By Glorianna Nichols.
New TSI classes to be implemented for seniors starting next semester.
“The classes are a way for students to get college ready,” principal Emme Siburt said. “As a district, we mainly decided that this was something we needed to be offering our kids. So, the classes are for students that really want to go college but need an extra boost to get them ready.”
The TSI Assessment, which is part of the Texas Success Initiative program, is designed to help determine if students are ready for college-level coursework in the areas of reading, writing and mathematics. Some colleges require students to pass the TSI if they didn’t meet the standards they’re looking for on the ACT or SAT. If students don’t reach a high enough score on the TSI tests, they will be enrolled into college readiness courses. With College Prep English and College Prep Math being added next semester, Siburt believes that the courses will be a great way for students to get prepared to retake the TSI in the spring. Siburt also believes that the classes shouldn’t be “much different” from what students are already used to.
“College Prep English is just like your normal English class, but it’s going to be catered towards the writing that colleges expect students to know how to do,” Siburt said. “It will be different than British literature, which is what traditional English 4 teaches, because there will be more applicable literature. There’s parts of College Prep Math that don’t allow students to use calculators because they want you to get ready for the math skills that are required for the TSI test.”
Overall, Sibert hopes that the students will be able to pass the TSI retake.
“I hope that they don’t have to mess with the test again since that would be something they would have to pay for on their own,” Sibert said. “The fact that we’re able to do the test without cost to the students would help them get their college applications ready.”
Logan Usery will be teaching College Prep Math and Shelby Willis will be teaching College Prep English. Willis expresses that she’s “very excited” to teach a new course.
“They actually kind of asked me expecting me to not want to teach the new course, but I immediately said yes because I love trying new things,” Willis said. “I love challenging myself, and teaching a new course is definitely going to do that.”
Willis looks forward to “the practical assignments” that the class is going to offer.
“I’ll be able to help students with resumes and cover letters, which is something I wish I had when I was in high school,” Willis said. “When I got to college, I went into the world knowing nothing about business writing, so I’m looking forward to that.”
Willis taught freshman composition at ACU for a few years prior to joining the Eagle family in 2021. She hopes to “incorporate” some of the curriculum into the new course.
“I’m excited to include my pedagogical techniques from those classes to this one,” Willis said. “I’m also looking forward to meeting new students and helping them prepare for their next academic steps.”
Despite her excitement, Willis isn’t looking forward to losing students she taught this semester.
“I don’t know the number yet, but I think I’m going to lose about half of the students I had from this semester,” Willis said. “That’s really hard for me because one of the things I enjoy about teaching high school rather than college is that I have students the whole year.”
Senior Jordan Campos, a student in Willis’s English class, is moving to College Prep Math next semester. Despite changing class in the middle of the year, Campos is looking forward to the class.
“I’m truly excited for it since it’s going to be Ms. Usery teaching,” Campos said. “I’m really hoping this class can help me get where I need to be for me to pass the test. I’m not looking forward to the actual test, though.” (move this up further in the story?)
Willis mostly looks forward to “establishing new relationships” with students.
“A lot of the students I have come into English not expecting to enjoy the class,” Willis said. “I think that fostering relationships in turn helps them learn how to love the subject and that’s something I really hope to get out of teaching the class.”
