This fall, the education improvement plan will be implemented, which officials hope will result in better services, better performance by the youth, and more career opportunities for those who are released.On TYC's website I found this set of bullet points describing highlights of this new education plan, but didn't locate anything more detailed. Though not in all the particulars, in many ways the agency is pursuing of its own accord a similar path to that outlined for it in failed legislation this year, SB 1362 which died for time in the House of Representatives' end-of-session meltdown. (See this testimony [pdf] from the Office of Independent Ombudsman supporting the bill.)The full plan launches officially Sept. 1 at all campuses statewide. It provides accelerated curriculum, allowing youth to take advantage of self-paced study and to advance as rapidly as they can so that when they are released, they may re-enter public school or attend college. The plan also calls for TYC to offer some college courses and to increase reading skills for the students. ...
The improvement plan will essentially standardize the education at all TYC facilities and align the curriculum with Texas Education Agency requirements. Chief components call for proper assessment and placement of all youth in TYC’s educational programming, an accelerated learning system, improved special education services, and integration of students into public schools or colleges.
“This is going to lower recidivism,” [Dr. Clint] Carpenter said. “We want these kids to have a high school diploma — if we don’t have the input to change their future, we are not going to help these kids.”
Since Carpenter signed on as the agency’s education superintendent in February, TYC has implemented a number of improvements. In March 2009, every eligible TYC youth took the TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) test, a first for youth in TYC.
Additionally, TYC will partner with Navarro College to offer courses to eligible youth in all TYC facilities. And, starting in September, TYC youth will be able to take dual credit and college courses at every campus. ...
TYC is in negotiations to offer classes from several other colleges and universities including the University of North Texas, University of Texas at Dallas, Tarleton State University, Stephen F. Austin University, and Texas A & M University in Commerce.
Between expanding services to special-ed students, improving opportunities for more capable students to take college courses, and the new, announced focus on reentry and continuing education during parole, the agency is saying all the right things on this topic. At issue will be whether TYC has the resources and personnel to perform these additional functions.
N.b., to current and former TYC employees: Grits will resume occasional TYC coverage and reopen comments, with some trepidation, but I will shut these strings down if they're abused. This is not the forum to anonymously gripe about your bosses or coworkers. Please stick to the topic at hand and try to remain constructive.
It all sounds nice, but I'm curious why if self-paced study wasn't working for most TYC kids before, they think it's going to work now.
ReplyDeleteThis is a positive post, and Yes I am talking about West Texas State School. In August 2008, the Iraan ISD., took over the education program at WTSS. The first thing they did was bring in a computer lab for each subject matter and a renewed emphasis on education. In the last year 26 Youth recieved their GED's. GED material was provided to the dormitories for the youth and more importiantly. The youth are seen using their free time to study for their tests. We have youth recieve High School credits / Diplomas and several youth have been willing to delay their parole dates to complete testing for credits. The dorms also have book shelves stocked with age appropriate reading materials for the youth. So yes, a emphisis on education and treatment can have a positive impact for the youth served by TYC.
ReplyDeleteHAM2MTR
Self-paced study? Did it 40 years ago in the California Youth Authority (Preston). "Sit at your desk, answer the questions at the back of the chapter and if you have any questions, ask me." This for geometry of all things. It sucked then and I'm sure it sucks now.
ReplyDeleteRegarding GEDs. Nice option when nothing else is attainable but the program should, when possible, also offer the opportunity to obtain a diploma. Some employers, such as the military, won't take or limit the number of GEDs they will accept into the organization.
Best of luck to those trying to make it succeed, by the way. Doing God's work, as they say. :~)
This is absolutely awesome. Way to go TYC and Dr. Carpenter. This is a dynamic risk factor that has a tremendous ROI in the delta’s. As long as the staff and educators are encouraging the youth this program has a high potential of successfully reducing the recidivism rate.
ReplyDeleteAbout GED's 1:29pm
My GED I got in Gatesville may have been a joke but it got me into college. Those people would put us state boys into GED testing as soon as we turned 17 to get us out of having to go to school half a day. There was a Mexican kid from Sycamore School who was good at truck seat cover upholstery who couldn’t speak any English that tested the same time I did. We took the same English version test. There were several high ranking bosses on the waiting list to get their pickup truck seats recovered. This kid scored higher than I did on his GED but the waiting time to get a pickup truck seat recovered was soon cut in half.
Once in college the sky was the limit. In my office my Gatesville State School for Boys GED hangs right next to my UT Bachelors of Science Electrical Engineering degree. I’m proud of both even though I worked harder for the GED. My GED also bares an inscription from my asinine caseworker jenson, “if he runs again tare this up”. It makes a great conversational piece that usually starts with, “what idiot wrote that?”
Sheldon tyc#47333 II c/s
I know as of the middle of August Crockett won't have any diagnosticians. Is that going to cause problems for ARD meetings? I would think with the ED youth there would be many in SPED.
ReplyDeleteIt does not sound like anything new, it is just getting some press this time. TYC for as long as I can remember has offered self paced education for youth that it has served. Getting a high school diploma or GED has always been a goal and often a highlight for the youth at TYC. As a former TYC employee participating in educations graduation ceremonies was a highlight of my year. It was wonderful to see the families show up to see their child recieve a GED or high school diploma, often the first in their families. As much as I am glad that there appears to be a focus on this again it should not be forgotten that before all of this current attention TYC was doing this. It is a part of TYC history. Maybe this is a sign that things are going where they need to go.
ReplyDeleteSheldon -
ReplyDeleteI cracked up at the inscription on your GED. What a jerk! But it seems really funny now that you are successful!
Absolutely nothing new here folks! Same game in a new package. After years of working at TYC I got to see new administrators bring out their new super duper program which I remembered from a few years back when it was brought out by an earlier administrator. If Texas State Government is all like TYC then Texas has been green when green wasn't cool! TYC is one of the state's best recyclers, of programs that is! Self paced education has been in TYC for years but the general public does not know so it makes a good news story on a positive note. Many of the youth on my case load got GEDs. The education people I worked with helped many youth get their GED. Maybe the education activity will put education in the spot light, which is a plus. Additional higher education schools on board is also a plus. If it works for the TYC youth and helps any of them then the hype is tolerable.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me think of all the money wasted in the middle east wars to kill 1,300,000 people in Iraq which could have been used to feed and educate the children of our country. I guess my spending priorities don't match the government. Silly me; I think we should spend money to improve the quality of life for all people and take care of the sick and the old. Does this make me Liberal or Bible Thumper with Christian values? Can you be both? Never mind an old man rambling on.
Crockett has always been one of the facilties that have a high amount of GED's. We have a excellent vocational program and alot of youth receive state certifcation in some field. However self paced education is no new thing. You almost have to have it when you have MH and GP youth in classes together.
ReplyDeleteI hope they do something that works. My son earned his GED while at the TYC facility in Corsicana before he was released last summer.
ReplyDeleteHe can sort of read and he can barely write. But he has a GED. I've got a very strong feeling that the kids are assisted when they take their tests.
Anaonymous 8/6/09 9:18am,
ReplyDeleteThe community college will teach him to read and write. A college degree is the ticket to break the cycle, if “he” really wants to. The GED is the ticket into college.
Sheldon tyc#47333 II c/s
First of all to the commenter questioning the GED validity and whether students are helped on the test, I can assure you that students pass or fail on their own, with no help from the test administrators. Also, the GED is one of the most expedient ways to help get these kids out of the cycle of criminality.
ReplyDeleteMy colleagues and I were discussing this post Friday, after block training, and we were all very interested in the 'self paced' component of the new Cscope curriculum. Each of us had recently attended a statewide workshop in Austin going over this currriculum and either it was never mentioned, or we were all asleep at the same time, but no one recalled any reference made to a self paced aspect of the curriculum.
If any of your posters out there have additional information on this topic, we'd greatly appreciate their input.
the Whispering Voice
Self paced isn't the best method, just the least unacceptable. Each dorm has kids at 4 or 5 grade levels so lecturing is only marginally effective. Sorting the kids by level necessitates mixing dorms this aggravates gang problems by making communication faster and more dependable. The biggest problem with helping the kids is the kids that don't want to be bothered by getting their conversations interrupted by the teacher much less filling out some stupid assignment. With our new system we can't do anything so long as they don't cause a significant disruption. You can lock the horse up with the water... but I live in hope.
ReplyDeleteAll smoke & mirrors. Carpenter and his crew laid off half of it's educational diagnostician staff, and many of those diagnosticians were also GED test administrators. Yes, Grits, there WILL be a shortage of personnel to make these new "programs" happen.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, nothing happens in special ed without diagnosticians. They are a key component in delivery of special ed services. And, 46 percent of TYC population is special ed.
Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but the last time I checked, most of the facilities were in chaos from constant youth disturbances. So, please explain to me how TYC is going to educate and treat these youth if this is still going on?
ReplyDeleteeducation is important. the new emphasis will be for diplomas and against GEDs. As far as the layoff of diagnosticians they are now hiring LSSP's. TYC will be more successful with education, the more creative they get. Demanding more hours of butts in classroom chairs and forcing academic progress before starting vocational programming will not be a successful strategy for the youth who really need a GED and vocational training.
ReplyDeleteCould this be our favorite senators latest set up for failure strategy? Watch out for the next sunset...
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 8/18/2009 11:19:00 PM said:
ReplyDelete"As far as the layoff of diagnosticians they are now hiring LSSP's."
I don't know any LSSP that wants to do a diagnosticians job, or do as good a job at it. Especially, at TYC's payscale. To date, I haven't heard of them hiring the first one yet. As a matter of fact, they have tried to contract out work to diagnosticians they just laid off! When Venita Farr ran special ed, she tried for two years to hire an LSSP. I wonder when Advocacy, Inc is going to get wise to this latest fiasco.
Nice going, Clint. Now, you really have a problem failing to deliver special ed services to half of TYCs population.
what new reading program-- what a joke- we don't have enough teacher's to teach regular curriculum much less a reading program-- kids are not going to school because lack of teachers in TYC-- someone needs to wake up and realize the kids aren't learning anything in TYC
ReplyDelete