Just seven miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, the Science Academy of
South Texas (Sci. Tech.) is one of four comprehensive magnet secondary
schools in the South Texas Independent School District (STISD). Sci.
Tech. located in Mercedes, draws students from 28 districts in the
largely Hispanic Rio Grande Valley.

Approximately 41% of students at Sci. Tech. are on free or reduced price
lunch programs, and some must travel up to one hour to attend school
each day. Yet the state has designated the school an "Exemplary"
Accredited school for 12 of the past 13 years: some 90% of Sci. Tech.
students pass or exceed state standards in Reading/Language Arts and
Math, and last year 98% of the school's students went to four-year
colleges. Half of those students were the first in their families to
attend college.

![](media/image1.jpeg){width="3.5456692913385828in"
height="2.796456692913386in"}Sci. Tech. currently enrolls 667 students
on a first-come-first-serve basis, and boasts a 13:1 student-teacher
ratio. Enrollment is open to any student who completes 8^th^ grade, has
a strong interest in math and science, and speaks English well enough to
succeed in an English-only classroom. All applying students and their
parents must meet with principal, Edward Argueta, to make sure they
understand the school's demanding curriculum. Students are accepted only
into grades 9 and 10; any later, administrators believe, and students
would be unable to catch up to their peers and complete the mandatory
coursework.

Despite being the "best kept secret" in the area, the school works hard
to attract motivated students. Although Sci. Tech. is open to all
students, a perception that the school steals their feeder districts'
best students often prevents Sci. Tech. administrators from recruiting
in middle schools. Instead, all 8^th^ graders in the 3-county area
receive recruitment packages in the mail, and the
![](media/image2.jpeg){width="3.55748031496063in"
height="2.5818897637795275in"}district advertises in multiple
venues---everywhere from its school buses and the local airport to The
Discovery Channel. While the school's math and science focus tends to
attract more boys than girls, the school is working to increase its
female enrollment.

As the district's motto, "Think Outside the Book," suggests, Sci. Tech.
strives to prepare students for science and technology related fields
with a rigorous, hands-on curriculum. In addition, through a partnership
with Rochester Institute of Technology and Project Lead the Way, a
national pre-engineering program, students may take pre-engineering and
pre-architecture courses and begin earning college credits in their
freshman year.

The district receives funding via taxes from its feeding districts
(currently at a rate of \$0.37/\$100), state, and federal sources. Sci.
Tech. spends about \$3,000 more per student than the state, and the
administration actively pursues resources it believes will benefit
student learning. As one administrator put it, "Our kids are not going
to be second best." Sci. Tech's digital design equipment for engineering
is but one example of its advanced technology.

The willingness to do what it takes to succeed echoes from the district
level down to the teachers. "We are a school of maximums, not minimums,"
says Argueta. Having students pass state tests is not enough, he says:
merely passing does not mean students are reaching their potential.

Leadership in the STISD is collaborative and focused at all levels. You
must have clear, non-negotiable goals, explains an assistant principal,
and everyone must collaborate to accomplish them. The ultimate goal,
Argueta says, is "to reach every student and help them make choices for
college." The administration wants students not only admitted to
college, but prepared to finish successfully.

Administrators and teachers talk about making a conscious decision to
put education and students first. As one administrator says, you must
send the message that education is important. Students need to see it
and believe it. Leading by example is one technique for doing so. Thus
when administration and teachers realized their technology instruction
was falling behind, they decided to adopt Project Lead the Way, despite
its \$500,000 price tag for the training, curriculum, and equipment.
Finding the money had to be a team effort, but everyone was willing to
work for it.

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="3.5645669291338584in"
height="2.504724409448819in"}Cultivating relationships with students
also sends the message that faculty support them and their education.
Relationships depend on access to teachers and administration. Teachers'
doors are open for informal tutoring half an hour before classes start,
and students work with the same counselor every year. Sci. Tech.
maintains a 200:1 ratio of students to counselors, instead of a more
typical ratio of 500:1, so counselors can truly get to know their
students and offer individual advice. One counselor noted that "It's
never acceptable to be rude or not accessible to students." Students
said that they like that their teachers, counselors, and administrators
know them and have time to talk with them.

Faculty members in turn expect a lot back from their students. Explains
an administrator, some schools have a tendency to nurture kids but not
push them because they are minorities or come from low income families.
Sci. Tech. teachers and administration believe students can achieve
regardless of their backgrounds. They temper nurturance with "no
excuses."

Just as faculty members have high expectations for their students, the
students expect a lot from their teachers. If they don't measure up,
students have been known to complain to their counselors that they
aren't being challenged. "I am a professional," says one teacher. "If I
screw up, it is my fault." Adds a science teacher, "The students ask
tough questions. You really need to know your subject."

"We have an excellent nucleus of teachers. They know how to challenge
the students, they know their subject matter, they know about
education," says Argueta. The key, explains an assistant principal, is
making sure teachers know they are in a valued profession, that it's
about "nurturing and pushing, for example finding those students who
don't go to tutoring."

The school's salaries are in the top 10% of the state. But it's a
challenge for Sci. Tech. to find new teachers with the level of
commitment the school demands. Changing a new teacher's expectations can
be hard work, and an administrator describes battling a refusal by some
teachers to take responsibility for student education. Not all teachers
are renewed, the principal noted, although last year the teacher
turnover rate dropped from 11% to 0%.

Because Sci. Tech. is small, teachers know each other well and often
meet informally. New teachers are paired with mentors in their subject
area and a "campus buddy" to help acclimatize them. There's a lot of
peer pressure to succeed, one teacher explains. "When you watch others
reaching their students and the students excelling, you want to do the
same." The administration is very responsive, says an English teacher.
They will ask, "What do you need?"

Even among veteran teachers, however, the administration pushes for
growth. As long as some students are not passing their courses, there is
room to improve instruction. Five to six times a year, administrators
take classroom "snapshots," a technique learned through association with
the Dana Center. Sampling numerous, brief teaching examples gives
administrators a baseline assessment of a teacher's strengths and
weaknesses. Each snapshot is then turned into a mini-professional
development session, during which the administrator reviews his or her
notes with the teacher. Teachers also have four in-service days a year,
and all technology teachers must be trained every summer at RIT. Of the
school's six technology teachers, four are now considered master
teachers.

Occasionally, Argueta says he needs to protect and advocate for Sci.
Tech.'s vision and program with teachers, parents, and the community. He
uses articles about how students are beginning college unprepared to
remind the detractors why the school's focus is so important. But most
are eager to come aboard with Sci. Tech.'s philosophy, and many parents
want to give back to the school. The school district began a foundation
three years ago to bring parents together and raise money for summer
scholarships and stipends for students.

Sci. Tech. faculty members agree that students' ability to choose their
school has a large effect on student motivation. Nonetheless, Argueta
takes the time to make sure students understand the school's academic
expectations before they enroll. "Students will give you what you expect
from them," he says. And Sci. Tech expects a lot. The administration
considers the Texas standards to be just a starting point; the true goal
is to prepare all students to enter and finish college.

![](media/image4.jpeg){width="4.2in"
height="3.6208661417322836in"}English, math, social studies, and science
courses are required every year. Students take two science courses in
both their freshman and sophomore years, resulting in four years of high
school science in half the time. Many students take math courses during
summer school so they can finish Sci. Tech.'s math sequence, which ends
with Calculus II. Additionally, all students must take an SAT/ACT course
in their junior year, plus courses in computer science, Spanish, art,
technical writing, and physical education throughout their four years.

Project Lead the Way's "required electives" include five pre-engineering
courses. Sci. Tech. is the only school in Texas to complete the training
and adopt Project Lead the Way's pre-engineering curriculum, and prides
itself in having female students excel in an atypical field. In their
senior year, students take Engineering Design and Development (EDD), a
senior research project course, in which they must identify a problem,
design a solution, and present their results to the school. In the past
several years, student projects have received recognition from groups
like the Coast Guard for a reversible wind-breaker/life jacket, and
students have patented and sold their projects, such as an improved
stretcher. Says a technology teacher, "You'll be amazed at what these
kids can do." EDD is great, adds a senior student, because it gives you
a real project to show colleges when you apply. Most Sci. Tech. students
graduate with extra high school credits and enter advanced courses as
college freshmen.

When asked about integrating the curriculum, teachers say students make
their own connections between subjects, relating math and physics to
engineering, or discovering why English is necessary in order to write a
technical report. Teachers use active learning in classrooms. For
example, students practice as a class writing AP English essays, work
together on chemistry problems, demonstrate concepts in physics, or
build robots in a technology course.

![](media/image5.jpeg){width="3.6208661417322836in"
height="2.9236220472440944in"}Teachers emphasize that every letter grade
has to mean something, and A's are not handed out easily. "Unlike at
some schools, we have no pressure to lower our standards," says a math
teacher. A technology teacher agrees, "Students need the freedom to fail
and to think. That's where they learn." Although AP and pre-AP courses
are weighted, Sci. Tech.'s valedictorians do not typically graduate with
4.0 GPAs. "We believe students are responsible for their learning,"
explains an assistant principal, "But we are responsible for teaching
them so they can learn."

Sci. Tech. students take eight courses a year with AB block scheduling.
Each day students have an A or B block consisting of four 1 ½ hour
periods, seven minutes between classes, and 50 minutes for lunch.
Faculty members try to limit homework to core courses and aim for no
more than two hours a night. Still, students say it's easy to fall
behind with such an intense workload, but it teaches them time
management and how to organize. Many appreciate how helpful these skills
will be in college. \"It is about responsibility. You just have to get
your act together and succeed.\" Courses are arranged as college prep,
pre-AP, and AP courses. Sci Tech. is moving to eliminate college prep
courses in the humanities as another way to "raise the bar." When
determining course content, Sci. Tech. goes beyond the Texas standards,
and looks at what colleges demand. "We ask colleges what they (students)
need. Colleges are our customers."

Having a small school and small class sizes helps teachers and students,
says Argueta, but he is emphatic that the academic focus is what is
important. Sci. Tech. has no music program or sports teams, though
students organize intramurals and host a battle of the bands. All school
clubs must have a faculty sponsor and an academic focus.

Sci. Tech. students accept the challenge with enthusiasm, though they
say it can be difficult for them and their parents as they go from being
A students in middle school to C students at Sci. Tech. "I didn't
realize how challenging Science Academy was going to be," says a senior.
"But you need high math and English scores to get into a good college.
This is the curriculum, the advantage, I want." Says a freshman student,
"We are just barely passing but learning more than we would in our home
schools." Another adds, "It's a whole different lifestyle. I cannot
imagine myself in another high school." A student compares schools: "At
my home district, high school may be fun but not challenging--I am all
around smarter than my old friends."

***Guidance Counselors***

![](media/image6.jpeg){width="3.132677165354331in"
height="2.3645669291338582in"}Sci. Tech. employs three full time
guidance counselors. Each works with the same students for the students'
entire time at school, enabling counselors to know their students as
more than grades on a transcript. During pre-registration, counselors
present information on courses and graduation requirements to all
underclassmen. They also work one-on-one with all students to plan their
schedules based on current classes and grades, and help students keep
track of credits.

Counselors begin discussing college with students from their first day
at Sci. Tech., and counselors stay involved in every step of the
process. In April of their junior year, counselors host a Junior College
Night, in which all juniors and their parents are invited to a
presentation on applying to college and the financial aid process.
Juniors receive a "senior survival kit" that includes a handbook on many
topics concerning college and the admissions process. Once those juniors
enter their senior year, counselors provide another orientation with
more detailed information about college applications, financial aid, and
scholarships. Counselors are also available to help students complete
applications or fill out the FAFSA and other financial aid forms, review
admissions essays, and check final application packages for completeness
and accuracy.

***Tutors***

Administrators expend a concerted effort to make tutoring a regular part
of the school day. While classes don't start until 9:00, for most
students the day really begins at 8:30. Teachers are required to be in
their classrooms and available to answer students questions and concerns
for 30 minutes each morning. Students use the time to get extra help
with troubling concepts or to work on their homework with teacher
supervision.

Morning tutoring is optional at Sci. Tech., but students may be required
to attend afternoon tutoring. Six weeks into each semester,
administrators review student progress and identify students who are in
danger of failing. Counselors meet with those juniors and seniors, and
the principal and assistant principals meet with the freshman and
sophomores. If at nine weeks students are still in danger of failing any
class, they are required to attend formal, afternoon tutoring sessions.
The school provides late buses, and the administration works with
students who are prevented by external obligations from staying late.
Teachers who volunteer to stay additional hours and tutor are paid for
their time.

In addition to coursework tutoring, Sci. Tech. holds mandatory tutoring
for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) in the Spring
for students who score below proficient on a diagnostic TAKS test.
After- school tutoring for the TAKS focuses on math and science because
the language arts portion of the TAKS is given in February, leaving
little time for tutoring. Students are assigned to teachers based on
their scores and goals, and tutoring is data driven. For the language
arts portion, teachers review the student scores on the official TAKS to
plan for the following year.

***Additional Supports***

Communicating with parents is a struggle, says Argueta, because of the
large geographic area from which Sci. Tech. draws students. The distance
prohibits school visits for some parents. In order to overcome this
difficulty, Sci. Tech. uses several techniques to keep parents and
students informed about student progress. The school sends progress
reports home every three weeks and sends out a newsletter; students and
parents can log onto to the K-12 Planet website, which allows them to
see test, quiz, and assignment grades. Teachers are encouraged to update
their class information on K-12 Planet regularly so students and parents
can always access current information. Parents can request a conference
at any time, and administrators will require a conference if a student
is failing.

Faculty members monitor freshman and sophomore students closely. Aside
from tutoring, faculty members will occasionally convene to discuss
floundering students, and administrators will meet with students to
address issues. "We try to be gentle but firm," says an administrator,
"To understand their difficulty and coax them through it." For
underclassmen, the transition from their old school to Sci. Tech. is
often difficult: they lack the necessary organization or management
skills, and are daunted by the work load. Argueta admits Sci. Tech. is
not for all students. In the Fall of 2005, the entering freshman class
comprised 263 students. By March 2006, the freshman class had dropped to
222 students. The loss of students is attributed to "missing band,
sports, and friends," "the rigorous courses," and "because parents had
pushed them to come."

One technique Sci. Tech. uses to help freshmen succeed is to hold a
one-day freshman camp before the school year begins. Faculty and
administrators use this time to meet incoming students and their
parents, "indoctrinate" students into the Sci. Tech. mindset, and answer
questions. Veteran students attend as well to help new students make the
transition, and students from various towns can get to know each other.

Sci. Tech. students share their award-winning library, Biblioteca Las
Americas (BLA), with STISD's South Texas High School for Health
Professions. The library gives students access to over 40,000 books, 150
periodicals, 4000 videos, and seven newspapers, as well as links to the
card catalogs at Rice University and University of Texas at Brownsville,
among others, for interlibrary loans. BLA contains a lecture hall, art
gallery, numerous computer workstations, conference rooms, and a digital
video editing room. Students and faculty can reserve rooms for study
groups and check out laptops and digital cameras. Three full-time
librarians assist students and faculty with research and course
preparation, and the library stays open until 7:00 p.m. for those
studying after school.

![](media/image7.jpeg){width="4.230708661417323in"
height="2.3484251968503935in"}Students attend Sci. Tech. because they
are interested in careers in math, science, or engineering, but also
because of the school's safe, welcoming environment and its small size.
Discipline is mostly a non-issue, a matter of minor behavioral or
academic problems. Sci. Tech. offers students many clubs and activities,
and most students participate in at least one. Community service is
popular, and Sci. Tech. students can team with other STISD students. At
graduation, the school recognizes those who logged exceptional service
time.

Perhaps because distance makes it difficult for many students to see
their Sci. Tech. friends outside of school, the atmosphere is very
tight-knit. "Over the years, this school just grows on you," says a
senior, and a freshman notes that "Everybody's nice here." Students
describe the school as a family---safe and accepting. One student's
comment is shared by others in various grades: \"You can be yourself. No
one is judging you." Students describe the other students they spend 30
minutes or more with en route to Sci. Tech as their "bus family" and
often work on homework together during that time.

When students who have special needs and Individual Education Plans
(IEPs) apply to Sci. Tech., administrators ascertain if the school can
provide the needed IEP services. If administrators and parents agree
that a student with special needs would not able to master the content,
Sci. Tech. offers a district-wide alternative half-day science program
for students with special needs.

The family atmosphere extends beyond student relationships. Students
appreciate that they can have personal relationships with their
teachers, and that teachers take the time to help and encourage them. An
English teacher has his students play hide and seek so they can better
appreciate a poem about childhood. "It's about doing what it takes to
reach them," he says. Sometimes reaching extends beyond Sci. Tech.'s
walls. One math teacher meets with her students at a coffee shop on
Saturdays to help them with calculus.

Competition for grades and rankings is fierce but friendly. Students
recognize they have common goals, and everyone is aiming for college.
"The competition makes you work harder," explains a senior. "But you
also work together."

Sci. Tech. students are pragmatic. They feel Sci. Tech. offers them a
taste of what college will be like; both in competition and student
diversity, and that knowledge will give them an edge when they graduate.

  ---------------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- -----------
  Science Academy of                                                 
  South Texas                                                        

  **Grade 12 SAT Verbal: **2001**   **2002**   **2003**   **2004**   **2005**
  Scaled Scores**                                                    

  All students           539        566        557        565        559

  \% of students tested  96         97         96         89         98

  Hispanic students      518        560        NA         NA         NA

  White students         554        608        NA         NA         NA

  State scores           493        491        493        493        493

  National scores        506        504        507        508        508

                                                                     

  **Grade 12 SAT Math:   **2001**   **2002**   **2003**   **2004**   **2005**
  Scaled Scores**                                                    

  All                    563        581        578        575        577

  \% of students tested  96         97         96         89         

  Hispanic students      523        548        NA         NA         

  State scores           499        500        500        499        

  National scores        514        516        519        518        
  ---------------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- -----------