Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 1, 1994 Page: 29
39 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Transforming A Community School:
The Hico Model
by
Lorey HelmsWriting objectively about a program one helped
create is an impossible task - We say this up front so
there is no misunderstanding our prejudice. Nearly
three years have passed since we started to reorganize
the secondary program at Hico ISD around an out-
comes-based framework. Bill Spady would say it's a
transitional Outcomes Based Education (OBE) model
since we emphasize traditional academic content deliv-
ered by interdisciplinary performance outcomes de-
signed to complement and often replace traditional
tests. For this small school, it has been a time of
transition and uncertainty-two and a half years of sus-
tained hard work generating a creative whirlwind with
many faculty members in leading roles. We write from
among this group.
The initiative to change was instigated by teach-
ers dissatisfied and discouraged from years of working
in a rigid system perceived by many as failing. The
profile of our student body was painfully familiar,
many students apathetic about the learning process and
a solid majority not able to connect achievement at
school to any meaningful preparation for college or
future work. Our students were passive, only going
through the motions of learning at school. The faculty
wanted change, and our students needed it.
As events unfolded, we found a number of
critical factors operating in our favor. We had strong
leadership, full support of the school board, and model
programs to examine first-hand through the Effective
Schools Project (ESP). We cried for help, and ESP
pushed us to visit leading schools in performance-
based instruction: Alhambra High School in Phoenix
and Littleton High School in Denver. What we ob-served and learned from the principals and faculty of
these high schools served both as models and inspira-
tion that what we were attempting was within reach if
we were willing to devote the time. We attended
seminars, we talked, we planned, and we conducted
research on performance-based program. Tarleton
State University ESP faculty played a key role in
guidance and staff development and continue to do so.
Our faculty agreed unanimously to develop
OBE at Hico. From that beginning in late 1991, the
creative process has fueled unabated enthusiasm. Ideas
blended from the faculty and students soon material-
ized into the outline of a thoroughly new academic
program custom tailored to meet the needs of the
community. The potential for gain appeared unlim-
ited while the risks seemed minimal. In fact, we felt
we had nothing to lose, and we haven't looked back
since.
By January, 1992, we had written a fifty-page
document which detailed every component of the new
program. This included waivers from T.E.A. to by-
pass some of the state-imposed legal barriers. Waiv-
ers were awarded for three years (based on successful
annual performance ratings), and the school board
voted unanimously in favor of beginning in August,
1992. We began the long transition to a performance-
based program. We are still in that transitional mode.
A mastery learning component was implemented to
raise acceptable levels of student performance in all
content areas, with a dedicated tutorial period to
support mastery. Early dismissal of students at 2:15
on Thursday and Friday provided time for faculty
members collaboratively to plan interdisciplinary29
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Tarleton State University. Effective Schools Project. Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 1, 1994, periodical, 1994; Stephenville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201678/m1/29/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Tarleton State University.