New academies in Plano (Richardson, Robinson: 2013, credit, how much)

[MinoM]

Hello, has anyone heard about the new high school academies opening in Plano recently? I wonder if these are good choices.

My kids are in 4th and 7th grades. The older one will be in high school in 2 years. I would like to hear what you think about these schools.

[Big G]

Originally Posted by MinoM

Hello, has anyone heard about the new high school academies opening in Plano recently?

Academies of Choice : Plano ISD

These are all starting up in fall of 2013, and applications are due in the coming weeks.

I wonder if these are good choices...My kids are in 4th and 7th grades. The older one will be in high school in 2 years. I would like to hear what you think about these schools.

Here are my $0.02 on the 3 new choices.

1) IB Academy - This isn't really new. They're just changing the campus location of the 9-10 portion of the program. Going forward, all the kids from 9-12 will attend school at Plano East. That will scare some kids off, but be attractive to others. Overall, I think that will increase the appeal of the IB program, since you get to be at the "real" senior high for 4 years, instead of 2, and don't have to switch schools at age 16. Also, it should increase the retention of the IB program. Right now, a fair number of the IB kids from the West or Senior areas ditch the program at the end of 10th grade and revert to their "home" senior high. With the change, you'll already be "home" at PESH. As for the program itself - it's a standard IB program, and you can find tons of information about that program on the intertubes. If you like that setup, great! If not, look elsewhere.

2) Health Sciences Academy - To me, this is the most interesting of the choices. Although I guess future doctors and nurses could be part of this, the main focus seems to be on supporting occupations such as EMTs and CNAs. 9th and 10th are at Williams. 11th and 12th grade are nominally at PESH, but in practice, you're pretty much full-time at Collin College. This seems like a great way to take kids who maybe aren't 4-year college material and get them into a productive career a year or two earlier than before. And if you ARE 4-year college material, you can take your Collin College credits with you and shave a year or more off your timeline.

3) Plano ISD Academy. I really want to like this program. But it seems like you're buying a pig in a poke right now. Maybe it will be more established by the time your kid is in a position to consider it. As for me and mine, I'm going to let someone else be the guinea pigs.

Another worrisome aspect of the stand-alone academy: Unlike the other 2 programs, it's not connected to a particular high school. That's particularly critical considering that PESH, PWSH, and PSHS are all known quantities to just about every big-name adcom in the country. (That's due to the combination of high performance and extreme class size, meaning that, for all the "usual suspect" universities, several apps are seen from PWSH, PSHS, and PESH each year.) Come college application time, you'd have to spend half your essay explaining your school, as opposed to just saying "Plano Senior".

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Going "meta":

PISD finds itself in a bit of a quandary right now. The lion's share of the remaining undeveloped home sites in the district are on the east side - in Parker, Murphy, and Richardson. Problem is, nobody wants to buy an expensive home in an area with cr@ppy schools. Their previous operating mode - pleasing the Willow Bend crowd, while letting the east side schools go to pot - is coming back to haunt them. These academies are an effort to improve the appeal of the east side, particularly for new home buyers. Even if Williams and PESH as a whole aren't appealing, an option of a rigorous sub-school will make for an easier sale. (And, of course, allow for the continued expansion of the tax base.)

[MinoM]

Big D, thanks a lot for the reply. It's very helpful.

From what I read, the selection process is going to be lottery. Do you know if there are academic requirements for the kids who wants to appy? Or any kid - at any academic level - can enter?

[PISDstudent]

Originally Posted by Big G

Academies of Choice : Plano ISD

These are all starting up in fall of 2013, and applications are due in the coming weeks.




Here are my $0.02 on the 3 new choices.

3) Plano ISD Academy. I really want to like this program. But it seems like you're buying a pig in a poke right now. Maybe it will be more established by the time your kid is in a position to consider it. As for me and mine, I'm going to let someone else be the guinea pigs.

Another worrisome aspect of the stand-alone academy: Unlike the other 2 programs, it's not connected to a particular high school. That's particularly critical considering that PESH, PWSH, and PSHS are all known quantities to just about every big-name adcom in the country. (That's due to the combination of high performance and extreme class size, meaning that, for all the "usual suspect" universities, several apps are seen from PWSH, PSHS, and PESH each year.) Come college application time, you'd have to spend half your essay explaining your school, as opposed to just saying "Plano Senior".

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I was on the committee that designed this one. I'll be frank- it's not for everyone. If you're looking for a rigorous, college prep experience, with a focus on AP/IB/Honors courses, then you should probably stick with your normal feeder. After all, that's what PISD already does best. This school was made for people who might not be taking AP all the way, but are still good students who do care about learning. Thus, admissions in to HYPS/ other usual suspects weren't really a big consideration for this school. We were more concerned that this would be an option for students who wouldn't be served by the traditional mega schools...hence the small class sizes and the focus on project based learning as opposed to more traditional lecture/reading based classes. Hope that's somewhat helpful.

This school in particular is definitely something completely new/different for PISD. So yes, it's uncharted territory, but I think it's something that the district needs, especially as it becomes more diverse, in all senses of the word.

[Big G]

The IB program has never had any hard-and-fast enrollment limits. I expect that to continue - they would love for the program to become larger than it is today. They do look at your middle school record, and expect you to be performing in the top 1/8 of your class. I don't know how strictly they enforce that.

The health sciences academy is going to be capacity-constrained by what enrollment Collin College can accomodate. I assume selection will be largely focused on student interest and future career aspirations, rather than just academic performance (as long as there isn't a mismatch between career goal and current performance). That is, a 3.0 student aiming to be a paramedic is likely going to get the nod over a 3.5 student with no concrete goals.

The STEAM academy is supposed to serve "a range" of academic abilities. How far down will that go? I don't know, but I do know it's specifically NOT targeted as a "gifted/talented" academy - as PISDStudent explained. As part of this goal of serving a cross-section of the PISD student body, they are targeting geographic diversity. Specifically, they are aiming to get about a dozen kids from each of the 13 middle schools in PISD. I suspect that will make it harder for kids from nearby schools such as Wilson and Otto, and from uber-competitive schools such as Rice and Robinson. If you're from some iffy school like Armstrong, "apply and you're in" might be the situation. So the lottery isn't going to be as simple as tossing your name in the hat. All that assumes they can even fill their 150 seats per grade - it's uncertain just how much demand there really is for this thing.

[Falafelosophy]

My wife subbed in IB program and was really impressed with their philosophy, global perspective, rigorous academics and dedication of students. It's not for everyone as you need to work harder than regulars, honors even AP and on top of that volunteer hours and college level essays are mandatory requirements. However, for intelligent and dedicated students, it can be a ticket to in depth learning, national/international college admissions & later on jobs in multinational/ global projects. It prepares them for adjusting well in global economy. IB courses have a GPA of 5.It takes dedication from parents as well because they drive to & from central or west to east though they already have good schools nearby. I hear that usually people car pool but buses will be available next year to take them to IB academy at PESH from their nearest high school. PISD wants to keep this program on east side to divert talent to PESH to keep district performance balanced on all sides.

[MinoM]

Sorry I was away for awhile. Thanks everyone for your replies. My son has another year before we have to make a decision if one of these schools is good for him, so hopefully I can hear more feedbacks from other parents once the schools open next year.