Huntsville ISD is going to uniform dress for the 2008-2009 school year.

No. HISD is researching implementing a Standard Dress Policy for students for the upcoming school year. Standard dress is made up of clothing that meets a particular description but is not a specific brand of clothing. This is not uniform dress. Before the District makes any decision regarding updating the dress code for students, meetings will be held with faculty members at each campus and a community wide meeting will be held to meet with parents to get their input. To see a sample of clothing options from the proposed Standard Dress Policy follow this link.

What is the HISD dress code?
07-08 HISD Dress Code

Letter to Parents Regarding Dress Code

For the most part the dress code is still the same as it has been in previous years. The language was updated to keep up with fashion trends and simplified to make it more user friendly for parents and students when shopping.

Minor changes include that male students can wear earrings and facial hair is now allowed. Extremes and fads that may lead to disruptions or distractions in school are not permitted.

“We have made some changes to our dress code regarding things that we felt like have little impact on a student learning.  For instance, we had that boys could not have facial hair.  When it gets down to it, I don’t want a boy to miss class time because he has been sent to the office for having facial hair.  I believe that student and the others around him can still learn, even with facial hair.  Anything that would distract others from learning or anything dealing with modesty is still intact in the dress code, Mike Lamb, HHS Principal.”

The final decision in determining appropriate dress and appearance shall rest with the principal or assistant principal. Consistent failure of a student to adhere to dress and appearance codes will result in disciplinary action.

Do out of district students have to pay tuition?

No. The HISD Board of Trustees approved to accept all out of district students tuition free during their June 2007 board meeting. This does not apply to tuition based pre-k students that do not qualify. If you have questions please contact 936.295.3421.

Will HHS students soon be able to receive their diploma and bachelors degree in conjunction with SHSU?

Yes. Some Huntsville High School students will soon have the opportunity to drastically reduce the time and cost of their education through a “Time Compressed Degree Program” with Sam Houston State University.

“The total time to attain the high school diploma, baccalaureate, and master’s can be reduced to seven years rather than the traditional 9-11 years, with cost reductions for higher education of 30 percent or more,” said David Burris, SHSU articulation coordinator.

...More

What has HISD done to update their gifted and talented program?

HISD has trained an additional 68 teachers these past few months to deliver the differentiated curriculum to students on an ongoing basis within their regular classrooms. This allows student's needs to be met throughout the day not just during the 45 to 60 minutes that they previously had been pulled out by the identified gifted teachers. These newly trained teachers have received the full training required by the Texas Education Agency that certifies them to teach gifted children. Additionally, many of these teachers attended training this summer on differentiation and inclusion. Huntsville ISD's goal is to have 100% of the core content area teachers trained in TEA's required 30 hour institute and to provide teachers with ongoing training and support to differentiate for all students in their classrooms.

Is HISD planning to do away with advanced placement classes?
Advanced Placement Program Growing-The Huntsville Item

NO . Huntsville ISD does not intend to eliminate advanced placement or special education classes, but wants simply to hold all students to a higher scholastic standard. In fact, HISD is adding more AP Classes for the 2007-2008 School Year.

This will be done through modified curriculum and instruction throughout school and to deliver a paradigm shift on the way advanced placement and special education classes are provided.

“The intention is to provide all HISD students with the opportunity to achieve a greater level of education,” Dr. Richard Montgomery. “With specific reference to our AP program, our goal is to strengthen instruction, add more advanced course offerings from which students may choose, prepare more students for college-level studies, and increase the number of students who meet the requirements for earning college credit while in high school. Additionally, the HISD Advanced Placement program is being audited this year by the College Board to ensure that our program measures up to their rigorous standards. We will do what it takes to meet and exceed those standards, said Montgomery. ”

Students who pass AP tests have the opportunity to enter college with up to 12 hours of credit. Pre-AP and AP courses are currently open enrollment, meaning when students register for classes nothing prevents them from enrolling in an advanced course. In the past, HISD had requirements such as grade point average that determined whether students were able to enroll in AP courses.

Will the Class of 2008 be required to pass the TAKS test to participate in commencement activities?

YES. The Huntsville ISD Board of Trustees accepted making changes to two local policies concerning academic achievement and, student activities in order to participate in commencement ceremonies at the January 18, 2007, meeting.

The policies now state that students who complete all course work requirements, but fail to pass exit-level testing requirements are not eligible to receive a certificate of completion and are not allowed to participate in commencement ceremonies.

Changes omit the option to receive a certificate of completion and do not allow students who have not passed the state exit-level exam to participate in the commencement ceremony.

A certificate of completion is not equivalent to a high school diploma and holds no market value.

Reasons for the changes stem from factors including changes in state legislation and the district’s goals for providing quality education for its students.

Recently the legislature re-defined the term “drop-out” to include a student who receives a certificate of completion rather than meeting all requirements for a diploma which includes passing the state exit-level tests.

The greater number of drop-outs the greater the bearing on the district’s accountability rating.


The Class of 2008 will have the opportunity to take the exit-level TAKS test at least six times before graduation.

If my child misses school it has no impact on the district.

FALSE. HISD’s state funding is determined on daily student attendance. The district receives $27 for every student in school each day.

The greater the attendance the greater the funding for the district to hire personnel and buy supplies such as computers.

It is estimated that an increase of the average daily attendance from 95.4 percent to 95.5 percent would equal $8,425, while an increase from 95.4 percent to 96.4 percent would total $84,253.

More importantly, any day your child is not in the classroom they are missing valuable instruction.