Parents

Dear Parent/Guardians,


We would like to inform you about the Connect Personalized Learning program for your child at Dobie High School.  


The transition to high school is exciting but can be overwhelming with the multiple opportunities that are provided to students.  Since Connect is still relatively new, we are aware that parents and students might have questions and concerns about the benefits of the program in high school. We are committed to making the process as smooth as possible for everyone.    

GPA and Class Rankings

Currently, all high school student’s GPA and class rankings are calculated at the end of a school year.  The course grade that a student earns at the end of a school year will be used to determine a student’s GPA and class ranking.  A benefit of the Connect program is that all courses receive premium points.  On level Connect courses receive a weighted grade point of up to 5.5.  This is the same as traditional Pre-AP courses.  AP Connect courses receive a weighted grade point of up to 6.0. This is the same as traditional AP courses.

Mentoring

Each student within the Connect program will have a mentor teacher that will meet with them weekly.  The mentors will work with students on goal setting and helping students develop Habits of Success.  In addition, mentors will work closely with a mentee's family to understand what is happening with a student outside of the classroom that could be affecting the student’s learning. A Connect student’s homeroom teacher will be their mentor teacher.


A Student's Day

A Connect students day is very much like a student that is not part of the program.  Each student has their personalized schedule that is made up of core classes and electives.  Dependent upon a student’s endorsement and their interests, a student will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of different electives.  Students can participate in UIL activities such as band, choir, sports, and dance.  In addition, all students will attend Megalunch.  This period of the day has been designed for students to eat lunch, attend tutorials, and participate in the many different clubs and organizations that are offered on campus.


So what is different for Connect students?  Our students all share the same math, science, social studies, English, and Spanish teachers.  Our Connect teachers work as an interdisciplinary team to help students develop the skills necessary for them to be successful in college and career.  


College Readiness

The structure of the Connect program is built around three interdependent components to help students be prepared for college.

  • Mentoring/Habits of Success

  • Real- world projects/Cognitive Skills

  • Content Knowledge

Just as they have done previously, students will continue to work on setting short and long term goals.  Each year a mentor teacher will work with their mentee on grade-specific benchmarks that will help prepare them for college.  


The NWEA MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) testing, is another perk that Connect students have access to each year.  This is a diagnostic assessment that measures a student’s academic performance in reading and math each year.  MAP can be used as a college readiness benchmark to determine a student’s expected performance on the ACT and SAT exams.  Mapping the Road to College is a tool that has been provided from NWEA to help students and parents identify colleges and universities based on the median ACT scores of students who were admitted and enrolled in those universities.  This diagnostic testing is only available to students that are part of the Connect program.  


You might be wondering how MAP testing is different from STAAR testing.  The MAP test is a measure of a student’s achievement in a particular moment, and growth over time regardless of the grade level.  The STAAR test differs from this because it measures what a student already knows, based on what is expected at their grade level.  It is a way to measure grade level

proficiency.

STAAR Performance

Student’s in the Connect program are scoring above the school and district average in all of the EOC exams.  In addition, they are scoring at or near the state average.   
If you have any further questions about the program, please feel free to contact one of the team members for further assistance. Thank you, The Dobie Connect Team