Alamo Heights ISD reports early‑college growth; P‑TECH cohort, in‑school college courses expand

An Alamo Heights ISD staff member updated parents at the meeting on the district’s Early College High School and its P‑TECH pathway, saying the program will allow the Class of 2028 to graduate with a high school diploma and an associate of arts degree in four years.

The program partner is St. Philip’s College, and district staff said instructors with appropriate credentials teach the college courses on the Alamo Heights High School campus so students remain “in‑school” for both high school and college coursework.

The Early College lead said that freshmen in the program earn two college credits in the fall and two in the spring, and by the end of freshman year many students had earned six elective college credits. “They’ve already earned 6 college credits,” the staff member said. The presenter reported an enrollment range—an early figure of “a hundred and five” students was cited, and later counts given during the same discussion were 98 total early‑college students, with seven in the P‑TECH track.

James Miller, an early‑college teacher who leads the speech and professional communications class, described the class project that students complete as a midterm survey assignment. “They develop the questions that they want to ask…they then take all the data, synthesize the data, and then report on the data,” Miller said, summarizing the assignment’s progression and its impact on students’ communication skills.

The district clarified testing and credit rules: students take the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) college‑readiness test to enroll in dual credit; for some elective dual‑credit courses students are required only to sit for the TSI and do not have to meet the college‑ready standard to receive elective credit. The presenter said 44 percent of the cohort tested college‑ready in at least one subject when given the TSI at the end of eighth grade. Students on the geometry track who need to take college algebra next year must meet college‑readiness requirements for math before advancing into that college algebra class.

P‑TECH students continue to work toward 60 college credit hours while also earning an industry certification as a paraprofessional, the presenter said, aligning that certification with students interested in education, coaching or training careers. The presenter said the program supports work‑based learning and internships through an advisory board made up of industry and higher‑education partners.

Application and cohort details provided at the meeting: the staff member said the district closed the application window but had 94 applicants and 17 who identified as P‑TECH applicants, and reported a waiting list of seven students. The district plans to extend the application window after course selection and said it can expand the incoming cohort up to 20 students next year.

Student Jackson Moore, described by the presenter as a senior who is getting hands‑on experience, has worked at a junior school athletic period and the coaches there “are grateful for him,” the presenter said, illustrating how P‑TECH students can gain practical coaching and paraprofessional experience while still in high school.

Miller and the presenter emphasized that the program is run as a “school within a school”: Alamo Heights students take college courses on campus from district teachers credentialed or eligible to be adjunct professors, allowing students to remain part of the regular high school community and still participate in electives, sports and fine arts.

The meeting concluded the early‑college update by acknowledging staff who developed the program and encouraging questions from parents about course offerings and enrollment timelines.

Ending: District staff said they will continue to retest students for college‑readiness from February through May and to finalize course offerings for the next cohort; parents were advised the district will open additional application time after course selection.