• September 16, 2019 Minutes

    • Welcome and Introductions
    • Members Present
      • Stephanie Square
      • Mark Speier
      • Gabriela Luna
      • Dr. Karen Saenz
      • Melissa Elias
      • Rosangella Espinoza
      • Fred Daniels
      • Rafael Betancourt
      • Carlos Marquina
    • Purpose of SDMC
      • The SDMC is exclusively an advisory role. The Houston Independent School District Board of Education established and approved the campus-level planning and decision making process in 1992. The process includes the creation and maintenance of a Shared Decision Making Committee (SDMC) at each school to review goals, objectives, and programs.
      • Approve staff development of a campus nature.
      • The Principal has the final authority in fiduciary and financial decisions. The principal will be held accountable for compliance with all laws, regulations, policies and procedures.
      • Reviewing and making recommendations regarding the school’s organizational structure
        Establishing procedures to periodically obtain broad based community, parent and staff input
    • School Accountability Update
    • School Improvement Plan

      • East Early College High School is situated in one of the oldest neighborhoods in the Houston area, the East End. This neighborhood was among the first founded and settled in the city of Houston and has been the home of several immigrant groups in succession. Currently, the East End is populated by mostly Hispanic residents and is undergoing some revitalization and gentrification. Most students who choose East ECHS come from the immediate area and are typically the first generation in their family to earn a college degree, or even a high school diploma. Many families struggle financially resulting in several students securing employment to help their parents provide for their families. Although the school has been in existence for a little over ten years, notable traditions have been established, making it a top choice for students. Notable traditions include summer bridge camp for incoming freshmen, a rose ceremony for graduating seniors, and senior summit to showcase service-learning projects. We are working to ensure students continue to be afforded these opportunites in a virtual setting. Most students who attend East ECHS come from families with limited English skills and limited knowledge of the American education system. Although some students may speak English fluently, they do not speak it with a rich vocabulary that is gained through hearing English spoken at home and throughout their community. Many students have parents who know and understand the value of obtaining a college degree, but do not have the knowhow or experience to navigate the process. Also, they do not have the funds to spend on expensive test preparation programs that many more affluent families are able to invest in. East Early College High School is dedicated to preparing all students for a successful college experience by graduating all incoming freshmen in four years, with not only the advanced high school diploma, but also with up to 60 hours of college. The school’s purpose is to follow the early college philosophy of rigor, relevance, and relationships. East ECHS teachers focus on teaching the whole child, ensuring social and emotional needs of students are met. We ensure our partnerships, including those for professional development, have aligned core values so we can meet student needs harmoniously. Students are offered many extracurricular activities such as debate, Robotics-STEM, Student Council, National Honor Society, sports, and Literacy Magazine. College field trips serve as an essential experience for students to explore college life outside of the community college. We are relying on our partnerships with OneGoal, Momentum Education and AVID to ensure our students continue to be afforded these experiences, even if in a virtual setting. Dedicated teachers and staff work to provide students with the necessary supplies, clothing, and nutrition needed to maximize the learning process. Key to the school’s success is the determination to provide students with the same opportunities provided by more affluent schools, and by larger more comprehensive high schools. Students at East ECHS are fully integrated into the college community at the Felix Fraga campus. They are encouraged and invited to attend activities on campus, and they are eligible for admission into honor societies and organizations. Each year, students are asked to serve at least 25 hours of community service. This culminates in a senior project that involves a mentor from an organization and providing a minimum of 25 hours of service while also providing a donation. Students also reflect on their project and what they learn from working with their mentor and with the organization. Through these service-learning projects, students become aware of community resources for their families, and as a result their families become more engaged with the community. This year our focus is to increase our attendance rate, better meet social and emotional needs of our students and to maximize parent engagement. This will translate in expanding academic outcomes for students. Our goal this year is to maintain or increase our TEA scaled score and increase number of Distinction Designations earned. We plan to do this by enrolling all 9th graders in two math classes to ensure all students are TSI ready to take College Algebra by the end of junior year. Additionally, students who do not meet TSI by 9th grade year will take a reading class during the day as a form of intervention. All students in 11th and 12th grade will take One Goal class, where lessons Include Online ACT/SAT prep, How to improve GPA, Research best-fit colleges, Career and major exploration, Goal setting and action planning, Personal statements, the power of storytelling, High school road blocks, and Summer opportunity search. Finally, all students will take AVID elective course. For one period, students receive the additional academic, social, and emotional support that will help them succeed in their school’s most rigorous courses. 

    • ECHS Designation Update
      • www.houstonisd.org/EastProducts
      • Distinctions - we expect to earn all 
    • Additional Paid Duties Update

      • Department /Grade Level Chair / Sponsors  / Coaches

      • 1st Responsibility is TEACHER (teacher duties) 

      • TADS Instructional Practice (effective PL and IP) 

      • TADS Professional Expectations (effective PE)

      • Teacher Attendance 

      • Department chairs WILL HOLD Meetings at least once every other week and will include Agenda and Minutes. Department chairs are responsible for attnending district level dept chair meetings and sharing relevant info with dept members. 

      • Process for filling a vacancy/replacement
        opportunity will be communicated to all for opportunity to express interest and to interview with admin team

    • External Partners
    • Next steps
      • SIP and poll via email