prepare for college
• Campuses may find it helpful to administer career interest
inventories to students to assist them focus on college
readiness and information sessions for them to learn about
college-related issues such as entrance requirements,
financial aid, scholarship opportunities.
Considerations and Interests (cont.)
• For schools interested in later becoming a T-STEM academy,
the following STEM activities are recommended
– Development of a template for a “STEM individual graduation plan”
identifying the types and sequence of STEM courses the school
would offer
– Development of plans to prepare students to participate in
challenging STEM-related competitions including robotics, rocketry,
video game design, and engineering.
Contact Person
• Jan Lindsey jan.lindsey@tea.state.tx.us or 512-936-2283