At PSJA ISD, we are striving to make a difference in the lives of every student through two unique programs.  Pathways Toward Independence (PTI)/LIFE House Program promotes the continued development of vocational training skills and/or functional independent living skills to assist special needs students in becoming emergent adults in the community.  Students develop employability skills and access post-secondary education while receiving continuing education certificates through South Texas College.  The Buell DAEP Program focuses on redirecting and providing students with opportunities to gain invaluable skills through project-based learning projects focused on sustainability and conservation efforts.  Come and learn how these programs are motivating students to practice higher-level critical thinking skills through meaningful learning experiences.

Sessions include the basic ECHS implementation in Texas, and lessons learned in scaling the early collegemodel and systemically working to have (All Students: College Ready.Connected.Complete. ™). We will be sharing best practices and innovative designs for providing every single student the opportunity to earn at least 12 college hours by high school graduation, with an emphasis on earning an Associate Degree or two-years of college while completing core coursework.

Fundamentals of Higher Education collaborating with PK-12 entities has changed over the past decade with the expansion of Early College High Schools.  Sessions will include platform of researchers and educators to present their findings and systems that have proven to be successful in ensuring that students are successful while in high schools and after graduation. Come learn about potential pitfalls and solutions for getting students "To and Through College."

PSJA ISD has taken a specific approach to ensure that our young people who have fallen off-track not only reengage for high school graduation, but that they prepare for and transition to a post-secondary education. Come learn about the structures and strategies that have made PSJA ISD a top performer in high school completion rates, and show promise for impacting college completion for high school dropout and at-risk students.

PSJA’s Parental Engagement Program, in conjunction with community partnerships, has built a structured program for parents around the initiative College³ (All Students: College Ready.Connected.Complete.™) Sessions will share promising practices that show how PSJA is empowering parents to fulfill their educational needs and take charge of improving their lives, their family circumstances and their community.

It is PSJA’s mission to provide comprehensive, quality instructional programs that help connect every student to college and/or the career of their choice.  PSJA’s Dual Language Enrichment Program is one of the rigorous programs designed to develop stronger cognitive and academic skills through the development of bilingualism and biliteracy.  Hear how PSJA is implementing the best instructional practices into the curriculum to better prepare our students for post-secondary education.

The implementation and/or scaling up Early College initiative or Back on Track model, for any school or district, is made possible through ground breaking legislation regulations and local policies that define policies that open the door for replication.  These policies allow districts, colleges, and universities to develop unique partnerships that lead to innovative support systems that have proven to be successful in ensuring that students are successful while in high school and after graduation.