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PRESS RELEASE

Property Purchase for Campus Expansion and College Career Readiness Program Plans Discussed during TISD Board of Trustees Meeting

Texarkana, TX – Texarkana Independent School District Board of Trustees approved property purchase for Texas Middle School expansion during their Tuesday, July 15 regular session.

“We constantly are looking at available property near our campuses that allow us room to grow in order to meet enrollment demands,” commented Paul Norton, Superintendent of Schools.  With the doors closing at The United Presbyterian Church of the Redeemer of Texarkana, the 4.048 acres of land and property at 2015 Kennedy Lane, gives us potential for expansion opportunity at our Texas Middle School campus.” 

Purchase monies for the land and property will come through TISD’s general fund balance. The expenditure for the property will allow TISD to shift a portion of their current assets to a capital asset as a financial investment for the future.

In other business, Mark Schroeder, Director of College & Career Readiness gave a report covering the previous school year department efforts and a look into the upcoming school year plans.

The College & Career Readiness program had solely been on the Texas High School campus. However, during the 2013-14 school year, it opened up to include a presence on the Texas Middle School campus. According to Schroeder, “it is never too early to start looking at what is needed for your student’s future.”

Some key highlights for the College & Career Readiness program for the past school year include:

*Scholarships offerings to graduating seniors totaled $15,378,938;
*ACT participation increased by 55%;
*Advance Placement enrollment up by 61%;
*AP Scoring of 3+ up by 156%;
*Dual Credit enrollment up by 616%;
*Graduating seniors accepted to a wide variety of colleges and universities including Stanford University, Harvard University, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, United States Naval Academy, University of Texas McCombs School of Business;
*Students earning National Merit Finalist, National Achievement Finalist, Coca-Cola Finalist accolades.

“For the upcoming school year, the TISD College & Career Readiness program will focus on relationships, relevance, rigor and responsibility,” shared Schroeder. “Our role will continue to be one that builds relationships with students, and their parents. We will assist them in navigating the requirements needed for post-secondary plans while at the same showing them the importance of rigorous academic studies. Our efforts will illustrate the relevance between academics at the middle school, high school and collegiate level and the responsibility of both students and parents in making themselves more aware of options available and focus needed for educational achievement.”

Additional efforts will include Naviance, a comprehensive college and career readiness solution for middle and high schools that help connect academic achievement to post-secondary goals. This system aligns with House Bill 5 from the 83rd Texas Legislature Regular Session in 2013. Naviance will also include assessment practice for ACT, SAT, PSAT and access to all national scholarships available.

Further endeavors will continue monthly parent and student workshops focusing on a variety of subjects dependent upon the student’s grade level, assisting in developing four-year academic plans for students in grades 7-8 and increasing the number of one-on-one meetings with parents and students.

“We will also work toward researching and developing a College & Career curriculum for K-3 that will expose our younger students to what careers are and will develop Student Success Portfolios for students in grades 4-5 so that they can begin keeping up with their academic success that will apply to their future grade levels,” continued Schroeder.

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