School is almost back in session and there are many changes that will take effect this year in Houston Independent School District (HISD).

James D. Ryan Middle School will be re-purposed as the Baylor College of Medicine at Ryan and the previous students of Ryan will now attend Cullen Middle School. The standards for graduation and testing will change as well, while the students of North Forest will become new students of HISD.

New beginnings for Third Ward

Upon the closure of historical James D. Ryan Middle School many community member of Third Ward were outraged and bewildered by the shutting down of such a pivotal school that is a known feeder into Jack Yates Senior HIgh. Ryan’s students will now be bussed or transported 4 miles to Cullen Middle School where they will fill a school that too had the same issue of low attendance. Before the closure of Ryan the student population had fallen to 263. HISD school board cited that low attendance and financial mismanagement led to the closing of Ryan. By consolidating the two middle schools it will at least save Cullen from the threat of closure as well.
Baylor College of Medicine takes over old Ryan

The doors of Ryan will not close verbatim as Baylor College of Medicine will take over the campus and form a magnet school for health and science.

“In association with Baylor College of Medicine, the Baylor College of Medicine Academy (BCMA) at Ryan will provide a rigorous curriculum founded on project-based, hands-on learning to 6th–8th grade students. Students will have the opportunity to earn high school credits, explore pathways in health and biomedical science, and become ready for challenging high school academic programs,” according to the Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan.

Students will have rigorous curriculum, hands on learning, project based learning with 21st century health science and computer labs. The curriculum will have courses such as bioengineering, neuroscience and Latin as a foreign language. The academy is designed to prepare students for careers in medicine, dentistry, allied health professions, biomedical sciences, pharmacy and biomedical engineering. BCMA is the feeder school for Debakey High School for Health Professionals.
What about North Forest?

The students that made up North Forest ISD will now be a part of the student body of HISD. This will be a historical moment when the predominately African American school district will have to surrender to HISD’s custody. North Forest ISD was annexed into HISD on July 1, 2013 after a battle that even drew down support and legal action from Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. The civil rights case did not hold up and now the name of the district will change but the school buildings will remain and the children will stay inside their community.

The changes the children will see once school starts will mostly be new principals and the reassignment of school buildings. The principals will be, Dr. Kimberly Agnew-Borders, Fonwood Early Childhood Center, Tammie Daily, Shadydale Elementary, Maggie Gardea, B.C. Elmore Elementary, Hilarion Martinez, Thurgood Marshall Elementary, Mike Walker, Hilliard Elementary, Rick Fernandez, Forest Brook Middle School, Pam Farinas, North Forest High School.

The changes in the usage of the buildings will be Fonwood Elementary becoming an Early Childhood Center, Thurgood Marshall Early Childhood Center will be an elementary school, Elmore Middle School will be an elementary school, Elmore Middle students will be zoned to Forest Brook and Key Middle Schools, Lakewood students will be zoned to Hilliard and Elmore Elementary Schools and Lakewood Elementary will be closed.
Changes to testing in HISD

HISD students should call and thank their State Representative Alma Allen for working on the House Bill 5 that reduced the number of test from 15 to 5 as well as the graduation criteria.
Graduation Plans

Starting this year students will have a new foundation plan that only requires 22 credits for graduation. Students will need four English Language Arts, three Math and three Science, three Social Studies, two Foreign Language, one Fine Art, one Physical Education and five Electives.

Some schools offer different programs and for students to graduate with a distinguished recognition on their diploma they must have an endorsement from one of the following five programs, STEM, Business and Industry, Public Services, Arts and Humanities and Multidisciplinary Studies.

The full criteria for students to graduate distinguished are all requirements met on the foundation program, an endorsement and an Algebra II credit. Students who achieve the distinguished recognition will be eligible for college admissions under the Top 10 percent automatic admissions provision.
Testing

The state testing requirements have been reduced from 15 to 5 tests a year. Students will only have to take English Arts I &II, Algebra I, Biology and US History.
Accountability

The students aren’t the only ones who will be graded as the schools will be evaluated on their Academic Performance, Financial Performance and Community and Student Engagement. Schools are required to have at least three additional indicators of academic performance as determined by the Commissioner of Education, which may include, percentage of students graduating with endorsements or distinguished level of performance, number of students earning college credit and number of students earning workforce certificates.

“This allows local communities to engage in the accountability process by requiring districts to set goals and evaluate performance locally in addition to state ratings,” said State Representative Alma Allen.

The students and parents of HISD as well as the old North Forest have many changes ahead of them this school year. The school district and the state of Texas have made adjustments with the hopes of better educational opportunities for the every growing Houston Independent School District. School starts August 26, 2013.