Benchmark 4: Curriculum and Support

The Collegiate Academy of Birdville shall provide a rigorous course of study that enables a participating student to receive a high school diploma and complete the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board core curriculum, obtain certifications, earn an Associate of Arts degree, or earn at least 60 credit hours toward a Baccalaureate degree during grades 9-12. The Collegiate Academy of Birdville will provide students with academic, social, and emotional support in their course of study.

The four-year cross-walks detail how students will progress toward this goal including alignment of high school and college level courses. The multiple cross-walks, differentiated by poassible career paths, were designed with TCC to provide students a guide to maximize the number of college courses that will be accepted for their course of study in Texas universities. These cross-walks provide pathways to a certificate, an Associate's degree, or a Baccalaureate degree and must follow the courses and fields of study listed in the THECB Lower Division Academic Course Guide Manual and/or the Workforce Education Course Manual.  

Multiple dual enrollment delivery models will be implemented in the Collegiate Academy of Birdville:

• College courses taught on the college campus by college faculty
• College courses taught on the high school campus by college faculty or qualified high school faculty
• College courses taught virtually, via distance/online blended learning

AVID

AVID’s mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society.

Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is a year-long academic elective course, scheduled during the regular school day, that prepares students for college readiness and success. Students receive instruction utilizing a rigorous college preparatory curriculum provided by AVID Center, tutor-facilitated study groups, motivational activities and academic success skills. In AVID, students participate in activities that incorporate strategies focused on writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization and reading (WICOR) to support their academic growth.

AVID National Demonstration Schools are centers of teaching and learning that also serve as models for those interested in the AVID College Readiness System.  

Visit the AVID Center Official Website for more information on the study skills curriculum used at the Collegiate Academy of Birdville.

AVID refers to the foundation of its study skills and instructional techniques as WICOR: Writing, Incquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading.  More specific information is summarized in the WICOR handout below.

Professional Learning Community (PLC)

The PLC at the CAB is solely focused on ensuring that every student learns. Rick DuFour (2004) believed that every professional in the organization must engage with colleagues to explore three crucial questions if a school was to move forward. 

"What do we want each student to learn?"

"How will we know when each student has learned it?"

"How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning?"

The CAB PLC examines the baseline TSI and STAAR data for incoming students to develop individualized student plans for ongoing academic support and classroom instruction. THe CAB PLC will adhere to protocols developed by Birdville ISD to maintain focus on the attained curriculum (what the student learned as opposed to what the student was taught.) All Birdville ISD PLC protocols are listed below.

In addition, the CAB PLC employs the principles of Kaizen, the Japanese business philosophy of incremental improvement over time, to carry out the district goal of Continuous Improvement. Kaizen was developed through the application of W. Edwards Deming's Total Quality Management  by Taiichi Ohno at Toyota that led to the creation of their Quality Circles, and it is the forerunner of such business systems as Six Sigma and Lean. 

 DuFour, R. (2004) What is a professional learning community? Educational Leadership, 61(8), 6 - 11.

The History of Kaizen - https://crm.org/articles/the-history-of-kaizen ; Christopher Sirk; Aug. 5, 2020

ECHS required products for Benchmark 4 are posted below.