Update on DISD Collegiate Academies

The following is an update from Patti Burks on the DISD Collegiate Academies, with additional edits from Anna Mays (noted in blue lettering), sent to the Faculty Council on June 17, 2016:

We just had the June meeting of the DCCCD Steering Committee and the DISD-DCCCD Joint Steering Committee for the DISD Academies, so I thought it might be a good time for an update on what is happening. The students enrolled in the academies for fall are completing a summer bridge program this week.

• Scheduling:
• Schedules for 2016-2017 are being finalized. Faculty in the programs affected should have the proposed schedules from the academies in hand and provide feedback to finalize the schedules within the next couple of weeks. 
• DCCCD dual credit faculty will be following the DCCCD full semester calendar dates. The high schools will provide coverage for the days before and after the DCCCD semester when the high school is in session. The only exception to the DCCCD calendar is the week of Thanksgiving when the high schools are out on break, so no classes will be held that week.
• Staffing
• The DCCCD colleges will be responsible for staffing all of the dual credit courses in 2016-2017. No qualified DISD personnel have been identified.
• Any college who needs to hire adjuncts for Fall 2016 should do so through their local college HR departments. No district-wide search will be conducted (as decided by the college HR directors).
• If any college needs help with this process, they can contact me (pburks@dcccd.edu) and I will do my best to provide assistance.
• Classroom Management
• We are developing a professional development session for dual credit faculty that will cover the following topics:
• DCCCD responsibilities (syllabus, certification, grades, student drops, FERPA, etc.)
• DISD responsibilities (attendance, grading, discipline, etc.)
• Strategies for working with younger students
• Brain/psychology of teens as it relates to learning
• Struggles and challenges of younger students
• Strategies for classroom management and student engagement
• This training will be open to all DCCCD dual credit instructors – not just DISD academy
• A half-day training session will be held the afternoon of August 10 or 12 – date and location TBD.
• We are working with LeCroy to put the training online as well for those who cannot attend or for future semesters.
• We would like to have a panel of a few experienced instructors who have taught both dual credit and adult college students to discuss challenges and present strategies. Volunteers or suggestions of good candidates would be appreciated!
• Curriculum
• For the 9th grade courses, the committee asked that the colleges adopt a common text book for each course. The justification was for cost and time savings since we got a late start and the ordering and payment for books is all being handled through a compiled Dallas ISD order to Follett Bookstore and software vendors for Fall, 2016 dual credit courses at the Dallas ISD Collegiate Academies/high schools (over $50,000).  Dallas ISD will centralize the purchase of textbooks for all Collegiate Academy classes for fall 2016. Since the courses have not been set up in Colleague, textbook adoptions cannot be input in Follett’s online adoption system.  College representatives have submitted their textbook and software requests to the District Office representatives (Doris Rousey and Anna Mays) so that a final list can be compiled and sent to Dallas ISD and Follett before July 1 for ordering and deliver to over 800 students and seven high schools.  This has occurred for most courses.  Faculty should not submit their textbook requests through the normal adoption process directly to the Follett system for Fall, 2016 only since the textbooks and software must be ordered by July 1 to ensure delivery to the high schools before dual credit classes start August 29. 
• For the 10th grade year (starting in 2017-2018), the committee has expressed a preference for a common textbook for the same course (but not a requirement). I have suggested that they send this request to the relevant curriculum committees in the fall to allow them time to evaluate the reasonableness and feasibility of accommodating their request. 
• Faculty should know that the DISD is on a 3 year adoption cycle, meaning that we should expect to use the books selected for 3 academic years. 
• DISD has also asked for our consideration when requiring course materials that use access codes for online components as these are not transferable between students and significantly increase the cost to DISD. 
• Industry partners
• Industry partners are being identified for each Collegiate Academy. Each academy will have a primary partner identified and some may also have secondary partners.
• These industry partners will provide support to the schools in a number of ways including internships in the latter years of the program, but also mentors, speakers, etc. throughout the high school experience.
• Transfer partnerships
• Discussions are underway with 8 local universities to form partnerships that would allow students to transfer to the universities and retain the credit they have earned in their AAS degrees (AAS to BAAS pathways). 

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I am on the committee as your advocate, so I am happy to bring our questions and concerns to them and help formulate an acceptable resolution.