The new AEIS (Academic Excellence Indicator System) ratings are out and all Lago Vista ISD campuses earned an accountability rating of Recognized or higher.

Texas Commissioner of Education, Robert Scott, released the new ratings on Friday, August 1. For school year 2007-08, the rating assigned to the High School is Recognized, the Elementary School is Recognized and Lago Vista Middle School achieved the state’s highest rating – Exemplary! Last year, the ratings were one notch lower for each campus, but with a little extra effort, all three campuses moved up.

At the Elementary School, the rating is based on the TAKS scores of third, fourth, and fifth graders in Reading/English Language Arts, Writing, Mathematics, and Science. At the Middle School and High School, students are tested in same academic areas with the addition of Social Studies. Within each subject area and each grade level, scores are also considered for each demographic subpopulation of All Students, African-American, Hispanic, White, and Economically Disadvantaged. If the number of students in any subpopulation is less than 30 (or between 30 and 49 students and comprises less than 10%) of the testing population, the scores from that group are not used in calculating the overall rating. However, if there are at least 50 students within a student group, the group is evaluated. Student group size is calculated subject by subject. For this reason, the number of student groups evaluated will sometimes vary. For example, at each campus, the number of students in the Economically Disadvantaged subpopulation that took the Science TAKS test is small enough that it is not used in the calculation of the AEIS rating for any LVISD campus. However, when added together for the whole district, the Economically Disadvantaged subgroup does impact the District rating.

In the academic area of science, the number of students who did not meet the standard in Science was one percentage point below the Recognized rating. That means that while all three campuses are either Recognized or Exemplary, the District as a whole is rated Academically Acceptable. LVISD Superintendent Dr. Barbara Qualls said, “It is heartbreaking – while we’re unbelievably proud of all the campuses, if just one more student in that subpopulation had been successful on his or her science TAKS, the whole District would have been rated Recognized.”

The demographic face of LVISD is changing, and changing rapidly. In school year 2006-07, only 43 Economically Disadvantaged students District-wide were tested in science. In 2007-08, that number was 70. Those numbers don’t tell the whole story, though, because not all grade levels are tested in science. In fact, all grade levels are not tested at all – no grade levels below third are tested on TAKS and the senior class (grade 12) is not tested separately. All grade levels tested do take the Reading and Mathematics test. In those areas, the number of Economically Disadvantaged students jumped from 128 tested last year to 182 tested this spring. This school year, the overall Economically Disadvantaged numbers are 32.36% at Lago Vista Elementary School, 31.11% at Middle School, and 19.35% at High School. According to Dr. Qualls, the educational challenges that these changing demographics present includes the need for more aggressive early childhood intervention, enrichment opportunities at all grade levels, and support for families struggling with economic difficulties. See the summary here or get detailed reports at the Texas Education Agency website.

Barbara Qualls, PhD – Superintendent, LVISD
July 31, 2008

On July 10, 11, and 14, Lago Vista ISD teachers, aides, administrators, and substitute teachers added their fingerprints to the vast federal data bank maintained by various law enforcement agencies. Although Senate Bill 9 required the fingerprinting, LVISD has had a thorough background check program in place for many years. Background checks with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) have been performed on all new hires, substitutes, and volunteers. A few years ago, as volunteers and others were checked through the DPS system, increasing incidents of DUI convictions, felony arrests, and other items led the District to the create a more systematic set of guidelines for volunteers. There are currently three levels of volunteer service: day-to-day campus activities, field trips or other off-campus activities, and overnight trips. Each level has progressively more stringent requirements. At the lowest level, there can be no convictions or deferred prosecutions for any type of violence, drug use within the last 10 years, no convictions or deferred prosecutions for any type of sexual misconduct or for any crime against a child. Happily, it is a rare occurrence when a volunteer is not in compliance with the Guidelines. Volunteers are required to submit to a DPS name-based criminal history check before providing services. They are not required to submit fingerprints.

Senate Bill 9 and the fingerprinting program will add another layer of security for the safety and of all Texas school children. Austin ISD was one of the first districts selected to implement the required fingerprinting. It was chosen, in part, as a test case to work through problems in the fingerprint gathering and also to allow an opportunity to work through the problems of release that accompany the amassing of information as sensitive but also as important as the criminal background history of people who work with Texas school kids. TEA and SBEC (State Board for Educator Certification) worked through as many procedural and software problems as could be identified, but there were still legal challenges concerning the public release of the results of the fingerprint analysis. At the current time, Attorney General Greg Abbott has issued an opinion that shields the information on individual educators but allows ‘summary’ information to be released.

In Lago Vista, employees were required to register online for a FastPass – a document that contains rudimentary demographic data and establishes the person named as one who needs to be fingerprinted as a requirement through Senate Bill 9. One early point of confusion was about just that question: Who must be fingerprinted and who will the State of Texas pay for? The answer is that anyone whose employment requires certification through SBEC is to be fingerprinted plus substitute teachers. The initial fingerprinting of all current SBEC certification holders is financed by the State, but substitute teachers’ fingerprint fees were not subsidized. Because LVISD highly values its substitute teacher roster and would like to see it expand, the District paid for the fingerprinting of LVISD substitutes who had successfully worked in the District recently. As new educators enter the system and acquire SBEC certification, fingerprinting is part of the process required to get the initial certification. Therefore, it shouldn’t be necessary to have a widespread fingerprinting administration done again.

The new database is more extensive than the one previously utilized. For example, someone with an out-of-state criminal history is instantly flagged now where formerly a special request for national checks was needed.

In compliance with the new fingerprinting requirements of Senate Bill 9, the Guidelines for Volunteers, the DPS checks and the campus-based Raptor identification system, LVISD has taken a firm stand on student safety.

Barbara Qualls, PhD – Superintendent, LVISD
July 21, 2008

A few weeks ago, an article ran in the Austin American-Statesman that explored some aspects of a new requirement for the uniform calculation of GPA (Grade Point Average) for Texas high school students. That law, authored by Representative Jeanie Morrison (R-Victoria) has been under consideration by the Texas Legislature for several years and is a by-product of an earlier rule related to GPA – the so-called Top 10% Rule. At the present time, a student whose class ranking during his senior year in high school is in the top ten percent has automatic admission to Texas public universities. The initial intent of the Top 10% Rule was to expand diversity and allow opportunities for admission to traditionally under-represented groups of students. The practical reality, though, was that many deserving students were denied admission to some of the flagship schools in the state university system, such as Texas A&M and the University of Texas. Lago Vista High School students certainly fall in the area of students adversely affected by the Top Ten % Rule. With a typical graduating class size of around 85 students, only 8.5 LVHS kids would ‘qualify’ for automatic admission. In one attempt to address that inequity, the concept of a uniform GPA calculation was presented. While that may begin to address the inequity problem, it doesn’t come close to solving it. In fact, the uniform GPA ‘solution’ may create more confusion than currently exists.

Under current practice, individual schools establish policies for GPA calculation based on community values, including whether and how much weight to assign to advanced courses and whether or how to incorporate elective course grades. Other issues that impact calculation include courses taken in middle school, dual and concurrent college class courses, online courses, local credit courses, non-academic courses, summer school courses, credit-by-examination courses, and all the different ways that transfer students introduce other courses into the mix. Transfer students would include out-of-state schools, charter schools, and home schools, private schools – each of which may or may not be accredited according to Texas Education Agency standards. Clearly, the problem is a complex one.

Most students select their courses with several goals in mind: satisfying graduation requirements, adequate preparation for college entrance exams and for success at their desired colleges, preparation for post-high school goals, personal interests, but also to maximize their class ranking. That last reason may influence some students to select a very rigorous academic schedule in order to get the most value from a weighted grade system. If the new uniform GPA calculation does not mirror that assumption, a student who has taken very challenging classes may find that their formerly high class ranking is in jeopardy. The Commissioner of Higher Education, Dr. Raymund Paredes, is concerned about the potential harm and confusion that could occur if the new uniform calculation is implemented in the fall of 2008, as is currently expected. As of now, there has been no uniform calculation formula proposed, so schools are preparing for the 2008-09 school year using the various calculation methods that each has been using in the past.

Commissioner Paredes has appealed to the Texas Attorney General for an opinion on whether the new uniform GPA calculation requirement may be in conflict with the Texas constitutional prohibition of retroactive law. He also has expressed concern that because a new GPA calculation method will push some students out of the Top 10% for automatic college admission, there will be extensive legal challenge. Paredes hopes to work with legislators to push implementation of the uniform GPA calculation to school year 2012. In that effort, we wish Commissioner Paredes much success.

Barbara Qualls, Ph.D. - Superintendent, LVISD
July 17, 2008

This spring, Texas schools participated in a large-scale assessment that is the first of its kind in the country – a comprehensive measurement of students’ physical fitness. During this first year of implementation, the data may not be totally accurate but significant trends are discernable. The state’s press release as well as district-by-grade level data is available on the TEA website. Statewide, the results revealed that elementary students are generally more fit than their older counterparts. Over 2.5 million students were assessed, which constitutes a return rate of 83.66% of school districts and 70.32% of campuses. The number of participating students decreases with age and boys generally participate at higher levels than girls, although from grades 3-8 girls’ performance scales are slightly better than boys.

The assessment is a result of Senate Bill 350, sponsored by long-time advocate of student health issues, Senator Jane Nelson. The bill was co-sponsored in the Texas House by Representative Rob Eissler. The five components of SB 530 are:

Annually assess the physical fitness of students enrolled in grades three through 12

Adopt as assessment instruction to be used by school districts

Compile the results of the physical fitness assessment captured by school districts and provide summary results to the Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Analyze the results received for each school district to determine whether a relationship exists between student academic achievement, attendance, obesity, disciplinary problems, and school meal programs

Provide a report to the legislature no later than September 1, 2008

The first three components of SB 350 have been realized. The correlation of the fitness study results to other factors in currently in the process of being completed. The assessment is called FITNESSGRAM – and is the product of work performed by the Cooper Institute of Dallas. There are six parts to the assessment: aerobic capacity measured through PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run), body composition measured through a skin fold test or calculation of body/mass index, muscular strength and endurance measured through curl ups, trunk lifts, and push-ups, and finally, flexibility, measured through back-saver sit and reach or shoulder stretch.

Results for LVISD students in one respect mirror state results – declining HFZ (Healthy Fitness Zone) with age. However, a smaller proportion of older LVISD students participated in the study so that it is possible that the results are not indicative of total student fitness.

Physical fitness has many rewards and absence of fitness likewise has penalties. The Texas Comptroller has estimated that $3.3 billion was lost in 2005 on expenditures such as disability coverage, absenteeism, and healthcare. In recognition of the need for learning good fitness habits early, LVISD several years ago added a second full-time PE teacher position to the LVES campus and added a separate PE teacher position at LVMS. Next school year (2008-09), a second PE teacher position will be in place at Lago Vista Middle School to accommodate the increase in required physical education time for students enrolled in grades six through eight. A large percentage of LVISD secondary students participate in competitive athletics. For the last six years, the LVISD athletic program has required strength and conditioning training on a year-round basis. This summer, participation in the various Viking Camps has been strong.

The FITNESSGRAM is expected to yield significant data in helping state and local educators effectively blend physical fitness and student overall performance. It is important to note that in this initial year of operation, no state funding was spent on the fitness assessment. Approximately $2.5 million in private donations was collected to purchase software, develop assessments, and provide training. Local district staff administered the assessments.

Barbara Qualls, Ph.D. - Superintendent, LVISD
July 10, 2008

One of the many advantages of living in the Central Texas corridor is that nearby Austin and San Antonio are frequently the sites of national or even international professional organization meetings. Last week, the 2008 National Educational Computing Conference took place in San Antonio, with several LVISD staff members attending. Teachers and administrators got to see up close hundreds of new tech devices and learn new ways to use equipment that may be considered ‘old hat’ by some. One of the most exciting new pieces of equipment is the Promethean Board.

It looks deceptively simple—somewhat like an ordinary white board—but outside appearance is where the similarity ends. The Promethean Board is connected to a teacher’s computer but also has intuitive capacity for teacher’s demonstrations. In addition, small handheld remote controls can be distributed to students for immediate response to questions. With that capability, a teacher can see immediately how many students have grasped a particular concept. The individual student answering devices also promote all students to answer independently. LVISD staff members were so impressed with the Promethean Boards that a representative was invited to Lago Vista a few days later to demonstrate the capacity of the Board to those staff members who were unable to attend the conference.

Approximately 400 vendors displayed their products at the conference, held in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in downtown San Antonio. An estimated 18,000 educators from all across the country attended and had opportunity to participate in learning sessions, examine exhibitors’ products, and meet with other educators in ‘focus lounges’ – where idea and method exchanges can take place. The LV High School staff that attended concentrated their efforts on iPods and ways to incorporate podcasts into a teacher’s repertoire. The LV Elementary staff members were most enthusiastic about the Promethean Boards and the options for use at varying developmental stages. LVISD’s new Instruction Technology officer, Peggy Matthews, participated in several days of the conference and came back energized with ideas, including ways to use Nintendo DS in the classroom.

Over the past few years, LVISD teachers have incorporated a number of technological features. For example, student grades, attendance, and disciplinary records are all kept electronically. Parents can access their child’s grades and see how academic progress is going and also see whether or not their child has work not turned in. Most teachers have mastered the use of PowerPoint for some instructional presentations and several regularly utilize video and student-produced electronics for assignments. Each teacher has access to the material to construct a homepage for posting course syllabi, news, upcoming tests, and any other material that may be appropriate for communicating their classroom expectations. The District website is currently housed by netStartClass but we are in the process of upgrading to netStartEnterprise which will give more flexibility, capacity, and a new ‘look’ to the posted material. In addition, the District email facility, FirstClass, has many facets beyond simple email that allow interactive posting and sharing of files. Although there hasn’t yet been an emergency to test its use, LVISD is a subscriber to FlashAlert and FlashNews – a method for instantaneous release of emergency information via email or by robocalls. FlashAlert is used to notify parents of school closings or other emergencies. If you have not enrolled yet, please go to the Parent Information page of the LVISD website or click here and subscribe.

We are planning more and better use of technology in the instructional setting for school year 2008-09. The opportunity to participate in the National Educational Computing Conference was an awesome experience for the LVISD staff – we can’t wait to share it with everybody in August!

Barbara Qualls, Ph.D. - Superintendent, LVISD
July 2, 2008

School people are always surprised when parents and other citizens ask: “What do you do all summer?” For many of us, summer is an important time to accomplish three essential tasks: tie up the loose ends from the previous year, lay the groundwork for the upcoming year, and engage in renewal activities such as continuing education conferences. Summer 2008 is no exception to those tasks. Even though we just recently completed the previous year, all school administrators have already had opportunities to attend and participate in a variety of professional development activities ranging from school reform to governance. The ‘loose ends’ include completion of grades and report cards, checking in hundreds of textbooks, and completing building maintenance tasks that are best done without students in the buildings. Every morning, there are various sports camps in progress. Cheer Camp will be July 21-24. Softball Camp was last week (June 17-19), Volleyball Camp is coming soon (July 7-10), and Viking Strength and Conditioning Camp is ongoing all summer (June 9-July 24). In addition, a series of Viking football activities take place, including “Air It Out” and “Lineman Challenge” on July 25. Click here for information about the many summer opportunities for physical activities.

The most important of the many summer tasks is planning for the upcoming school year. Recently, LVISD administrative staff utilized a full day in planning for the most effective incorporation of the skills of two new positions: Secondary Literacy Coach and Instructional Technology Coordinator. The ‘new’ Literacy Coach is a well-known LVISD teacher, Mrs. Randenne Kelley. Mrs. Kelley is trained in the Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) and will be sharing how to use it with High School and Middle School teachers. The end result should be improved instruction for all students, but especially a stronger safety net for those students who do not respond well to traditional instruction. Even though she is preparing for her new responsibilities, Mrs. Kelley is also teaching summer school at Lago Vista Middle School. In addition, another new position for assisting students with developmental language challenges will be instituted at LVMS and LVHS.

The position of Instructional Technology Coordinator is another new one for LVISD. As technological advances and equipment acquisition increase, more staff is needed to use it well and help teachers get the most efficient use from technology. Peggy Matthews is already on the job and has provided a great deal of information concerning possible hardware purchases and evaluation of software. Several days of teacher training over the 2008-09 school year will be devoted to the use of technology in the instructional process – including pod casts, updated and interactive teacher webpages, and other innovations. Mrs. Matthews has a series of exciting and useful programs in the planning stages.

At each campus, principals are busy working through kinks in the scheduling process. Special challenges exist at each campus related to available space, lunchroom time and availability, and use of crossover teachers. Relatively small schools like Lago Vista Middle School and Lago Vista High School have special challenges working with ‘singleton’ classes. Those are courses that only have enough students interested in them to offer one time per day. Since there are a limited number of available time periods, it is inevitable that conflicts between singletons arise. The schedulers work very hard to eliminate as many conflicts as possible, but it is still likely that not all students will be scheduled in exactly the classes they would prefer. Opportunities to review and adjust schedules will take place before the beginning of school. We hope that the remainder of your summer is happy and safe!

Barbara Qualls, Ph.D. - Superintendent, LVISD
June 22, 2008

LVISD is in the first steps of planning a program that offers promise in helping students make better decisions about the use of illegal drugs. While we believe that most of our students have good information about the dangers of illegal drug use and that most of them make good decisions, it is a reality of our society that illegal drugs are part of the exposure that makes up the complex life of our students. By adopting the program, the District desires to:

1. provide for the health and safety of all students,
2. undermine the effects of peer pressure by providing a legitimate reason for students to refuse to use illegal drugs,
3. deter students from using drugs,
4. prevent injury or harm to students that may arise as a result of drug use, and
5. to provide resources for support and assistance to any student who may be using illegal drugs.

LVISD staff created a rough draft proposal for a drug-testing program that, if all target dates were met, would be implemented in the early part of the fall semester but not before the beginning of school. There are several areas in the proposal where additional material and detail must be provided. To that end, on July 1, LVISD will host a public meeting for parents and any others interested, where the proposal will be discussed. It would be helpful if those who may wish to participate will read the proposal and come to the July 1 meeting with comments and questions.

Schools in our central Texas area are generally split on the issue of whether to drug test or not. While there are many schools that do have drug-testing programs, our immediate neighboring schools generally have not done so. Most often, drug-testing programs are limited to students in extracurricular activities. The Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL) is the organization that provides regulations for much of public school competition, but there are some popular activities not under the umbrella of the UIL. The LVISD proposal includes all students grades 7-12 who participate in a competitive activity, including all UIL activities, but also including those competitive activities not governed by UIL.

The LVISD draft proposal recognizes that students need to be provided with strategies for making good decisions but that they also may need help and intervention in order to sustain good decision-making. In addition to the July 1 meeting, the following dates are important in the development of the LVISD program:

• July 14, 7:00 PM, Viking Hall - Board meeting for tentative approval (consideration);
• July & August – vendors researched and selected with information from vendor incorporated into proposal, detailed timelines added, forms and documentation determined;
• September 8, 7:00 PM, Viking Hall – parent and student orientation meeting. This will be an opportunity for final consideration of concerns or changes in program.
• In late September or early October, the implementation of the program should be in place.

There are a number of procedural considerations that LVISD is working through in the development of a student drug-testing program. These include discussions with parents and teachers, as well as the Lago Vista Police Department, about the extent of drug use in the community. Legal counsel will assist in approval of the final policy. Support and assistance from the entire community will be necessary for a drug-testing program to be successful. In addition, an advisory task force will be formed to help in monitoring implementation and providing guidance for improvement. We hope that all interested people will join us on July 1 to discuss this very important topic.

Judi Flores, Librarian - LVES, and
Heather Stoner, Primary Principal - LVES
June 12, 2008


Summertime brings the opportunity to spend time with family and take some time to relax and recuperate. Summer is also a great time to clean out all those places you stuck things during the school year because you didn’t have time to find a place for them! While you are cleaning out your bookshelves, closets, and attics, please be sure to put aside all of your gently read children’s books to bring up to our first annual Summer Book Drive! We will happily take any book that is appropriate for students between the ages of 5 and 11 to read. That includes board books, picture books, and even chapter books for our older readers. These books will be handed out to our students who are in need of reading material in the summer. It is our hope that providing our students with books will help keep their reading skills from regressing during the summer. The only “summer dips” we want our students to have this summer is in the swimming pool, not in their reading ability! So, when you do your summer cleaning please save those gently read books and bring them to the elementary school. The Lago Vista Elementary School office is open Monday – Thursday, from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm, through Thursday, July 17. If you have questions, please be sure to give the office a call at 267-8340.

Another exciting first for Lago Vista Elementary School is our summer library program. This summer, our library will be open for checking out books to all of our current LVES students. The library will be open once a week, every Thursday, from 11:00 am – 7:00 pm, from June 12 – July 24 and on August 7 and 14. Our librarian, Judi Flores, has planned lots of fun, neat activities to keep kids excited about reading during the summer months. One activity for students to participate in is a Weekly Reading Contest. If students read or are read to at least 15 minutes a day (for students entering PK through 1st grades), 20 minutes a day (for students entering 2nd and 3rd grades) and 30 minutes a day (for students entering 4th and 5th grades) they can earn prizes. Come by and pick up a reading log next Thursday and get more information on this event. Another activity for students in grades 3 through 5 is the opportunity to get a head start on the new Bluebonnet Books. There are twenty nominated books for the 2008-2009 Texas Bluebonnet Book program. Some of the titles include Atheron: The House of Power, by Patrick Carman; The Middle of Somewhere, by J.B. Cheaney; Tall Tales, by Karen Day; Comet, Star, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings, by Douglas Florian; Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, a Tough Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic, by Emily Jenkins; and many more. The library will also have several new books on the shelves this summer. Just before school let out, Mrs. Flores got in many new graphic novels, such as the newest Jimmy Sniffles series and the new Jake Maddox books. Also, just in are some new non-fiction books full of great pictures of volcanoes, earthquakes, and photosynthesis! There are also books on tape for those long car trips! There are many reasons why you and your child should visit the library this summer. Above all, make sure your child is reading or being read to on a daily basis! You can give Mrs. Flores a call on Thursdays from 11:00 am – 7:00 pm at 267-8370 if you need more information.

Barbara Qualls, PhD – Superintendent, LVISD
June 9, 2008

Last week marked an annual rite of passage for literally hundreds of LVISD students as they graduated and promoted – from elementary school to middle school, middle school to high school, and high school to the wide world beyond ‘required’ school. The fifth graders, who are looking toward Lago Vista Middle School in August, are beginning a seven year adventure as secondary students where new experiences will be an almost daily event. Eighth graders who are now officially high school students will embark on four of the most fun-filled and memory-filled periods of their lives. All of us at LVISD wish each adventurer/scholar the very best that life has to offer and are grateful for the opportunity to share.

The 2008 LVHS graduates who are the recipients of special scholarship funding have received more than a gift of dollars – they have been entrusted with an investment in the future. We are thankful to the many area businesses, civic organizations, and foundations that support our graduates through scholarship funding. These include the following:

Lago Vista Rotary Club

who presented scholarships to

Ashley Adams, Kayla Currie, Corey Hendrix, and Brooke Walker,

the Lago Vista Women’s Club

Panida Allers, Amanda Ambrose, Courtney Cantu, Katelyn Holleyman, Erica Hollingsworth, Lindsay Jackson, Elizabeth Joslin, Jennifer Kunze, Danielle Richter, Rebecca Roque, Leah Sneed, and Brooke Walker).

The Lago Vista Lions Club recognized

Amanda Ambrose and Rosvel Alvarado.

The Point Venture Women’s Golf Association presented scholarships to

Lindsay Jackson and Kayla Currie.

The Point Venture Lions Club recognized

Xavier Allred and Katelyn Holleyman

.

The LV Chamber of Commerce presented scholarships to

Rebecca Raines and Brooke Walker.

Super S recognized

Ryan Monahan.

Lago Vista Athletic scholarships went to

Amanda Ambrose, Katelyn Holleyman, Jenny Kunze, Brooke Walker, and Alex Murphy.

Students who have excelled in UIL activities and received UIL scholarships are

Xavier Allred, Paige Cline, Ryan Monahan, Nikolette Moreau, and Rebecca Strohacker.

The LVHS Career and Technology Scholarship was awarded to

Brandon Becker

.

The Theron Rose Memorial Scholarship was presented to

Ryan Monahan

;

the Rooster Andrews Memorial Scholarship was presented to

Patrick Delahoussaye and Brooke Walker

.

The Rhett Butler Memorial Scholarship was awarded to

Corey Hendrix.

St. Mary Our Lady of the Lake recognized three students with scholarships

:

Ryan Baranek, Priscilla Sanchez, and Lindsay Jackson.

The annual Pedernales Electric Cooperative scholarship was awarded to

Tony Foianini.

A new scholarship from Domino’s Pizza was awarded to

Nikolette Moreau

.

The Girl Scouts of Central Texas Founders Scholarship was awarded to

Erica Hollingsworth

.

The Austin Community College Connection Scholarship was awarded to

Kayla Currie.

In addition, many students received scholarships from their colleges for academic achievement through class ranking and exceptional SAT/ACT scores and others received athletic or other performance-based university scholarships. Most of the athletic scholarship winners also received academic awards in connection with the athletic scholarships.

While this list of names and awards is important to each individual student mentioned and to their family, it is also important to our community to see that in a class of just 84 young scholars, a large proportion of them are high achievers and have been recognized for that achievement. Thank you to the organizations that work with our kids every year to distribute thousands of dollars of assistance. In addition to the contributing organizations, LVHS counselor Cindy Slaughter works tirelessly with all seniors and their parents to maximize their college experience. LVISD Director of Athletics Alan Haire works with each college-bound athlete to utilize their athletic ability at the college level. Thank you to all the LVISD staff who created the nurturing atmosphere that has launched this latest class of scholars into the next great adventure of their lives.

Barbara Qualls, PhD – Superintendent, LVISD
June 2, 2008

Last week, I had the opportunity to be on site at the launch of a new educational transformation initiative, the E³ Alliance – The Blueprint for Educational Change. The Alliance is a large-scale cooperative effort between education and business in the Central Texas region. The name of the organization is shorthand for Education Equals Economics—E³ Alliance. The Alliance’s slogan is Because Graduates are Made. Not Born. The event took place at the Erwin Center on the UT campus. It was noted that in just a few days, many area high schools would be using the Erwin Center for their graduation ceremonies. The most memorable part of the program was a spotlight moving over vast areas of empty seats, which symbolized the large number of people in Central Texas who were not part of a high school graduation ceremony. While Lago Vista ISD enjoys a very high rate of student high school completion, that is not true across the economic area of which we are a part. The Blueprint for Educational Change is a fluid document that represents the effort of many area school superintendents, the Region Service Center, staff from the University of Texas as well as business support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, and Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, Austin Community College, and all area colleges and universities.

The four major goals of the Alliance are simple to articulate but quite complex to execute. Goal 1 is that children will enter kindergarten school-ready. Goal 2 is that Central Texas will eliminate the achievement gap while improving overall student performance. Goal 3 is that students will graduate from high school college-and-career ready and prepared for a lifetime of learning. Goal 4 is that Central Texas, as a community, will prepare children to succeed.

While all these goals are important, I would like to concentrate on the third goal of preparedness. The Action Strategies identified by the Alliance are to define college and career readiness standards, develop programs to simplify high school to college transitions, expand higher education capacity in the Central Texas region, develop/promote industry collaboration to link core subjects and skills to careers, identify business skills and high need occupations to students, and systematize emerging best practices in high school redesign. The Blueprint notes that today’s economic world is very different from that of our parents. Not long ago, it was possible to get a good job and earn a livable wage without a high school diploma. It is estimated that today, 90% of jobs in the fastest-growing segment of business require education beyond high school and that more than 80% of new careers created within the next decade will require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Those statistics were generated by a major study on high school completion, The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts (Bridgeland and Morison), which serves as a basis for much of the strategic planning in Goal 3 of the Blueprint. For a student to be prepared for college or career, he/she should graduate from high school having completed, at a minimum, the RHSP (Recommended High School Plan), which is the default for LVHS students.

As we in Lago Vista send another group of LVHS graduates on to their next life phase, we are very proud to have played a role in helping prepare them for that phase and are committed to improving the process. It is hoped that the effort of the E³ Alliance will help in making all Central Texas high school students more prepared for the next phase of their lives.


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