Unlimited Digital Access: Only 25¢! |
Hello, Houston,
We're only a couple weeks away from end of 2023 — and the end to the district's first semester since the state takeover. I've got plans to spend my December visiting holiday lights displays with friends, enjoying the "cold" weather and wrapping up some final articles. If you've got plans for the rest of the year or thoughts about how this past semester has been going, please reach out!
I'll also be keeping my eye on the election happening this Saturday, where Houston will choose between state Sen. John Whitmire and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee to be the new mayor. While the new mayor may not have any formal authority over the city's public schools, you can read up on the two candidates' plans to restore HISD to local control before casting your ballot.
This week's must reads:
- HISD canceled a partnership with Verizon that provided free laptops and internet access to thousands of students due to training requirements for teachers, prompting pushback from Houston-area state lawmakers. To replace the program, the district is planning to pay $15 per student per month for T-Mobile hotspots instead.
- Superintendent Mike Miles said 111 HISD schools would have received D or F ratings if the Texas Education Agency's new rating system was not blocked by a judge, which is more than double an estimate the district provided in August.
Is there something happening you think we should be covering? Let us know here or by replying directly to this email.
 | Megan Menchaca, Houston ISD Reporter |
HISD campuses at risk for potential state investigation over graduation committee rates
When I heard Houston ISD's state-appointed superintendent Mike Miles say last month that the district was under investigation because multiple campuses in the district have not been following state law, I wanted to know more.
Miles was referring to a 2015 law that allows special committees to award a high school diploma to students who fail up to two of five of their end-of-course exams as long as those students complete certain additional requirements, like a project or portfolio of work demonstrating proficiency.
Schools aren't supposed to graduate more than 10% of their students through the Individual Graduation Committees, or they could risk a state investigation, but it's been happening in HISD for years.
Despite Miles' comments, the Texas Education Agency said it is not investigating HISD about their committee graduation rates. However, it has initiated a compliance review into HISD, which is conducted before the agency potentially gives notice of a special investigation.
The district recently published a report naming the specific 16 campuses that had more than 10% of students graduate through these committees during the 2021-22 school year, including campuses graduating significantly more than 10% of their students this way.
Following a review of their data, HISD spokesperson says the district has plans to bring those numbers down, including by implementing a more robust data tracking system and deploying more support staff to those 16 campuses. Read more here about the HISD campuses eligible for state investigation and the district's plans to address the issue here.
What Else Happened This Week
|
|
|
|
|
The Calendar Ahead
• Dec. 8: Deadline for Families to request gifted-and-talented testing
• Dec. 9: HISD will host a campus staff hiring event from 9 a.m. to noon at Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. 4400 West 18th St.
• Dec. 13: Hiring fair for HISD bus drivers from 9 a.m. to noon at the Northwest Motor Pool complex, 6351 Pinemont Drive.
• Dec. 14: Board of Managers regular meeting at 5 p.m. at Hattie Mae White, 4400 W. 18th St.
• Dec. 16: HISD families are invited to Winterfest, a festive event featuring resources, kids' activities and a turkey distribution from 9 a.m. to noon at the Sunrise Center at Mission Milby, 2220 Broadway St.
• Dec. 19: In-person School Choice event. HISD to announce time and location.
• Dec. 20: Virtual school choice events, starting at 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. HISD will send out a registration link soon.
• Dec. 22-Jan. 5: Winter break. (Staff returns Jan. 5.)
• Jan. 15: MLK Day
• Jan. 18: Phase 1 School Choice applications open
• Feb. 23: Phase 1 School choice applications due
• March 26: Phase 1 Notifications
Shoutout
Good luck to the Holiday Hackathoners: Students from across HISD will be participating Saturday in the 3rd annual Holiday Hackathon, sponsored by Schlumberger, Invited STEM and robotics clubs from around the district will compete in a series of challenges in a day of learning and service, according to HISD.
Know a teacher, staff or student who deserves a shoutout? Let us know here or by replying to this email.
Meet The Team
Photo by: Susan Barber
Our HISD coverage is fueled by reporting from Anna Bauman, Megan Menchaca, Sam González Kelly and Anastasia Goodwin. Assistant City Editor Jennifer Radcliffe also helps contribute to this newsletter.
You can reach out to any of them by emailing them at their firstname.lastname@houstonchronicle.com, filling out this survey or by replying directly to this email.
|
Unsubscribe | Manage Preferences | Privacy Notice
Houston Chronicle
4747 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77027
© 2023 Hearst Communications
No comments:
Post a Comment