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Special ProgramsACT/SAT Preparation Classes The College and Career Readiness Department provides ACT and SAT preparation classes at Dallas ISD high schools during the school year and in summer school. In addition to learning test-taking techniques, students take practice pre and posttests under real life testing conditions that prepare them for the official ACT and SAT tests. For more information, call Jacqueline Renfro at (972) 925-3421. Advanced Placement The Advanced Placement Program, sponsored by the College Board, enables high school students to earn advanced placement credit, college credit, or both at nearly 3,000 colleges and universities across the country. The AP Program bridges the transition from high school to college by enriching the secondary school experience of students ready to apply themselves to college-level courses. After passing AP subject-matter exams, students become eligible for credits at the college they attend. For more information, call (214) 932-5010. Alternative Schools The district’s alternative schools provide students with relevant options to attending their home school, or, if they have been removed from their home school for disciplinary reasons, the opportunity to continue their educational program while developing appropriate social and behavioral skills for a successful return to the home school.
Career and Technology Education Career and Technology Education provides secondary students with the opportunity to explore and prepare for their future through personal and career development. Courses are offered in eight areas: agriculture science and technology, business education, career orientation, family and consumer sciences, health science technology, marketing education, technology education, and trade and industrial education. Courses are offered at all middle, high, and magnet school campuses. Cooperative education, internships, dual-credit college courses, and Tech Prep/articulated college programs also are available through Career and Technology Education. For more specific course and program information, visit the district’s Web site at www.dallasisd.org/inside_disd/depts/cte/ or call (214) 932-5179. Career Counseling Center The Career Counseling Center provides services for recent Dallas ISD high school graduates, such as employability skills, employment information, resume writing, and interviewing techniques. Career counselors are available to work with teachers on career information for classroom presentations. The center is located at Nolan Estes Plaza, 3434 So. R.L. Thornton Freeway. For more information, call (214) 932-5045 or (214) 932-5047, or visit www.dallasisd.org/inside_disd/depts/cte/GraduatePlace.html. Career Pathways Parents and guardians have the opportunity to choose their child's school and select from a variety of career pathways when the student is preparing to enter the ninth grade. Career pathways include art, communications, business, health, engineering, math, technology, architecture, law, criminal justice, and transportation and are offered at seven high schools—Bryan Adams, W.H. Adamson, David W. Carter, Emmett J. Conrad, L.G. Pinkston, W.W. Samuell, and H. Grady Spruce. Through a rigorous curriculum that prepares them for college, students have the opportunity to see the relevance of what they are studying to their possible future careers. Students also have access to Advanced Placement courses; to dual credit classes to obtain transferable college credit hours; and to tech prep credits, which count toward an associate degree at a community college upon enrollment. For more information on career pathways, go to www.dallasisd.org/parents/schoolchoice.htm. Dallas Scores Dallas Scores is a nationally recognized after-school program that offers eighth- through 12th-graders the opportunity to play soccer and learn how to express themselves through creative writing and community service. For more information, call (214) 760-8133. Destination: Graduation With funding from a $100,000 Texas Instruments Foundation grant, the district started a pilot program at W.W. Samuell High School with the goal of keeping students in school and motivating them to go to college. The Destination: Graduation program focuses on mentoring the students and preparing them for college as well as on involving parents in their children’s education. For more information, call (972) 925-3139. Early College High School at Mountain View College and Early College High School with Cedar Valley College The Early College High School at Mountain View College and Early College High School with Cedar Valley College are for students living in Dallas’ southern sector and who would like to earn up to two years of college credit that can be applied toward an associate degree from Mountain View College or Cedar Valley College. The Early College High School model prepares students for college by immersing them in college-level classes and college culture at the same time that they fulfill high school graduation requirements. For more information about Early College High School at Mountain View College, call (214) 860-3614. For more information about Early College High School with Cedar Valley College, call (214) 932-7300. Earning by Learning Reading Program Earning by Learning is a program to instill the love of reading in elementary school students through cash incentives of $2 per book read up to 20 books. The program also seeks to improve the reading level of children, which affects their academic achievement. Recent research indicates incentives are a proven method to stimulate children to read. During the 2007-2008 school year, 64 Dallas ISD schools took part in Earning by Learning. Since the program began in 1996, almost 70,000 Dallas ISD students have read about 657,000 books and earned $1.3 million. Funding for the Earning by Learning cash incentives is provided by the program’s sponsors—Harvard University, the Richard A. Rudine Memorial Fund of the Communities Foundation of Texas, the New Car Dealers Association of Metropolitan Dallas, and Washington Mutual. Environmental Education Center The 200-acre Environmental Education Center provides students with an array of curriculum-aligned learning opportunities to help them understand and value the environment that surrounds and sustains them. The center has tools and resources available to provide extensive field investigation opportunities for students at all grade levels. Students visiting the center are in class all day with certified teachers who are trained and experienced to provide unique, hands-on learning activities in science and other subject areas. For information, call (972) 749-6900, e-mail envedctr@dallasisd.org, or visit the center’s Web site at www.dallasisd.org/inside_disd/depts/eec/eec.html. Gifted and Talented The district’s Gifted and Talented Program is designed to modify the delivery of instruction for talented and gifted students by adjusting the pace and complexity of instruction to match student abilities and areas of interest. The program provides greater depth and expansion of core courses; inter-disciplinary seminars; and direct, intensive assistance to students. Activities include independent study projects, higher-order thinking skills, discovery learning, and research. For more information, call (214) 932-5130. Magnet Program Ten magnet high schools offer courses ranging from the arts and communications to science, engineering, business, law, and the health professions. Designed as an alternative to traditional high schools, magnets foster quality education and with an emphasis on college and career preparation. Seven middle school academies and four elementary vanguard schools in the magnet program offer younger students the opportunity to begin exploring special areas of interest in addition to traditional academic studies. Any eligible student may apply for the magnet program. To be eligible, students must show good conduct and meet academic and assessment entrance requirements. For more information, go to www.dallasisd.org/parents/magnet/ or call (972) 925-3300. Middle College High School Middle College High School offers an integrated high school, college, and the work world educational program. Students can complete high school graduation requirements while combining academic and work-related experiences with the opportunity to complete college-level work. For more information, call (214) 860-2356. Multiple Careers Magnet Center The high school provides career and technology education opportunities for secondary students with special needs. Beginning through advanced level courses are offered in building maintenance, building trades, business administrative services, dry cleaning, food service, and hospitality services. Each career cluster is designed to simulate actual work situations and students develop work habits and work ethics necessary for transition to community employment. For more information, call (972) 925-2200. Special Education The special education program serves students who require special instructional techniques and arrangements due to their disability. The district gives parents specific written notice of definite meetings, dates, times, services, facts, and actions concerning their child. For more information, call (972) 581-4100. |
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