District VII Community Connections: Partnering with Alief ISD

Feb 11, 2014

HCC is working with local school districts, including the Alief Independent School District, to develop college prep courses in math and English. The goal of these classes is to help students prepare for college-level work and to prevent students from having to take developmental courses in either subject.

Alief ISD is also partnering with HCC and other area colleges and universities to provide dual credit college courses at the high schools. Dual-credit students take high school classes and HCC classes during the same semester. They concurrently earn credit for both, and when they complete the courses with a passing grade, students are able to continue at HCC to earn their associate degree or they can transfer their credits to most universities in Texas and surrounding states. Dual-credit courses offer students a “seamless” pathway from high school to college, and are tuition-free for students who live in-district.

This partnership between school districts and institutions of higher education is part of a new initiative by the State of Texas to ensure student success. The State has also instituted a new assessment test for all new higher-education students. The TSI (Texas Success Initiative) test is now being used to determine what level courses (credit bearing course, remedial course or adult basic education course) an incoming student can take when entering college.

HCC is committed to our students’ success. We want to ensure our students are college-ready and that they have a strong foundation in reading, writing and math that is essential to their success. Along with working with local school districts and requiring new students to take the TSI test, HCC has advisors and counselors who are ready to help our students. These professionals will help students build a plan for accomplishing their educational and career goals.