Governor Hails Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center’s Dramatic Progress
State leader salutes school for achieving “Recognized” status after being reorganized
People take notice when a high school goes from six years of “Academically Unacceptable” state accountability ratings to “Recognized” status—the second-highest “grade” possible—in just one year. On Tuesday, October 13, Texas Governor Rick Perry visited HISD’s Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center to salute the school for its dramatic turn-around. (The school was created when Sam Houston High School was closed and reorganized as two new schools, the Sam Houston MST Center and the Ninth-Grade College-Preparatory Academy.) Governor Perry also applauded academic gains across the state, noting that the 2008–2009 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills scores improved statewide in each subject and grade level, and Texas was recently recognized as one of only four states to close the achievement gap between student groups in math.
“Because students at chronically low-performing campuses struggle to develop the necessary skills to succeed at the next level, improving public education in Texas positively affects the lives of our young people and the very future of our state,” Gov. Perry said. “Our overall goal is for young Texans, no matter their economic status, to graduate from our high schools career- and college-ready, with the essential knowledge and skills that will allow them to tackle the next step.”
Texas provides various kinds of support for students and struggling schools. The Texas Turnaround Center was created in July 2008 as part of a statewide system to provide support and technical assistance to under-performing districts and campuses. Working through a regional network of highly trained turnaround teams, the center aims to reduce the number of low-performing campuses by enhancing the statewide capacity to support comprehensive, ongoing improvement of under-performing schools.
In addition, a recent state law encourages students to follow the recommended high-school plan (four years of math, science, social studies, and English), while also allowing for greater scheduling flexibility to take courses that will prepare students for a successful career. The law also requires improved parent access to student academic information and increased school-district financial transparency.