The Academy of Irving ISD

1
The Academy of Irving ISD
OPENING THE DOOR TO NEW HORIZONS
2
SOME QUESTIONS TO PONDER
WHY DID WE BUILD THE ACADEMY? WHAT DO WE NEED TO
DO? HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO IT?
3
WHY DID WE BUILD THE ACADEMY?

• Relieve overcrowding in high schools
• Provide a different opportunity for students
• Provide opportunities for all students

4
WHY DO WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN HIGH
SCHOOL EDUCATION?
The purpose of high school is to provide a
transition from middle school to success in life
after graduation. The customer is the
student! The student needs the skills and
knowledge necessary for success after high school.
5
2001 TEXAS 12TH GRADERS Percent Moving from 9th
to 12th Grade
Source PEIMS
6
2001 IRVING ISD 12TH GRADERS Percent Moving from
9th to 12th Grade
Source PEIMS
7
HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETERS IN THE USA (1999) Percent
between 25 29 with Bachelors Degree
source US Dept of Education Statistics
8
How is the Academy organized?

• 3 semi-autonomous floors (schools within a
  school)
• Teaching teams centered around 6 specialty fields
• Sequential program focused on career preparation

9
Sequential Program

• Grade 9 Exploration
• Grade 10 Skill development
• Grade 11 Advanced skill development
• Grade 12 Specialization Experience

10
(No Transcript)
11
SECRETARYS COMMISSION ON ACHIEVING NECESSARY
SKILLS Foundation Skills
Basic Skills - reading, writing, mathematics,
speaking and listening. Thinking Skills - the
ability to learn, to reason, to think creatively,
to make decisions, and to solve
problems. Personal Qualities - individual
responsibility, self-esteem and self-management,
sociability, and integrity.
12
SECRETARYS COMMISSION ON ACHIEVING NECESSARY
SKILLS Workplace Competencies
Resources- They know how to allocate time,money,
materials, space, and staff. Interpersonal
skills - They can work on teams, teach others,
serve customers, lead, negotiate, and work well
with people from culturally diverse
backgrounds. Information - They can acquire and
evaluate data, organize and maintain files,
interpret and communicate, and use computers to
process information. Systems - They understand
social, organizational, and technological
systems they can monitor and correct
performance and they can design or improve
systems. Technology - They can select equipment
and tools, apply technology to specific tasks,
and maintain and troubleshoot equipment
13
Teach the knowledge and skills necessary for
success.
Social Studies
English
Technology
Problem Solving
Specialty Courses
Electives
Communication
Employability
Information Management
Science
Math
14
How will we provide a competitive advantage to
our students?

• Focus on student
• Team teaching
• Teach knowledge and skills necessary for success
• Business like environment
• Technology

15
Focus on the student!
SMALLER LEARNING COMMUNITIES STUDENT-ACTIVE
LEARNING ACTIVITIES CAREER EXPLORATION MENTORING
16
Business-like environment
Establishing an environment of clear expectations
based on maximizing the learning of everyone No
Bells Employability Skills
17
(No Transcript)
18
Technology
Instruction focused on applying technology for
both learning and accomplishing tasks Using
laptop computers to profoundly change learning
objectives and activities irvingisd.net/one2one

19
Technology

• Electronic textbooks
• On-line Course Content (Blackboard)
• On-line Assessment and Instant Feedback (Ed-Soft)