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Houston ISD
4400 West 18th Street
Houston, TX 77092-8501

tel: (713) 556-7383
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HISD Becomes Third U.S. School District Offering Free SAT Testing for all Juniors

Students can take the college entrance exam during class time in April February 2, 2011 – All high school 11th graders in the Houston Independent School District will be given the opportunity to take the SAT college entrance exam free of charge at their home campuses this spring. Only two other school districts in the nation have gone this far to ensure all students are ready to apply for college acceptance once they graduate. Typically, students have to register for the exam on their own and then take the SAT on a weekend at a specific testing site. The standard fee is $47. “Giving students a chance to take the SAT at their own high school during regular school hours encourages more students to apply for college,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “This eliminates obstacles that sometimes keep students from ever taking the SAT.” The free in-class testing, scheduled for April 13, is expected to double the number of graduates who have taken the SAT. Nearly 5,000 of HISD’s graduates in the class of 2010 took the SAT, which is less than half of all graduates. The testing initiative is partially funded by the Texas Education Agency’s Texas College Preparation Program (TCPP), which provides juniors with a College Readiness Assessment Voucher. HISD students may use this voucher for the SAT at their home school on Wednesday April 13, 2011, or their choice of either the SAT or ACT exam on the other preapproved dates at specific testing sites. Those dates and locations are as follows: ACT                                                         SAT April 9 (registration deadline March 4)    May 7 (registration deadline April 8) June 11 (registration deadline May 6)    June 4 (registration deadline May 6) In addition to the free testing, HISD juniors will have access to the College Board’s Official SAT Online Course. The SAT is just the latest exam to be offered to HISD students at no cost. Last spring, the school district paid for all students enrolled in college-level Advanced Placement courses to take AP exams that can earn them college credit. As a result, the number of AP exams taken increased 46 percent from 2009 and 38 percent of exams taken by all AP students earned a qualifying score.

HISD and Texas Heart Institute Announce Program to Screen Students for Potentially Fatal Heart Conditions

November 11, 2010 – The Houston Independent School District and the Center for Coronary Artery Anomalies at the Texas Heart Institute (THI) today announced a partnership that will provide voluntary screenings for HISD students in an effort to detect congenital heart abnormalities that can cause sudden cardiac death. The screenings will take place at selected HISD middle schools over the next two years using a specially built THI mobile imaging unit with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. With parental permission, each student will be screened using both the MRI and electrocardiogram (ECG) equipment. The process will take about 15 minutes, is non-invasive, and does not use any needles or medication. There will be no cost to parents for the screenings. The program is expected to begin before the end of the year and Welch Middle School will be one of the first HISD schools to participate. On hand today at Welch to announce the new program and partnership was Superintendent Terry Grier, THI President James T. Willerson, Houston philanthropist Nancy Kinder of the Kinder Foundation, Center for Coronary Artery Anomalies Director Dr. Paolo Angelini, and former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman. “This very important outreach effort and partnership between HISD and the Texas Heart Institute will not only benefit our students and their families, but it will save lives,” said HISD Superintendent Terry B. Grier. “Too often, we hear about a student athlete who dies suddenly in the middle of a game or at a team practice,” said Dr. James T. Willerson, THI President and Medical Director. “It’s a problem with tragic consequences, and we want to do more to address it. Our methods for detection are the most accurate known.” The screenings will help to diagnose cardiac abnormalities like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or HCM, which can cause abnormal heart rhythms. HCM is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in children, especially young athletes. Cases, or suspected cases, of sudden cardiac death make headlines with some regularity around the country, when a young student athlete is stricken during a game or practice session. However, sudden cardiac death is largely preventable through proper screenings and early detection. In addition to providing the screenings, THI will use the data they collect to help learn more about heart abnormalities which affect primarily young people, and study their prevalence in the broad population. The project is being underwritten by a $5 million donation by the Kinder Foundation, founded by Houston philanthropists Rich and Nancy Kinder, and with support from Houston-based Cameron. "Rich and I are delighted to support a great organization like the Texas Heart Institute in tackling a serious medical problem that exists in our community and throughout America,” said Nancy Kinder, President of the Kinder Foundation. “We hope this effort will pay long-term dividends in improving the health of our students over the coming years."

HISD Shares Community Plan to Transform the District

<div style="text-align: center;">District to give accountability updates on Strategic Direction twice a year</div> October 7, 2010 – Last night, at a special community meeting, HISD Board President Greg Meyers and Chief Middle Schools Officer Dallas Dance updated parents and members of the Houston community on HISD’s Strategic Direction or community plan to transform the district. Those in attendance viewed a video and power point presentation on the district’s efforts which included the reason behind the development of the plan, the processes and efforts that went into its development, the core initiatives contained, and how HISD will measure its success in implementing the plan. “We promised to include the voices of parents, students, staff and community members in the development of the district’s Strategic Direction and everyone at HISD took that promise very seriously,” said Greg Meyers. “Now that the plan is complete, by no means is our work done. We will continue to seek input as the plan is implemented and we will provide the entire HISD community with periodic updates on its progress.” A key element of the Strategic Plan includes measuring its success. The district will give accountability updates twice a year and will also align all of its assessment processes, including ASPIRE, the board monitoring system and the superintendent’s performance appraisal with the priorities identified in the Strategic Direction. “I have a lot of confidence in what I saw presented Wednesday evening,” said Jimmy Peevy, an HISD parent who attended the community meeting. “HISD is evolving and I think the board and the district are going in a new direction and have a new sense of urgency. I applaud HISD’s efforts and I hope parents like myself and other members of the community will get involved to support their efforts.” HISD began the strategic planning process in February with a series of community and organizational surveys, public meetings, and one-on-one discussions with staff, students, parents and members of the Houston community to discover what the district was doing well and where it needed to improve. HISD staff also analyzed student data and researched best practices from around the country and within HISD. The end result of the district’s six-month, intense effort is a community plan to transform HISD that contains five core initiatives, or strategies, that are designed to dramatically improve student achievement and are driven by the Board of Education’s beliefs and visions and core values. The five core initiatives of HISD’s Strategic Direction are an effective teacher in every classroom, an effective principal in every school, rigorous instructional standards and supports, data-driven accountability, and a culture of trust through action. “These core initiatives will allow us to transform HISD and will ensure that our students are graduating from HISD with the tools necessary to be successful in college and a career,” said Chief Middle Schools Officer Dallas Dance. “It will also position HISD to become the best district in the United States.” For more information about HISD’s Strategic Direction visit <a href="http://www.houstonisd.org/strategicdirection">www.houstonisd.org/strategicdirection</a>.