MOTTO: "We strive for truth, knowledge, and
success on the pathway to higher education."
An educational opportunity provided
through the collaborative efforts of the
El Paso Independent School District,
the El Paso Community College, and
the Texas High School Project of the
Communities Foundation of Texas.
Grant :
•1st generation attending college
•Member of under-served population
•SES qualifications
•Not exclusive
•T-STEM focused
TMECHS Goal:
To make the college dream come true for
students who desire to go to college and
who are committed to making the dream
come true.
Vision:
To provide a nurturing and supportive
environment which enables EVERY
student selected to attend the Early
College High School to:
• successfully complete his/her high school
diploma
• obtain an Associate’s Degree
• become an independent learner and
positive contributor to the community
• transition to a 4-year college or work
setting with the skills to be successful in
the path of his/her choice
Student Selection:
• Students apply for admission
• Students meet promotion requirements
(Passing grades, 90% attendance, 8th grade TAKS mastery)
• A lottery is conducted (125 students)
• Students are interviewed
(to ensure an understanding of commitment expectations)
• Students take the ACCUPLACER exam
• Students attend a Summer Bridge Program
Student Profile:
• 100% passed 8th grade Reading/Math TAKS, but
scores varied
• 97.5% has met the ACCUPLACER Reading
expectations for Dual Credit
• Diverse backgrounds (represent all of El Paso, all subpopulations represented, 60% Economic Disadvantaged)
Transitioning:
• Summer Bridge Program
• Start Dual Credit in Spring 2009
• Staff emphasis on “college readiness”
• Opportunities to dialogue with EPCC staff
Students are engaged in:
• A highly rigorous curriculum focused
around the T-STEM model of Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Math
• Career Planning centered on a
personalized Career Pathway
• Resume development
• On-going advisories
What Works:
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•
•
•
•
Build on background knowledge-success
Accountable talk—breaking it down
Discuss with a partner—Reinforce learning
Model Everything—Variety of activities
Match the Concept to the Real World—adds
relevancy .
• Competition—motivates and challenges
The AVID program is used to ensure
academic success. All students will
participate in AVID in their 9th grade year.
The students will also take:
BCIS (Dual Cr.)
AVID/EDU1300 (Dual Cr.)
*World Geography
*Algebra I/Geometry
*English I
*Biology I
Spanish
Physical Education
NOTE: * is Pre-AP
Our students begin their college level course
work during the 9th grade year on our
campus and move to the EPCC campus
according to their academic level of
success.
TMECHS
Faculty/Staff
• Are hand-picked based upon their abilities to
work with students which may require on-going
interventions such as: mentoring, tutoring,
advising
• Have Master’s Degrees and are Highly Qualified
in their content areas
• Total 8 in number. We currently have 14 staff
members; additional staff is added each year
Regular Parent/School communication and
interaction is expected.
• Mandatory meetings
• Parent TEAMS Portal
• Parent/Teacher conferences
• Pro-active in addressing student success
Frequently Asked Question Topics
• Transportation
• Safety
• Community Service/Extra-curricular
involvement for Scholarships
• School Day Schedule
• Summer/Night Classes
• Laptops
• Modifications (i.e. Speech Therapy)
• Lunch
• Do credits transfer?
• Bridge program
• Difference from this to Magnet Program
• Uniforms
• Disqualifying factors (i.e. college graduate)
• Tutorials
• Sports opportunities
• Dances/assemblies/etc.
• Computer Science/Technology offerings
• Do you take only 9th grade students?
Transmountain
Early College High School
The Key to making your
College Dream Come True
Questions?