College Skills Building/SAT Course Overview

Overview / HISD will provide 11th and 12th grade students in the district with an opportunity to prepare for the SAT, explore college and career opportunities and work on their college applications through a College Skills Building course co-designed by the Department of Innovative Curriculum and Instruction, the Department of College Readiness Department, and the High School Office. The purpose of the course is to facilitate greater college readiness of participating students and to increase student performance beyond college-readiness standards on the SAT.
Student Enrollment / The course is open to any 11th grader in the district; however, schools are requested to target students who, based on their 10th grade PSAT scores, are not predicted to meet the College Readiness (CR) Standards on the SAT but are within close reach of doing so.
Twelfth grade students who did not meet the CR standards during the 11th grade SAT administration but were within 150 points of doing so, should also be targeted. A roster of recommended students, along with a targeted minimum enrollment number by campus, was sent to HS principals through the High School Office.
Curriculum / The course will leverage a variety of resources, including Prep Me and the College Board Official Online SAT Course, that are proven to positively influence student performance on the SAT.
Progress Monitoring / Diagnostic and snapshot assessments will be administered throughout the year during designated time frames. In addition, assessment results for all designated assessments will be submitted to the College Readiness Department. Progress will also be monitored through Prep Me and College Board online reports.
School Requirements / Technology – Campuses must make technology accessible to all students in the course. Prep Me and College Board Official Online SAT Course will serve as key components of the course.
Staffing – Campuses must provide the instructor(s) for the course. SAT prep courses must be taught by certified teachers in order for students to receive course credit.
Student enrollment – Schools should target the students referenced in the student enrollment section above.
Assessments– All designated, diagnostic and snapshot assessments must be administered and reported within the time frames designated. Assessment results will be submitted to the Department of College Readiness.
Professional Development – Course instructors must attend all professional development sessions offered throughout year. An attempt will be made to schedule most, if not all, PD sessions during early release days.
Prep Me – All 11th grade students, even those not in the course, are required to complete the Prep Me online SAT course before the administration of the SAT exam. This may be embedded as part of regular math and ELA coursework.
College Field Lessons – Each campus is responsible for having SAT course students participate in one college visit in the fall and one college visit in the spring, coordinated by the Department of College Readiness. Limited funds for bus transportation are available through the CR department.
Materials – The textbook for this year’s SAT Prep course, Kaplan SAT 2015 Strategies, Practice, and Review with 5 Practice Tests, has been selected and campuses are responsible for purchasing the textbook, for their SAT Prep course participants. The total cost for all SAT Prep course materials is not to exceed $40/student.
Professional Development / Course instructors must attend professional development during the following dates/times:
Introductory/Cycle 1 Training: August 15 or 21. 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at Eastwood Academy.
Cycle 2 Training: September 24 (Early Release Day), 1:30-3:30 p.m. Location TBD
Cycle 3 Training: October 29 (Early Release Day), 1:30-3:30 p.m. Location TBD
Cycle 4 Training: November 19 (Early Release Day), 1:30-3:30 p.m. Location TBD
Cycle 5 Training: January 29 (Early Release Day), 1:30-3:30 p.m. Location TBD
Cycle 6 Training: February 25 (Early Release Day), 1:30-3:30 p.m. Location TBD
Course Information / LOC LOC9006A COL SKILL BLD A 0.50 S LOCAL CREDT - COLLEGE SKILL BUILDING 85000006 0.50 COLSKLBD L
LOC LOC9006B COL SKILL BLD B 0.50 S LOCAL CREDT - COLLEGE SKILL BUILDING 85000006 0.50 COLSKLBD L