Houston ISD 101912 CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT INNOVATIVE AND MAGNET PROGRAMS EGA (LOCAL)

The Houston Independent School DIstrict will provide innovative and engaging programs to attract, retain and empower students in a rich academic environment. Directly aligned with the Boards Beliefs and Visions, HISDs magnet schools embody the mandates for change on school choice, decentralization, school empowerment, and meaningful engagement.
MAGNET PROGRAMS AND SCHOOLS

The Districts magnet program was created in response to a court order to desegregate in 1975. In 1980, HISD was declared a unitary school district by the state of Texas in large part because of HISDs extensive magnet program. In 2004, HISD magnets were recognized by the US Department of Education as going Beyond Desegregation. While student diversity remains a core belief and is desirable and sought, the District must also offer quality programs that will engage students in the learning process leading to higher achievement. The magnet program in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) offers students a portfolio of K12 engaging, academically rigorous and theme-based choices. The program seeks to recruit and draw a socio-economically and ethnically diverse student body from throughout the district with the ultimate goal of the HISD student population reflecting the diversity of the greater Houston metropolitan community. A magnet school provides unique programming through its learning environment and culture, specialized principal, teacher and support staff training, appropriate resources and materials, and current technology. Strong community and business partnerships support various magnet themes and philosophies. HISDs magnet program should provide a structure for students to take charge of their educational experience; it should promote diversity and foster learning across disciplinary boundaries, and it should generate collaboration between HISD and the greater Houston community. In addition, magnet programs exist as a supplement to high quality neighborhood schools, with the ultimate goal of every HISD school being a school of choice. Glossary of Terms provided at the end of the policy. Each magnet program will maintain the following characteristics to be evaluated on an ongoing basis:

PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS

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Academic achievement and intellectual entrepreneurship as its core goals, enhanced by thematic programming, teaching philosophies, and real world experiences;

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Houston ISD 101912 CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT INNOVATIVE AND MAGNET PROGRAMS 2. 3. 4. EGA (LOCAL)

An enriched curriculum designed around a specialized theme or philosophy. A socio-economically and ethnically diverse student body Strives to increase student access to the program through the Districts awareness activities, communication, transfer procedures. Actively involves parent, community, and business partnerships.

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STUDENT APPLICATION, SELECTION AND ADMISSION PROCESS

Qualifications for entering a magnet program are specific to each program. Entrance to elementary programs is based on available space. Secondary programs may require more specific qualifications for entrance. Each secondary magnet school may create a detailed description of entrance criteria and process which shall be made readily available and easily accessible to the public. The entrance criteria and process should be balanced with the key elements of objectivity, impartiality, fairness and equity and shall comply with state and federal laws.. Magnets shall remain decentralized and should have the maximum freedom to develop and implement the methods that best achieve the goal of high student achievement. Elementary school Application only. Secondary school May require more specific qualifications for entrance, created at the campus level and is subject to auditions for fine art programs. Admission to the magnet programs shall be based on the following process. All students must complete the formal application process and meet the criteria listed below to qualify for admission: Utilize a standard application allowing for multiple school choices by the applicant; Meet the established selection criteria by theme, when applicable; When there are more qualified applicants than space available a school-based lottery will be used to select students. Secondary Fine Arts Magnets will be exempt from school based lottery systems

ELEMENTARY SECONDARY

CRITERIA

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Houston ISD 101912 CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT INNOVATIVE AND MAGNET PROGRAMS EGA (LOCAL)

The district will operate a central acceptance and enrollment database to facilitate efficient placement of students in specific programs.

FUNDING SIBLINGS

A student may accept an offer from a waitlist through the first week of school.. Equal access to instructional excellence requires adequate and equitable allocation of resources. Board approved, fair funding per-student formulas shall be created that take into account program costs, unique themes and innovation. The magnet perstudent formulas must support the diverse magnet programs within HISD and allow for their continued success. Board approved, unique per unit allocations shall also be distributed to various magnet programs or themes based on a program or themes unique needs. These allocations shall be reviewed and revised by the Board in consultation bi-annually and any changes to the unique per unit allocations are subject to Board approval.

ESTABLISHING A MAGNET PROGRAM

Schools must be empowered to develop and implement the methods that best achieve their unique and individual instructional goals. Those interested in extending access and establishing a magnet program may submit a written proposal to the Office of School Choice, Chief Academic Officer, and Board. The individual school will then be held accountable for innovation and instructional results. Any new program, including those created with limited external funds must include a financial sustainability plan to ensure funding beyond the lifespan of the funding. To promote autonomy and ownership, new magnet themes or programs will be generated by the community and will not be assigned or limited by preexisting programs or themes. If the district identifies a regional need, the superintendent or his/her designee will create a community task force which includes the SDMC to generate and vet ideas and create a transition plan and a financial stability plan for new programming.

MODIFYING AN EXISTING MAGNET PROGRAM

A viable, robust magnet program should have a clear focus that is not dependent on any single program, initiative, grant, teacher or facility. This focus should be sustainable across many years and recognizable as a brand for the campus. For these reasons, much planning and communication should go into proposing major changes to an existing magnet program. Major modifications, those that substantially change a program, require board approval and at least one transition year, 3 of 5

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It is necessary for programs to constantly update and improve offerings to remain

HISD will replicate successful programs throughout the district to ensure high quality options are available for children throughout the community. A successful magnet program has a unique program that attracts students, is academically rigorous, promotes student success and achievement, and produces positive results. Successful magnet programs will be maintained and must be supported to continue the magnetic draw for future matriculation of new students. In addition, magnet programs will adhere to districtwide accountability standards in support of college and career readiness. The ultimate goal would be for magnet students to exceed state requirements. The District will track and monitor school performance and hold leadership accountable for results. The standards, which will be further defined in regulation, must be maintained for a magnet program to retain its status. If the school fails to maintain these standards, a task force comprised of the principal, SIO, Office of School Choice, SDMC, and larger community will be named and shall create a plan to address concerns. The school also must hold at least two community meetings to gather input and suggestions regarding the schools issues and goals. The minutes from the meetings shall be retained by the principal for the Superintendent and communitys review. HISDs central communications department is responsible for communicating and promoting any campus-based magnet improvement meeting to ensure community participation. HISD will work with the campus to produce communication, marketing plans, and work products. If after a three-year probationary period the program does not see improvement, the administration will prepare a recommendation for the Board to consider termination. The Superintendent and Office of School Choice will provide the Board with an annual report of magnet programs that includes, but is not limited to, student academic achievement, budgetary fidelity, evidence of desirability and community engagement.

DISTRICTWIDE ACCOUNTABILITY STANDARDS

Glossary of Terms: 1. Magnet School - Defined in this policy. Magnet Schools are unique to Neighborhood Schools with Themes in that they seek to draw students from outside the schools attendance zone. These schools receive magnet funding and provide transportation to non-zoned students.

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Houston ISD 101912 CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT INNOVATIVE AND MAGNET PROGRAMS 2. EGA (LOCAL)

Vanguard Programs/G/T - Vanguard programs serve G/T identified students. All neighborhood schools offer G/T Vanguard services, but Vanguard Programs are similar to magnets in that qualified students can apply and once accepted receive transportation. Vanguard schools are addressed in separate policies [See FDB(LOCAL) and EHBB(LOCAL)] Neighborhood School - A school that serves its zoned population of students. A neighborhood school may offer specialized or theme based programming and can accept transfers if space is available, but does not receive transportation or extra funding from the district for themebased programming. [Reference: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement, Innovations in Education: Creating Successful Magnet Schools Programs, Washington, D.C., 2004]

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