Texas High
School Project
John Fitzpatrick
THSP Executive Director
February 8, 2011
Our Mission
To significantly improve the postsecondary
readiness of low-income students with a focus
on students in low performing schools.
Our Strategy
The Texas High School Project develops
practical insights and proven solutions that can
be scaled in schools and districts throughout
Texas based on our evidence and data analysis
across the transition from middle school (8-9)
through high school (9-12) and
into postsecondary programs
(four-year, two- year, and technical programs).
THSP: A $375 Million Public-Private Alliance
State of Texas
Philanthropy
Manage an R&D Pipeline for Identifying Successful Practices
Transitions
Feedback and Redesigns
Interventions designed to
test impact, measured by
specific improvements
over a baseline
Multiple instances of interventions
are designed to prove repeatability,
measured by narrowed distribution
of results from the intervention
proof point
Roll-out is designed for scale,
measured by rate of adoption
and achievement of
expected impact
Scale
One to a Few Instances
Multiple, Varied Instances
School Systems Statewide
THSP Focus on Four Key Strategic Areas
Hiring and developing
campus- and district-level
leaders to improve instruction
and lead operations efficiently
Education
Leadership
Addressing key
practices and policies
that increase teacher
productivity and impact
Teacher
Effectiveness
Student
Success
Performance
Management
Establishing infrastructure and
processes for informing data-driven
decision-making to increase school
and district productivity
Learning
Systems
Identifying and scaling
models and practices
that support better
learning environments
for students
Teacher
Effectiveness
• Raise Your Hand Texas
• Texas High School Project
• Communities Foundation of Texas
• The Brown Foundation
• The Meadows Foundation
• Houston Endowment
• Sid W. Richardson Foundation
How we do define and identify effective teachers?
How do we ensure that all students, particularly those who need
greater support in the classroom, have effective teachers?
And how do we have this dialogue in a way that is both respectful
of the profession, but still asks the right questions about teacher’s
impact on individual student achievement?
• Mathematics classes in
high-poverty high schools
are twice as likely
to be assigned to an
out-of-field teacher as are
mathematics classes
at affluent high schools.
• Science classes in high-poverty high schools are three times as likely
to be taught by an out-of-field teacher as science classes
at a affluent high school.
Early Findings
• The most critical year-to-year element
is the past track record of value add.
• Teachers with high value add promote
deeper conceptual understanding.
• Student perception match the
value-add and objective data
on student performance.
• Teachers do watch videotapes
of themselves in the classroom.
Performance
Management
Data Diagnostic and Planning Project
Education
Leadership
THSP Superintendent Networks
Big Ten
• Aldine, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso,
Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio, Ysleta
Rio Grande Valley
• Brownsville, Harlingen, Hidalgo, La Villa, Lasara, Los Fresnos,
McAllen, Mission, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo, Port Isabel
Small and Rural
• Athens, Fort Hancock, Fruitvale, Lasara, New Deal, Panola, Roscoe
Learning
Systems
SRI evaluation of THSP portfolio
identified academic improvement in target demographics
THSP focus
Low-Income
and Minority
Students
SRI independent evaluation findings
• THSP portfolio schools serve more economically disadvantaged,
African-American, and Hispanic students compared to average
Texas high schools
Academic
Achievement
• T-STEM students performed better than comparison school peers
on 2008–09 TAKS-Math and Science scores
• Attending an Early College High School (ECHS) had positive effects
on TAKS performance in almost all core subject areas
• ECHS students had higher promotion to 10th grade and higher
participation in 11th grade accelerated learning courses than peers
Student
Engagement
• T-STEM 9th graders and ECHS 9th- 11th graders demonstrated
higher attendance than comparison students
‒ Largely attributed to stronger academic culture and
higher expectations for T-STEM and ECHS students
than peer school students
Source: SRI International “Evaluation of the Texas High School Project Second Comprehensive Annual Report,” November 2010
STEM program is increasing postsecondary preparation
STEM campuses achieving
approximately 12% higher
TSI Math Qualification than peers
% Qualified under Texas Success
Initiative - Higher Education Readiness
TSI
Component,%Math**
Math,
Statewide,
66%
% TSI
Math,
Compariso
n Group*,
66%
% TSI
Math,
STEM
Students,
78%
* Comparison group based on campuses matched by TEA. **Relationship also holds for reading.
Source: AEIS 2010.
Notes: Weighted average based on student count. THSP portfolio does not include SWS or schools with less than two years
of continuous STEM operation. TSI performance based on 11th grade exit-level TAKS. N= 13 campuses. % Complete is
defined as the number of 9-12th grade students who completed at least 1 advanced course in 2008-09. N= 21 campuses.
STEM program is increasing postsecondary preparation
STEM students achieving
approximately 21% higher rate of
Advanced Courses/Dual Credit
completion than peers
% Completion,
% Credit
Advance Course/Dual
Completio
n,
Statewide,
25%
%
Completio
n,
Comparis
on
Group*,
19%
%
Completio
n, STEM
Students,
40%
* Comparison group based on campuses matched by TEA. **Relationship also holds for reading.
Source: AEIS 2010.
Notes: Weighted average based on student count. THSP portfolio does not include SWS or schools with less than two years
of continuous STEM operation. TSI performance based on 11th grade exit-level TAKS. N= 13 campuses. % Complete is
defined as the number of 9-12th grade students who completed at least 1 advanced course in 2008-09. N= 21 campuses.
STEM programs increase student engagement
Chart Title
% Drop Out, Statewide,
2.9%
% Drop Out, Comparison
Group*, 1.0%
10X less
than the state
% Drop Out, STEM
Students, 0.3%
* Comparison group based on campuses matched by TEA.
Source: AEIS 2010. Measure based on grades 9 – 12 in 2008-09 .
Notes: Weighted average based on student count. THSP portfolio does not include SWS or schools with
less than two years of continuous STEM operation. N= 21 campuses.
STEM programs narrow and close ethnic achievement gaps
based on key indicators of college readiness
% TSI 2010, Math
Hispanic,
STEM,
78%
Hispanic,
African STATE,
American, 58%
STATE,
49%
% Advanced Courses/Dual Credit
Completion
AfricanState average
American, for white
STEM,students = 78%
57%
African American
Hispanic
African Hispanic,
American,STATE,
STATE, 21%
18%
Hispanic,
African American
African STEM,
Hispanic
American,
43%
STEM,
34%
Hispanic STEM students have demonstrated the ability to close the gap.
Source: AEIS 2010.
Notes: Weighted average based on student count. THSP portfolio does not include SWS or
schools with less than two years of continuous STEM operation. TSI performance based on
11th grade exit-level TAKS. % Complete is defined as the number of 9-12th grade students
who completed at least 1 advanced course in 2008-09.
State average
for white
students = 29%
T-STEM Centers
• Center for STEM Education and Research
University of Texas at Dallas
• Transformation 2013
Collaborative of Regions 13 and 20 ESCs, Austin/San Antonio
• Aggie STEM Center
Texas A&M University, College Station
• Southeast Regional T-STEM Center
University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
• El Centro Del Futuro
Region 1 ESC, Edinburg
• East Texas STEM Center
Ingenuity Center, University of Texas at Tyler
• Texas Tech T-STEM Center
Texas Tech University, Lubbock
ECHS program is increasing postsecondary preparation
ECHS campuses achieve
approximately 23% higher
TSI Math Qualification than peers
% Qualified under Texas Success Initiative Higher Education Readiness Component,
Math**
% TSI
Math,
Statewide,
66%
% TSI
Math,
Compariso
n Group*,
58%
% TSI
Math,
ECHS
Students,
81%
* Comparison group based on campuses matched by TEA. **Relationship also holds for reading.
Source: AEIS 2010.
Notes: Weighted average based on student count. THSP portfolio does not include SWS or schools with less than two years
of continuous STEM operation. TSI performance based on 11th grade exit-level TAKS. N= 13 campuses. % Complete is
defined as the number of 9-12th grade students who completed at least 1 advanced course in 2008-09. N= 21 campuses.
ECHS program is increasing postsecondary preparation
ECHS students achieving
approximately 42% higher rate of
Advanced Courses/Dual Credit
completion than peers
% Completion,
%
Advance Course/Dual
Credit
Completio
n,
Statewide,
25%
%
Completio
n,
Compariso
n Group*,
22%
%
Completio
n, ECHS
Students,
64%
* Comparison group based on campuses matched by TEA. **Relationship also holds for reading.
Source: AEIS 2010.
Notes: Weighted average based on student count. THSP portfolio does not include SWS or schools with less than two years
of continuous STEM operation. TSI performance based on 11th grade exit-level TAKS. N= 13 campuses. % Complete is
defined as the number of 9-12th grade students who completed at least 1 advanced course in 2008-09. N= 21 campuses.
Pharr-San Juan Alamo ISD
May 13, 2010
Postsecondary
Access & Completion
Where is THSP Heading in 2011?
Stage One
• Teacher Effectiveness
• Learning Systems
• Postsecondary Access & Completion
Stage Two – Scaling Promising Practices
• STEM & ECHS District-wide
Implementation
• Statewide STEM Strategy
• Resource, Convener &
Thought Partner
Texas High
School Project
John Fitzpatrick
THSP Executive Director
February 8, 2011