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AP Increase Leads
State Trends
Students in Irving ISD earned 820 top
scores on Advanced Placement (AP) exams for 2009-2010, compared to 690
for the previous year.
According to data compiled by the
district’s Department of Planning, Evaluation & Research, IISD has seen
an overall increase during the past three years in the number of high
schools students who receive a score of three or higher. In the
2007-2008 school year, 691 students earned a three or higher. This
dropped to 690 in 2008-2009, and increased to 820 last year. This 18.8
percent increase is higher than the state average increase of 11
percent. AP exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5.
Participation among IISD minority
students has also increased dramatically over the past 10 years. In
2001, minority students took 46 percent of all AP exams. This increased
to 75 percent in 2008-2009, and increased to 82 percent for 2009-2010.
Though the IISD increase of 7 percent is lower than the state minority
participation average increase of 15.8 percent for this past school
year, Irving ISD minority participation was considerably higher than the
statewide minority participation of 57 percent.
In Irving ISD, all students who
participate in AP classes take the appropriate exam. IISD differs from
many other Texas school districts in this regard, which can make it
difficult to compare IISD testing results with state reports. IISD
encourages maximum test participation in order to ensure all AP students
receive a true college-level course experience. The five exams most
frequently taken by Texas students are English Language & Composition,
U.S. History, English Literature & Composition, World History, and
Spanish Language.
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Read Right Helps
Students Succeed
The Read Right program in Irving ISD
elementary schools has helped more than 1,405 struggling readers improve
scores on state assessments.
IISD recently reported exceptional
results among Tier III struggling readers in elementary, middle and high
school. A Tier III reader is a student identified as reading two or more
levels below their current grade level in school, and on whom previous
interventions have not worked to improve the student’s reading.
Jadakiss Hall (left) and Ariel Torres in Nick Gleicher’s
Read Right class at Townsell Elementary School work on their
reading with Gleicher. To become a Read Right teacher,
Gleicher had to complete a seven-week intensive program, and
has to be recertified each year. |
Students were tutored by district
teachers and paraprofessionals with the Read Right methodology last
school year. The students in this study were performing in the sixth
percentile nationally when they entered small group Read Right tutoring.
As a result of participating in the program, 61 percent of these
students in grades 3-12 passed the reading portion of the Texas
Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) taken this past spring, with
80 percent of fifth graders in the program passing TAKS reading.
This is seventh year for Read Right in
IISD. The district started the program in November 2004 and every campus
– except early childhood schools – has a Read Right Program, including
Secondary Reassignment Center and Wheeler Center.
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Business Office
Recognized
For the twenty-second consecutive year,
the IISD Business Operations Department has been awarded the Certificate
of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, the highest form
of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial
reporting.
Awarded by the Government Finance
Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA), the
awarding of a certificate represents a significant accomplishment by a
government and its management. Business Operations and Irving ISD were
recognized specifically for the comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR).
Jan Arrington, director of business operations, also received an Award
of Financial Reporting Achievement for being primarily responsible for
the production of the CAFR.
The IISD CAFR has been judged by an
impartial panel to meet the high standards of the recognition program.
These standards include demonstrating a constructive spirit of full
disclosure to clearly communicate the financial story of IISD, and
motivating the community to read the document.
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Technology: Putting
Students First
Irving ISD Technology Department hosted
a demonstration of how IISD schools are changing the face of education
using instructional technology October 27 at Singley Academy.
By using technology to differentiate
instruction and foster student responsibility and ownership, IISD
demonstrated examples of how it is transforming instruction in every
classroom. Where classrooms were formerly teacher-centered, learning is
now student-driven. The district accomplishes this through the use of
Web 2.0 tools, online parent tools, virtual classrooms, and one-to-one
technology.
Irving ISD Technology Department hosted a demonstration of
how IISD schools are changing the face of education using
instructional technology October 27 at Singley Academy.
Pictured is Cathlin Shahriary, Lively Elementary School
bilingual fourth grade teacher, explaining to attendees her
Inspired Classrooms concept. |
Presentations included Inspired
Classrooms from Lively Elementary School, Scientific Investigation &
Reasoning class activities at Crockett Middle School, and implementation
of the 1:1 Laptop Program at Singley Academy.
IISD was selected to conduct the event
by Project RED (Revolutionizing Education) a national
non-profit research and advocacy plan. Project RED and its partners
believe that technology, as part of teaching and learning, will
transform learning and help re-engineer the educational system. For more
information about Project RED, access
www.projectred.org.
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Nimitz Robotics
Makes Semifinals
The robotics team from Nimitz High
School advanced to the semifinals of the Cowtown BEST 2010 Total Recall
Robotics Competition at Western Hills High School October 30.
BEST – an acronym for Boosting
Engineering, Science & Technology – is an annual competition in which
students construct a robot from a specified list of equipment, then
compete against other schools in putting the robot through a series of
activities. The Nimitz team placed eighth among the 15 teams in the
competition. Other semifinalists included Bailey Junior High School,
Christian Homeschool Alliance (CHAT), Birdville Center of Technology and
Advanced Learning (CTAL), Grace Preparatory Academy, Granbury Middle
School, Nolan Catholic High School, and Western Hills High School. Of
the eight semifinalists, Birdville CTAL, CHAT and Grace Preparatory
Academy will advance to the state BEST competition in November.
With the conclusion of BEST Robotics at
Nimitz, Angela Warr, Problem Solving in Robotics teacher, said she will
shift now to Robots 4-U. Warr said the program is open to freshmen and
sophomores who are interested in learning about electronics, computer
programming, mathematical concepts, leadership and teamwork. Funded by a
grant from Irving Schools Foundation, the Robots 4-U will be an
afterschool program in which students will design and build 22 robots.
Only four slots remain for the first group, however Warr said the
program will reopen in the Spring semester with space for 20 students.
Learn more about the Nimitz BEST
Robotics team and Robots 4-U from Warr’s homepage at
http://sites.google.com/site/msangelawarr/.
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Parent Involvement
Key in IISD
Several parent involvement conferences
have been scheduled in November to help parents learn more about
assisting their children with schoolwork and becoming more involved in
school activities.
Keyes Elementary School will host Parent
University from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. November 6. Concurrent sessions offered
in English and Spanish will be provided in a variety of topics including
math, reading, writing and science. Parents will also have the
opportunity to attend sessions about art, music, physical education,
drama, technology and nutrition. For more information, contact Keyes at
972-600-3400.
The Special Education Department has
scheduled their annual Parent Information Night for 6-8 p.m. November 9
at MacArthur High School. The event is designed to make families aware
of the various agencies and community resources available in the Irving
area. Representatives from area agencies will also be available to
answer questions. Agencies represented include: Dallas Metro Care, ARC
of Dallas, North Lake College and Dallas County Community College
District, and Department of Assistive & Rehabilitative Services (DARS).
Several concurrent information seminars will also be presented in two
sessions throughout the evening: guardianship, supplemental security
income, DARS- transitioning into the workforce, and parents and the
transition process. Most sessions run in 30-minute periods from
6:15-6:45 p.m. and from 7-7:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served and
babysitting will be provided. For specific information, access
www.irvingisd.net/page/parent_information_night.htm.
The Irving ISD Special Services Division
will host the second annual IISD Parent Academy from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
November 13 at MacArthur High School. More than 600 parents are expected
to attend the event. Sessions will include How to Help My Elementary
School Child, How to Help my Middle and High School Child, and
How to Help My Family. Dr. Dana T. Bedden, IISD superintendent of
schools, will serve as keynote speaker for the event. For schedule
access
www.irvingisd.net/page/parentacademy.htm.
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Orchestra Students
Make All-Region
Forty-one students in IISD middle and
high school orchestra programs earned positions in one of three
All-Region Orchestras following auditions at South Grand Prairie High
School October 9.
The All-Region Orchestras will perform a
concert at 4 p.m. November 13 Molina High School, located at 2355
Duncanville Road in Dallas . For a complete list of IISD students who
earned seats in an All-Region Orchestra, access
www.irvingisd.net/articles/AllRegionOrchestra2010.htm.
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Schools Observe Red Ribbon Week
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Follow Irving ISD on Twitter
 Keep
up with the latest Irving ISD news and events with three Tweets per
day, Monday through Friday. Follow Irving ISD on
Twitter with your cell phone or online.
http://twitter.com/IrvingISD.
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