WEBVTT

00:00:00.096 --> 00:00:05.196
[Music] Welcome to
Preparing Students for Success

00:00:05.286 --> 00:00:06.976
Through the Freshman Academy.

00:00:08.076 --> 00:00:11.016
My name is Tammy Underwood.

00:00:11.016 --> 00:00:12.916
I am an academic
assistant principal

00:00:12.916 --> 00:00:15.366
at Del Valle High School
in Del Valle, Texas.

00:00:16.816 --> 00:00:19.696
The Freshman Academy is
a school within a school.

00:00:20.136 --> 00:00:23.826
It was developed basically
to implement a system

00:00:24.156 --> 00:00:27.546
where we could capture
the attention of freshmen

00:00:27.616 --> 00:00:30.906
because we found out that
the transition for freshmen

00:00:30.906 --> 00:00:33.956
from middle school is
a very critical year.

00:00:34.716 --> 00:00:37.356
Research has shown us that
if a student can graduate

00:00:37.356 --> 00:00:40.556
in four years with what
we call their cohort,

00:00:41.306 --> 00:00:44.546
they are more successful
outside of their high school,

00:00:44.546 --> 00:00:45.726
outside of graduation.

00:00:46.676 --> 00:00:49.676
So it's become very important
to us in the Freshman Academy

00:00:50.106 --> 00:00:51.726
to really capture
those students,

00:00:52.226 --> 00:00:55.506
allow them an engaging
opportunity for education

00:00:55.926 --> 00:00:57.946
so that they can graduate
in their four years.

00:00:58.156 --> 00:01:00.426
And one of the things
that's so important is

00:01:00.426 --> 00:01:02.706
to help them maintain
passing grades.

00:01:03.316 --> 00:01:07.016
So in 2007 our failure
rate was at 43%.

00:01:07.866 --> 00:01:12.326
After four years of the Freshman
Academy, it's down to 26%.

00:01:14.056 --> 00:01:16.786
The Freshman Academy
creates a sense of belonging

00:01:16.786 --> 00:01:20.286
for our students
because we were able

00:01:20.286 --> 00:01:23.766
to get a whole new
building, starting last year,

00:01:24.146 --> 00:01:27.196
and the building creates an
environment for our students

00:01:27.196 --> 00:01:28.856
where they can come
and feel safe.

00:01:29.396 --> 00:01:32.806
As they grow and as they
mature, we see that they start

00:01:32.876 --> 00:01:36.476
to move a little bit away from
the actual Freshman Academy

00:01:36.476 --> 00:01:37.596
into the main building.

00:01:37.826 --> 00:01:40.916
But because the buildings are
attached, the students are able

00:01:40.916 --> 00:01:42.736
to move back and forth freely.

00:01:44.176 --> 00:01:47.196
I think if you don't have the
space for a separate building,

00:01:47.836 --> 00:01:51.886
you want to really think
about setting aside some kind

00:01:51.886 --> 00:01:54.886
of demographic space
within your building.

00:01:55.356 --> 00:01:58.636
So let's use a specific
hall just for our freshmen

00:01:58.636 --> 00:02:00.616
where we can locate
those freshman classrooms

00:02:00.996 --> 00:02:03.466
so that our freshmen know
when they are traveling to

00:02:03.466 --> 00:02:05.576
and from classes during
their hall pass time,

00:02:05.576 --> 00:02:07.186
they are traveling
with other freshmen.

00:02:08.946 --> 00:02:12.386
Teaming is a structure that we
use in the Freshman Academy.

00:02:12.386 --> 00:02:13.676
We have all of our students

00:02:13.676 --> 00:02:16.066
and teachers divided
into four teams.

00:02:17.026 --> 00:02:20.176
So each team has an English
teacher, a science teacher,

00:02:20.356 --> 00:02:22.456
a math teacher, a
social studies teacher.

00:02:22.926 --> 00:02:26.216
It also has two Pathways
to Success teachers.

00:02:27.026 --> 00:02:29.746
It has a counselor
and an administrator.

00:02:30.886 --> 00:02:34.536
We look at every student
individually when we put them

00:02:34.536 --> 00:02:38.456
on a team, and so that's
700 students we look

00:02:38.456 --> 00:02:40.016
at as incoming freshmen.

00:02:40.726 --> 00:02:43.116
So in April and May, we
sit down and we project

00:02:43.116 --> 00:02:47.426
onto a board the students, what
kind of classes they are going

00:02:47.426 --> 00:02:50.076
to be taking-for example,
a pre-AP student will be

00:02:50.076 --> 00:02:54.216
in some pre-AP classes- and
then we take all of that

00:02:54.216 --> 00:02:58.226
into consideration, and we
place them on team 1, 2, 3 or 4.

00:02:59.716 --> 00:03:03.936
Pathways to Success is
a program specifically

00:03:03.936 --> 00:03:05.316
to the Freshman Academy.

00:03:05.866 --> 00:03:07.896
We call it PTS.

00:03:07.896 --> 00:03:10.836
PTS is a mandatory elective.

00:03:11.516 --> 00:03:14.366
A student who is in a tier
1 class will have the same

00:03:14.366 --> 00:03:18.216
curriculum as a student who
is in a tier 2 class in PTS.

00:03:19.036 --> 00:03:21.016
But the tier 1 classes
are larger;

00:03:21.446 --> 00:03:23.576
they are about 25 students.

00:03:23.576 --> 00:03:27.966
A tier 2 class might have
eight to ten students.

00:03:28.396 --> 00:03:31.216
So those tier 2 classes are
geared more toward the student

00:03:31.216 --> 00:03:34.016
who needs a little bit
more extra motivation.

00:03:34.796 --> 00:03:37.086
Twice a week, the students
are able to have tutors

00:03:37.086 --> 00:03:39.906
in the classroom or to go
down to the tutoring lab.

00:03:40.326 --> 00:03:41.286
And I think that's been one

00:03:41.286 --> 00:03:43.996
of the most effective
programs that we have.

00:03:44.876 --> 00:03:47.636
The Pathways to Success
teachers serve as a liaison

00:03:47.636 --> 00:03:50.816
between student and the
core teachers to be sure

00:03:50.816 --> 00:03:54.696
that the student is fully aware
of what grades they are making,

00:03:54.876 --> 00:03:56.446
what assignments
they are missing,

00:03:56.726 --> 00:03:58.606
what assessments
they need to make up.

00:03:59.476 --> 00:04:03.786
I think that that communication
is really the key difference

00:04:03.906 --> 00:04:05.596
that makes our students
successful

00:04:05.636 --> 00:04:09.106
because the students know
that their teachers care

00:04:09.106 --> 00:04:12.096
about what their grades look
like, that the teachers care

00:04:12.096 --> 00:04:15.316
about what their attendance
looks like, and there is a sense

00:04:15.356 --> 00:04:19.875
of commitment to the student so
that the student is persuaded

00:04:20.036 --> 00:04:22.086
to continue with their
educational process.

00:04:22.576 --> 00:04:25.206
I think the success
of the Pathways

00:04:25.206 --> 00:04:27.576
to Success program
is really seen

00:04:27.856 --> 00:04:30.166
in how many more
students were graduating,

00:04:30.166 --> 00:04:32.176
how many more students
are walking the stage now

00:04:32.626 --> 00:04:34.906
than before the PTS
program was in place.

00:04:36.076 --> 00:04:38.036
[Music] To learn more about
preparing students for success,

00:04:38.036 --> 00:04:39.516
please explore the
additional resources

00:04:39.516 --> 00:04:40.976
of the Doing What Works website.