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Scholarships Offered to First-Generation Participants
Monday, July 18, 2005 Very soon, college students who are participants in the First-Generation College Student Pilot Project will be receiving letters that ask them this question: "Could you use $1,000.00 to help pay for your college expenses in the Fall and Spring Semesters of the 2005-2006 academic year?"
The letter goes on to announce some great news: Seventy-five students who are participants in the First-Generation College Student Pilot Project are going to receive $1,000.00 scholarships in August. The scholarships are funded by special Workforce Investment Act and related grants through Cameron Works, Inc., to Tech Prep RGV and the Cameron County Workforce Centers.
Scholarships to be awarded are intended to SUPPLEMENT other financial aid provided to students and are in the amount of Five Hundred and No/100 Dollars ($500.00) per semester—or the total amount of One Thousand and No/100 Dollars ($1,000.00).
Eligibility criteria and application forms are included in applications that have been mailed to eligible participants. Eligible participants who would prefer to download an application may do so by going to this link: File Downloads
For additional information, contact Leticia Garcia at 956.364.4579 or leticia.garcia@techpreprgv.com.
Real World Host Site Competition Reopened
Monday, July 18, 2005 In May 2006, Tech Prep of the Rio Grande Valley released applications for school district Host Sites for othe Ready for the Real World Program, which is funded by grants of Workforce Investment Act funds through the Lower Rio Grande Valley Workforce Development Board dba WorkFORCE Solutions. To date, Tech Prep RGV has named eight Host Sites for 2005-2006, as follows: (a) Hidalgo County Sites: Donna ISD, Edinburg CISD, McAllen ISD, Mercedes ISD, and (b) Willacy County Sites: Lyford CISD, and Raymondville ISD. Tech Prep RGV still needs to name two additional sites, with at least one of those sites being in Starr County.
The Real World program is designed to help youngsters who have extra barriers (as defined in requirements for services under the Workforce Investment Act) to prepare for success in high school and then go on to success in college. The program offers many extra supports in career and college exploration, adult mentoring services, and leadership development for these youngsters.
The Host Site application provides detailed information about the program and also contains the forms necessary for submitting an application. Applications can be downloaded in Microsoft Word format at this address: File Downloads
Applications must be received in Tech Prep RGV's Harlingen offices no later than 4 p.m. on August 10, 2005. All school districts from Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy Counties that are voting members of Tech Prep RGV and have not already been named as 2005-2006 Host Sites are encouraged to apply!
2005 Regional ATC Training Scheduled
Thursday, May 26, 2005 This year’s regional ATC Trainings will be held on August 16 and 17 at Texas State Technical College in Harlingen and on August 24 and 25 at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College. Please download registration forms Here to decide which training your teachers should attend. They may attend either one or both of the trainings. We have listed all of the courses that will be available at the trainings. During the Part II training, teachers may only attend up to three hours of training per day.
Please note that the deadline for registration is 5:00 p.m. on August 9, 2005.
We will not be accepting late or on-site registration. Therefore, it is important that all teachers are notified about this registration period. In addition, there will be a $10 registration fee for each training.
We have worked closely with our college partners to ensure that we are able to provide the most comprehensive and beneficial training for our high school teachers. At this time we are only able to offer articulation training for the courses listed on the registration forms. If you or a teacher you know must attend training for a course that will not be provided locally, please view the list of TEA summer conferences at www.atctexas.org for an alternative to the local training. Please also remember that the state’s cutoff date for training for the 2005-2006 academic year is August 31; so it is important that teachers who need training participate in either our regional sessions or one of the state conference sessions.
Thank you for your cooperation. We look forward to providing a great training experience for our high school teachers in August.
Please download registration forms Here
Real World Host Site Applications Questions and Answers
Wednesday, May 25, 2005 The following are the questions received regarding Ready for the Real World Host Site Applications--and the answers to those questions:
QUESTION: Are out-of-school youth who are Real World program alumni eligible to participate in the Ready for the Real World program?
ANSWER: No. The way the program has been redesigned, out-of-school youth are not eligible to be participants. The only way out-of-school youth (such as college students) could participate in the program would be for a school district to pay the youth to serve as mentors in the program, with the cost of participation being built into the school district's budget.
QUESTION: How do "Real World Hours" work?
ANSWER: Real World Hours are intended to enhance students' leadership skills, to encourage students to "give back" in their communities, to encourage students to consider college and career choices and plan for those choices, and to help students to develop these skills from the "SCANS Skills" identified in reports published in the early 1990s:
FIVE COMPETENCIES
RESOURCES--identifies, organizes, plans and allocates resources including time,money, material, facilities, and human resources
INTERPERSONAL--works with others by participating as a member of teams, teaching new skills to others, serving clients and customers in ways that satisfy them, exercising leadership, negotiating, and working well with people from diverse backgrounds
INFORMATION--manages information by acquiring and evaluating information, organizing and maintaining information, interpreting and communicating information, and using computers to process information
SYSTEMS--understands complex interrelationships, including understanding how social, organizational, and technological systems work and how to operate effectively with them, how to monitor and correct performance, and improve or design systems
TECHNOLOGY--works with a variety of technologies by selecting technology, applying technology to tasks, and maintaining and troubleshooting technologies
THREE-PART FOUNDATION
BASIC SKILLS--reading, writing, performing arithmetical and mathematical operations, listening, and speaking
THINKING SKILLS--thinking creatively, making decisions, solving problems, seeing things in the mind's eye, knowing how to learn, and reasoning to discover rules or principles underlying relationships and applying that knowledge to solving problems
PERSONAL QUALITIES--displays responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, self-management, and integrity and honesty
School districts are being asked to design activities to help students perform 10 Real World Hours monthly to meet these objectives. Activities may include student clubs, sports activities for which students do not receive grades, volunteer work experiences for which students are not paid, participation in college and university visits and career fairs, community service work on campus (such as serving as a G Force member for a campus Go Center or some other campus activity) or off campus (such as volunteering for a community-based organization). Real World Hours must be appropriately documented.
QUESTION: The application states that the cost per participant cannot exceed $600. What happens if we request more than $600 per participant? Will that disqualify our application?
ANSWER: This will not disqualify the application; however, it would be up to the applicant to justify the larger amount requested. It would also affect the point score for that section of the application.
Conference Host Site Applications Available
Monday, May 23, 2005 Once each year, Tech Prep of the Rio Grande Valley, Inc. (Tech Prep RGV) conducts a regional conference for educators in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy Counties. The conference is usually conducted in partnership with a number of sponsors, and the conference has the following purposes: (1) to disseminate information about Tech Prep students, Tech Prep educators, and Tech Prep programs and services; (2) to share best practices utilized by members of Tech Prep support teams (S-Teams), Ready for the Real World program sites, First-Generation College Student pilot project sites, and Go Center implementation sites; (3) to share information and to provide support for innovative strategies advocated by Tech Prep RGV; and (4) to provide training for teachers, counselors, and administrators in areas appropriate for them.
The conference is held in the fall (September, October, or November), as needs assessments have historically proved that educators prefer training to be offered as early in the academic year as feasible. Prior Conference Hosts have included Rio Grande City CISD, La Joya ISD, and Texas State Technical College Harlingen.
Funding for the conference is provided from multiple sources, including federal Tech Prep Perkins funds, contributions of partners, and registration fees. Registration fees are nominal ($12 to $25—the final fee is set during conference planning) and are intended to cover the costs of food served for breaks and meals during the conference.
Conference evaluations have consistently indicated that Tech Prep RGV’s conferences are of high quality and that participants report time spent at the conference is time well invested.
Tech Prep RGV is seeking a school district or a college or university to serve as Conference Host Site for its 2005 conference. The successful applicant will enter into a contract with Tech Prep RGV for the 2005 conference.
Applications must be received in Tech Prep RGV's Harlingen offices no later than 4 p.m. on June 15, 2005. Interested school districts, colleges, and universities are encouraged to apply!
Applications are being mailed. Applications may also be downloaded here: File Downloads
Ready for the Real World Host Site Applications Available
Friday, May 6, 2005 Tech Prep RGV is inviting applications from school district partners to serve as host sites for the Tech Prep Ready for the Real World program that Tech Prep RGV has operated for the past three years. During the year ending May 31, 2005, Tech Prep RGV has had the privilege of working with Edinburg CISD, Lyford CISD, Mercedes ISD, Raymondville ISD, and San Perlita ISD on this project, which has been very successful for the students served.
The Real World program is designed to help youngsters who have extra barriers (as defined in requirements for services under the Workforce Investment Act) to prepare for success in high school and then go on to success in college. The program offers many extra supports in career and college exploration, adult mentor support, and leadership development for these youngsters.
Tech Prep RGV is required to reapply for funding for this year’s program, and that means Tech Prep RGV must also seek applications for new host sites. Tech Prep RGV is hoping to expand the program and bring in more partners by having 10 separate sites, each serving 25 students, this year, with no more than 50 students coming from any one school district. Tech Prep RGV hopes to have partners from Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy Counties because those are the counties that the Lower Rio Grande Valley Workforce Development Board serves.
The Host Site application provides detailed information about the program and also contains the forms necessary for submitting an application.
Applications must be received in Tech Prep RGV's Harlingen offices no later than 5 p.m. on May 31, 2005. Interested school districts are encouraged to apply!
Applications can also be downloaded here in Microsoft Word: Download Application
Rio Grande Valley Health Alliance Youth Programs Begin
Thursday, March 17, 2005 Educators who want their students benefit from work done by the Rio Grande Valley Allied Health Training Alliance (the “Alliance”), should become involved in RGV Alliance Youth activities.
Tech Prep RGV is responsible for coordinating Alliance youth activities, in partnership with VIDA and other Alliance members.
Oportunities for students in middle school and high school are as follows:
• Health Careers presentations by Miguel Puente, Health Careers Youth Specialist employed by VIDA (contact information: 956.973.0600)
• Education and career fair showcasing health professions in which both students and parents can participate (Fall 2005)
• Hot Jobs in Health Careers booklet (available spring 2006)
50 students who meet eligibility requirements will also participate in the RGV Alliance Scholars program, for which participants will be selected through an application process beginning April 1, 2005, with Scholars named on or before May 15, 2005. Benefits of participation include:
o Family orientations and follow-up sessions
o Tuition-free dual enrollment (high school and college credit) in mathematics and science courses beginning Summer 2005
o Seminars in which college students currently involved in allied health programs meet with Scholars to discuss health careers and related college studies
o Structured mentoring process between high school and college students following initial seminar
o In-depth college and career orientation
o Structured visits to hospitals providing opportunities for Scholars to visit one-on-one with professionals
o Reimbursement of expenses and POSSIBLY incentives for satisfactory completion
Contact Pat Bubb, Martha Gutierrez, or Miguel Puente for additional information.
Labor Market Report Update Underway
Thursday, March 17, 2005 Tech Prep RGV is currently working on an update of the labor market report currently found on its webpage and in "Reach for the Stars" brochures. The report, scheduled for completion in mid-August, will draw on work done by regional partners including Cameron Works, Inc., WorkFORCE Solutions, and others and will be available to the public through this ebsite in the fall.
New Online Services Coming
Thursday, March 17, 2005 Tech Prep RGV is updating its webpage to provide enhanced services for Rio Grande Valley leaders and partners.
Participants in the First Generation project, Ready for the Real World project, and S-Team project will soon have webpage sections devoted JUST to them.
Please stay tuned for more information, which will follow!
New Tech Prep RGV Staff in Place
Thursday, March 17, 2005 Please join Tech Prep RGV in welcoming the following new staff to the "Tech Prep Team":
First Generation Specialist: Leticia Garcia (956.364.4547)
Ready for the Real World Secetary: Evelyn Gonzalez (956.364.4572)
2005 Scholarship Applications Issued
Thursday, March 17, 2005 The Dr. Lauro F. Cavazos Tech Prep Scholarships are available for applications from 2004-2005 high school seniors who graduate as Tech Prep Texas Scholars. Scholarships available are as follows::
$5,000 scholarship for any college or university
$4,000 scholarship for Texas State Technical College-Harlingen
$3,000 scholarship for The University of Texas-Pan American
$3,000 scholarship for The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College
$2,000 scholarship for South Texas College (Hidalgo or Starr County graduates only)
$1,000 scholarship for Texas A&M University-Kingsville
$400 Lockheed Martin Scholarship for engineering-related major at any college or university
All qualified students ar encouraged to apply. Due date for scholarship applications is April 15, 2005. For additional information:
Scholarship application is available for download at this website address: http://www.techpreprgv.com/downloads.shtml
Tech Prep Seeks Ready for the Real World Secretary
Thursday, December 30, 2004 Tech Prep RGV will be hiring a full-time Ready for the Real World Secretary in January 2005. This grant-funded position is responsible for working with Tech Prep RGV's Executive Director, Accountant, and other staff on a program currently serving 190 students on 5 high school campuses (the program is in its third year of implementation). The Real World Secretary position is a full-time position paying $16,380 annually and providing full-time employee benefits. The position requires a high school diploma or equivalent and three years experience. Prefer post-secondary training and statistical-typing plus word-processing experience. Prefer experience with Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft Works, Word, and Excel. Must have strong human relations skills and secretarial skills such as production of letters, memoranda, and various reports; answering telephone and serving as receptionist; typing and filing; and various office procedures. Performs related work as required and other duties as assigned. Ability to communicate in both English and Spanish not mandatory, but desirable. Applications will be taken in January, with interviews and hiring to occur in January.
Applications must be submitted through an online application system managed by the TSTC-Harlingen Human Resources office. The application will be posted under a TSTC position title of Departmental Secretary and will reference the Real World Secretary position. The website address is http://www.harlingen.tstc.edu/human/jobs.htm. The job posting number is 100372.
For additional information, contact TSTC Harlingen's Human Resources office at 956.364.4042.
Tech Prep Seeks First-Generation Specialist
Monday, December 6, 2004 Tech Prep RGV will be hiring a part-time First-Generation Specialist in January 2005. This grant-funded position is responsible for working with Tech Prep RGV's Executive Director, two full-time First-Generation Assistants, other staff, and various partners on a program currently serving over 300 students on 9 high school and 3 college/university campuses (the program will soon enter its third year of implementation). The First-Generation Specialist position is a 20-hours-per-week position paying $18,000 annually and providing full-time employee benefits. The position requires excellent verbal and written communications skills in English and Spanish; organizational ability; presentation skills; critical thinking skills; and the ability to work independently with a minimum of supervision. Bachelor's degree, work experience, and knowledge of computer software are all required. Applications will be taken through December and early January, with interviews and hiring to occur in January.
Applications must be submitted through an online application system managed by the TSTC-Harlingen Human Resources office. The application will be posted under a TSTC position title of Coordinator of Industrial Training. The website address is http://www.harlingen.tstc.edu/human/jobs.htm. The job posting number is 100337.
For additional information, contact TSTC Harlingen's Human Resources office at 956.364.4042.
Counselor of the Year Competition Underway
Tuesday, November 30, 2004 Tech Prep RGV will honor the 2004-05 Tech Prep Counselors of the Year during the opening general session of the Eleventh Annual Counselors' Institute on the morning of February 3, 2005, at the South Padre Island Convention Center.
All partners are encouraged to NOMINATE COUNSELORS who are worthy of the honor this recognition brings!
Nominations are due in January. A nomination form is available through the "Downloads" section of this website. Or obtain a form by emailing or calling Sonia Villescas: sonia.villescas@techprepRGV.com, 956.364.4514.
Eleventh Annual Counselors' Institute Scheduled
Tuesday, November 30, 2004 The Tip of Texas Counseling Association, in partnership with the Rio Grande Valley Counseling Association, the Region One Education Service Center, and Tech Prep of the Rio Grande Valley is pleased to announce the Eleventh Annual Counselors' Institute, "Celebrating Counseling: Mardi Gras Style." The institute will feature two full days of presentations on February 3-4, 2005, and will be held at the South Padre Island Convention Center. Registration fees are as follows:
EARLY REGISTRATION--MUST BE POSTMARKED BY JANUARY 21, 2005:
$75.00 – Tip of Texas Association Member Rate
90.00 –Non Member Rate
$55.00 - College Student (photocopy of current student ID card must accompany registration)
ON-SITE REGISTRATION:
$105.00 - All Counselors, Regardless of Membership
$65.00 - College Student (must present photocopy of current student ID card at registration)
A registration form is available through the "Downloads" section of this website. A registration form can also be obtained from Tech Prep RGV by emailing sonia.villescas@techprepRGV.com or calling 956.364.4514.
Downloads in PDF:
Informational Sheet
Registration Form
Tech Prep Teachers of the Year Named
Monday, October 25, 2004 CONGRATULATIONS to Tech Prep RGV's Teachers of the Year, who were named during the Tech Prep Regional Conference held at TSTC Harlingen on October 22-23, 2004. Recipients for 2004 were as follows:
Tech Prep Postsecondary Teacher of the Year:
Steve Szymoniak, Business Office Technology Teacher, TSTC Harlingen
(for additional information, see: http://www.harlingen.tstc.edu/NewsAndEvents.aspx?nid=199)
Tech Prep Secondary Teacher of the Year:
Laura Gonzalez, San Benito High School, San Benito CISD
Annual Meeting of Board and Members Scheduled
Monday, October 25, 2004 Tuesday, April 6, 2004
The annual meeting of the voting members and Board of Tech Prep RGV is scheduled as follows:
Date and Time: Thursday, October 28, 2004; 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Location: Best Western Palm Aire, Weslaco
At this meeting elections for new Board members will be conducted.
During the meeting, the Board of Directors will report to the members about activities conducted in the six months preceding the meeting. In addition, the University of Texas-Pan American will make a presentation about its Go Center Central and WorkForce Solutions will make a presentation about its industry-cluster-analysis work and plans for expanded collaboration on youth initiatives.
Contact the Tech Prep RGV offices for additional information.
Tech Prep Conference Highlights Global Competition
Monday, October 25, 2004 Are Texas students losing the race obtain jobs to international competition?
Education systems abroad are demonstrating vast improvements, but programs that combine the efforts and resources of schools, government and businesses such as Tech Prep of the Rio Grande Valley offer reasons for optimism that U.S. students could take the checkered flag first, according to speakers at the fall
regional conference for Tech Prep of the Rio Grande Valley held at Texas State Technical College Harlingen on October 22-23.
"U.S. businesses and workers face global competition everywhere, at every level," said Joe Randolph, implementation director for the Center for State Scholars that oversees the State Scholars Initiative in several states. He was statewide coordinator and a founder of the Texas Scholars program.
"Educators should motivate students to take more challenging academic and technical courses," he told more than 250 educators from Valley school districts and colleges. China, Taiwan, Indonesia and India generate employees with superb backgrounds, language skills and work ethics, he said. Randolph said that in one Asian training program directed by Eastman Kodak, the prospective employees mastered the skills in one-third the time it took for their U.S. counterparts.
"Today, they're (the Asian work force) working for us, but will we be working for them tomorrow?" he asked.
"The population of approximately 3 billion in Asia is largely illiterate and untrained, but the top 10 percent of the Asian work force still represents 300 million highly educated and skilled laborers," Randolph said.
"The Texas Scholars program has seen its success rate rise from 10 percent of enrolled students completing requirements to a successful completion rate of 65 percent, but that figure must improve," he said. The latest nationwide ACT scores indicate that only one out of every five high school students is prepared to enter college and the dropout rates in colleges are unacceptably high.
"We're spending a ton of money on remediation," Randolph said. "We can't just focus on getting students into college. We've got to get them to graduate and become lifelong learners. We - government, businesses and schools - must pull together to be really competitive."
"High school students should understand the value of continuing their education through programs that allow them to enter college courses early or further their post-secondary education through cooperative credit agreements between colleges," said Bob Shepard of Harlingen, vice chairman of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. He urged the educators and Tech Prep to promote education issues and causes.
"All of you sitting in the audience is where the rubber meets the road in this education race," he said.
Blanca Bauer, director of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Research at TSTC Harlingen, said that Tech Prep of the Rio Grande Valley has an opportunity to lead the state in empowering minority students to pursue higher education.
"We need Texans in higher education and we need higher education for our students," she said. "To do that, our students need preparation and it will require educators - such as those in Tech Prep - to lead with passion."
Distinguished Achievement Program Guidelines for Tech Prep
Monday, April 19, 2004 State leadership has published the following guidelines for including Tech Prep Articulated Courses as Distinguished Achievement Program Advanced Measures. For additional information, please contact the Tech Prep office or contact TEA, as shown below. The guidelines are as follow:
Guidelines for Evaluating Tech Prep Articulated Courses for Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP) Advanced Measures
19 TAC Chapter 74 provides the following regarding tech-prep courses utilized as Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP) advanced measures [Subchapter B Section 74.13(3) and Subchapter D Section 74.44 subparagraph (d)(3)]: “college academic courses and tech-prep articulated courses with a grade of 3.0 or higher.”
There are two types of college tech-prep articulated courses that may be counted as DAP advanced measures:
1. Locally articulated course(s) identified in a local tech-prep articulation agreement between a college and a school district.
2. Statewide-articulated course(s) listed in the Advanced Technical Credit (ATC) Program crosswalk.
The following guideline for award of a DAP advanced measure applies to each of the above:
• If a single high school course equals one or more college courses, it qualifies for a single advanced measure. The high school course should be taken in the junior or senior year and the student should make a minimum grade of B.
• If a sequence of high school courses is required to equal one or more college courses, the sequence qualifies as a single advanced measure. The last course in the required sequence should be taken in the junior or senior year and the student should make a minimum grade of B in every course in the sequence.
Districts have much flexibility in determining what courses will count toward advanced measures. Districts may select within the allowable options outlined in 19 TAC Chapter 74. Regardless of the options selected by the district, the allowable options should be clearly communicated to parents, students, and community as well documented in board policy.
For further clarification, contact:
Texas Education Agency
Division of Advanced Academic Services
1701 N. Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78701
Phone: (512) 463-9455
Fax: (512) 305-8920
For further information on Tech Prep and the Advanced Technical Credit (ATC) Program:
Visit: www.TechPrepTexas.org
Deans and Registrars Meeting Scheduled
Tuesday, April 6, 2004 The Fourth Annual meeting of Rio Grande Valley Deans and Registrars is scheduled as follows:
Date and Time: 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Location: Best Western Palm Aire, Weslaco
The preliminary agenda for the meeting is as follows:
Welcome and Introductions: Linda Wade, Ph.D., Tech Prep RGV Board—Chair, Curriculum/Work-Based Learning Committee (Superintendent of Schools, Harlingen CISD)
Greetings from Postsecondary Partners: Pat Hobbs, Tech Prep RGV Board—Chair, Universities and Colleges Committee (Vice President for Student Learning, TSTC Harlingen)
Identifying Tech Prep Secondary Students: Patricia G. (Pat) Bubb, Executive Director, Tech Prep RGV
Identifying Tech Prep Postsecondary Students: Linda Fossen, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Planning, The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College
Plans for the Future: Pat Bubb
• Guidelines for Tech Prep, ATC, and the DAP
• Resources Available on Webpage
Discussion: Linda Wade, Ph.D., and Pat Hobbs, Moderators
Adjourn
Participation is open to high school deans of instruction and registrars, college and university registrars, counselors and administrators, and interested members of the public.
Contact Tech Prep RGV for additional information.
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