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McAllen School District, A Center For Education Excellence
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In 1999, McAllen’s Chamber of Commerce and McAllen Economic Development Corp. were looking for a marketing tool, a way to attract people to McAllen. They approached McAllen’s Independent School District about instituting programs that would establish it as a center for education excellence. MISD accepted the challenge, and by the 2001-2002 school year, became authorized to offer the demanding International Baccalaureate Diploma Program for 11th- and 12th-grade students.
Five years later, with the Diploma Program well under way and highly successful, MISD rolled out IB programs developed for every grade, from pre-kindergarten through high school graduation. To qualify, MISD completed a multiyear authorization process entailing difficult, protracted and costly multitrack training for teachers and administrators. At present, the IB program is instituted in one high school – Lamar Academy – and three middle schools. Six elementary schools are in the midst of the authorization process.
The program demands much from its teachers and students. The Diploma Program draws juniors and seniors from all three of the district’s comprehensive high schools. While students take some coursework at their home campus, their core academic subjects – English, science, math, history, a second language and an academic elective – are taught at Lamar. Upperclassmen also are required to do 150 hours of community service, while freshmen and sophomores do 75 hours.
Those who graduate from the program – 100 percent of MISD’s IB students have – not only earn the IB diploma, but also earn the highest diploma in Texas, the Texas Distinguished Achievement Plan. State law in Texas also requires that all state universities must credit IB program graduates a minimum of 24 credit hours. The majority of MISD’s graduates have received more than 30 credit hours, meaning they started their college careers as sophomores.
Throughout our region, IB programs represent the best that education has to offer. Educators and families alike are drawn to the IB for the broad appeal of its international programs, the quality of its curriculums and assessments, the challenge of its coursework and the rich opportunities for post-secondary studies. In a world where intercultural awareness has become vital, the IB programs encourage students to become active, life-long learners who not only understand that people can be different, but have the heart and mind to appreciate those differences.
IB programs help schools to:
- Add international perspectives to their academic offerings
- Measure teaching and learning against an international standard
- Satisfy the educational needs of culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse student populations
- Build students’ confidence in their learning abilities
- Develop students’ capacity to think critically and act compassionately in a complex, ever-shrinking world
- Implement the most effective classroom practices from around the world
- Provide their teaching faculty with the opportunity to develop and expand their professional skills.
By: Michael Stuhlreyer
The IB Program is just one of the many programs available in this district that has been recognized by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). In 2005-2006 the McAllen School District was acknowledged by the TEA for the following indicator(s):
- Commended Performance: Writing
- Attendance Rate
- Recommended High School Program
The graphs below show an overview of the elementary, middle and high schools within the McAllen Independent School District. Several elementary schools have been recognized and rated as exemplary by the TEA.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OVERVIEW
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