Tyler

By MEGAN MIDDLETON
Staff Writer

The Tyler ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved Tuesday the withdrawal of John Tyler High School from the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, while also highlighting the need for accountability with the advanced studies program that will essentially replace it.

“We’re at a point now where we do believe, after investigating everything, that it is in the best interest of all the students at John Tyler that we move beyond the IB program and funnel those resources into the Advanced Placement (AP) program,” TISD Superintendent Dr. Randy Reid told trustees during a special meeting Tuesday.

John Tyler officials had recommended the school’s voluntary withdrawal from the program in lieu of the IB organization possibly terminating authorization following years of problems with IB the school has not been able to fix.

At the board’s regular meeting in April, trustees tabled the issue to allow the school more time to inform the public on the reasons behind the school’s recommendation to withdraw from the program that had been a source of pride for the community.

The school offered a community meeting April 29, presenting data to about 100 people who attended and allowing them to ask questions and express concerns about the withdrawal and plan to replace IB with a broader AP program. Reid as well as several board members, attended that meeting.

Before trustees voted Tues-day, Board President Brad Spradlin asked the superintendent about ensuring accountability with regard to the AP program, which was an issue raised at the community meeting.

“How are we going to monitor this program to ensure that we don’t fall in some of the traps we have in the past?” Spradlin asked.

Reid told the board he will bring forth regular reports starting mid-year next year and annually will report the performance of students after AP test scores are returned.

He also said he is recommending officials put together an advanced studies accountability group made up of advanced studies teachers, as well as parents and community members. The group would watch the growth of the program.

Trustee Michelle Carr asked that a report be brought to the board in November on how many students are involved in the AP program.

Board members also asked about personnel and resources.

Officials have said that all funds presently allocated for the IB program at John Tyler will be used to begin and sustain the AP/Dual Credit program.

“We have no intention of removing personnel units or the dollars that are there,” Reid said Tuesday.

Board Vice President Ron Vickery agreed that the district continue to provide the money, resources, personnel and support for all of the advanced studies programs.

The Rev. Orenthia Mason, a TISD trustee, said not only does the district need to retain teachers but also have adequately prepared them to teach the rigor of the AP program.

“We want to make sure they’re extremely knowledgeable and that they’re willing to take the students into this in-depth curriculum and approach to learning — and that it’s not an option for them to go to training, that it’s understood to have a high-quality program that we want to have at John Tyler,” she said.

Reid said they have every intention of that happening.

The superintendent also told the board there is a plan for each of the 11 juniors currently in the IB program at John Tyler.

After the meeting, he said the students were given options and all are going to be taking some AP coursework at John Tyler.

Students at Hogg Middle School in a pre-IB program will have the option of going to the IB program at Robert E. Lee High School or into the AP program at John Tyler if they live in the John Tyler attendance area, Reid said in answer to a question from Ms. Mason.

Ms. Mason also expressed concern about providing rigor in the middle school years to prepare them to be successful in the AP program at John Tyler.

Reid said Lisa Harper, the IB coordinator who will become the AP coordinator at John Tyler, will work with the John Tyler feeder schools on vertical teaming “to make sure they are getting the appropriate building blocks.”

He also said it will need to involve central monitoring to ensure that happens.

“We’re going to have to really work with the principals and make sure that the rigor is what it needs to be,” Reid said. “It’s really an all-Tyler issue, not just a north Tyler issue.”

The AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program will also help, he said.

Spradlin also noted the positive comments he has heard from parents about John Tyler Principal Vanessa Choice, who is in her first year as principal there, as well as Ms. Harper, who also recently began her job at John Tyler. He commended Ms. Harper for her hard work.

Reviews of the IB program at John Tyler in the last eight years have cited John Tyler for high teacher turnover, low number of diploma candidates and diplomas earned, school administration misunderstanding of the program as well as lack of growth and low student interest, according to TISD information.

According to the district, despite efforts to strengthen the program, the school has not been able to do so.

There have been 95 IB diploma candidates in the program since 1996-97. Of the 95 diploma candidates John Tyler has had, 41 earned IB diplomas — less than half.

For the last three years, only two students each year have received an IB diploma.

In addition to low numbers, a pending five-year review due in October looks like it might spell the termination of the program because of the problems the school has not been able to fix, officials have said.

In lieu of the IB organization terminating the authorization, Ms. Choice has said previously she felt it would be in the best interest of students to voluntarily withdraw and turn efforts toward building a strong AP program as well as offering more dual-credit courses and Career and Technical Education (CATE) programs.

Officials have said the IB diploma program is very prescriptive, “all or nothing,” while AP offers students more flexibility to pick and choose which advanced-level courses they want to take. They hope the new program will allow more students to take advanced courses. The plan is to increase the number of AP courses at John Tyler from four to 14.

Ms. Harper has said previously that the AP program will “have the same rigor the IB program did.”

“We can take all the good components of IB and put it into our new AP program and be able to reach a lot more students,” she has said.

And Ms. Choice has said, “The same techniques and strategies to teach the kids can be applied to AP classes. You’re talking about two rigorous programs. Both curriculums are designed to prepare kids for college and academic challenges.”

In a second stage of the school’s plan, which would begin in 2009-10, there is a possibility of including a Leadership Academy and investigating connections with Texas A&M University’s International Outreach Center as well as the Mays College of Business and several other groups.

The board also approved the non-renewal of two teachers because of a reduction in force action previously taken by the board.

At a special April 1 board meeting, trustees approved a reduction in force of two positions because of a program change/elimination of courses in Career and Technical Education (CATE).