Posted on Feb 02, 2012 | Tagged in: News , Health and Wellness , Cy-Fair ISD
School cafeteria food sure isn’t what it used to be! These days Cy-Fair ISD students are given a wide variety of tasty and nutritious options each lunch period to encourage them to feed their bodies, which turn feeds their minds.
Join the Cy-Fair ISD Food Service Department, along with students, parents, and faculty at the Annual Food Tasting on Thursday, February 9, from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm at the Berry Center.
The Lone Star College-Cy Fair Library presents a lineup of special events during the final two weeks of the the brilliant and thought-provoking historical exhibit ‘Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War’ running through February 17.
This is a traveling exhibition for libraries organized by the National Constitution Center and the American Library Association Public Programs Office.
Posted on Nov 18, 2011 | Tagged in: News , Education , Cy-Fair ISD
If you need a picture taken, Cypress is now a community with no shortage of skilled amateur photographers at your disposal.
33 Cy-Fair ISD students recently earned awards at the 2011 Association of Texas Photography Instructors (ATPI) Fall Contest on Saturday, November 12.
Posted on Nov 11, 2011 | Tagged in: Education , Cy-Fair ISD
The Texas Education Agency recently named the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District as having earned a Recognized status for the fourth consecutive year in their annual accountability ratings.
Recognized is the second-highest status a Texas public school district can achieve, after Exemplary, each year. Only a small percentage of schools are given the honor.
Posted on Nov 11, 2011 | Tagged in: Education , Cy-Fair ISD
The Cy-Fair Independent School District has recently selected a new approach to helping students prepare for the TEKS science exam.
The Adaptive Curriculum Science Texas program is an innovative new technique used in helping children strengthen scientific concepts and skills. It uses a computer-based approach that provides interactive teaching with students who learn to create hypotheses, manipulate items and observe their reactions, and other hands-on learning.
Posted on Nov 08, 2011 | Tagged in: Education , Cy-Fair ISD
For the fourth consecutive year, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD is the largest Recognized school district in Texas.
Today, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) confirmed that an appeal was granted and CFISD's accountability rating was changed to Recognized. The increase in rating came as a result of an appeal to recalculate the TAKS science passing percentage for Dean Middle School. The decision changed the campus' accountability rating to Academically Acceptable.
“It is an incredible honor to be deemed the largest Recognized district in the state of Texas for the fourth consecutive year,” said Dr. Mark Henry, superintendent of schools. “We are pleased with TEA’s decision to grant our appeal for a rating change that more accurately reflects the continual improvement and performance from all CFISD students.”
Posted on Oct 06, 2011 | Tagged in: Education , Cy-Fair ISD , Charity
The Foundry Performing Arts group is partnering with Cy-Hope to present Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella to benefit “at-risk” children in the Cy-Fair public school district. This newly established nonprofit in their own words has been established to bring hope to children who are economically, relationally, and spiritually disadvantaged. “Every child deserves hope for a successful future and an opportunity to attain that life. With Cy-Hope, we want to make that happen by making a lasting impact on the community of Cy-Fair through mentoring, tutoring, feeding, coaching, supporting, and encouraging those children who struggle daily to have their needs met.”
The Cy-fair community is invited to attend the Cinderella Fundraiser Event. Attendees will enjoy a brilliant performance from the Foundry Performing Arts group, which is comprised of current CISD students as well as alumni and will help alleviate the circumstances the “at-risk” children face day in and day out.
Posted on Aug 12, 2011 | Tagged in: People , Health and Wellness , Cy-Fair ISD
Cypress Ranch Key Club, a service organization for high school students, is inviting all pre-existing and potential new Ranch students to their annual Back-to-School Social on Tuesday, August 16 from 7:30 to 8:30 pm in the Cy-Ranch Commons.
The Key Club social is a great way for students to kick off the new school year, meet new classmates and come together for common philanthropic causes. This year’s event will include music, food, drinks and icebreakers to introduce younger and older club members.
Posted on Aug 09, 2011 | Tagged in: Cy-Fair ISD
New standards provide more accurate assessment
By Andrew Erben, published in 8-7-11 Houston Chronicle
Erben is president of the Texas Institute for Education Reform
Last week, the Texas Education Agency released the 2010-2011 accountability ratings for Texas’ schools and school districts. The number of districts rated as exemplary dropped from 241 to 61 and the number of campuses earning this distinction fell from 2,637 to 1,224. More districts and campuses were academically unacceptable as well, with the number of districts up from 37 to 88 and the number of campuses up from 104 to 569.
At first glance, it would appear that our students and schools performed worse in 2010-11, but that is not the case. Instead, Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott took bold steps to realign the ratings to reflect a new emphasis on rating districts and schools based on their students’ progress toward post-secondary readiness. At the Texas Institute for Education Reform, we applaud Commissioner Scott on taking these important steps.
The changes in ratings were the result of several key improvements: requiring districts and schools to meet goals for students who are on track to graduate at the postsecondary readiness level; discontinuing use of the Texas Projection Measure (TPM); and requiring more students to pass math and science assessments.
First, and for the first time, districts and schools had to meet postsecondary readiness goals in order to each the recognized or exemplary designations. To be recognized, 15 percent or more of economically disadvantaged students had to score at the commended level on the English and math assessments. To be rated exemplary, 25 percent of each group had to reach the commended level on these two assessments. The commended level – which is significantly higher than the passing standard – is a good indicator that a student is on pace to graduate with the knowledge and skills to succeed in college, community college, industry certification or other job training programs. The Texas Institute for Education Reform (TIER) was a strong proponent of this change, and we believe this was an important first step in aligning the accountability system with postsecondary readiness.
Next, the 2010-11 ratings were calculated without using the TPM. Under the TPM, students who failed an assessment could be counted as passing if – based on a statistical model – they were projected to pass in future years. Ultimately, the use of TPM boosted district and school ratings because failing students were counted as passing.
Last year, approximately 70 percent of districts and schools were rated as recognized or exemplary based in large part on the TPM. This year, 39 percent of districts and 48 percent of campuses earned these ratings, and we feel this is a much more accurate reflection of academic performance. TIER opposed the TPM’s role in the accountability system for several reasons.
First, by counting failing students as passing, it overestimated the progress that our students were making. Secondly, by artificially reducing the number of academically unacceptable districts and schools, it prevented the state from providing extra resources and oversight that students in unacceptable schools desperately needed. Finally, the TPM was not based on individual student growth toward postsecondary readiness. TIER supports including student growth and value added measures to the accountability system and will work with the Texas Education Agency as they consider future improvements.
Finally, the ratings reflected stronger math and science expectations for our students. Both standards were raised by 5 percent over the preceding year. As the state implements the new STAAR exams, which better measure progress to postsecondary readiness, academic standards will continue to become more rigorous in the future.
Posted on Aug 03, 2011 | Tagged in: Cy-Fair ISD , Cy-Fair
Once again the CFISD transportation and Partners in Education (PIE) departments have come together with the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce to offer students the Bus Buddies program.
The Bus Buddies program disperses volunteers to Cy-Fair schools to ride along on the buses with student for the first three days of classes from 2:45 to 4:45 to help insure children are delivered to their proper drop-off points.
