Alief Kerr High School
Encyclopedia
Alief Kerr High School is a secondary school
located in the Alief community, near the city of Houston
in an unincorporated area of Harris County, Texas
, in the United States
. The school is a part of the Alief Independent School District
and serves grades 9 through 12. Kerr High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence
by the United States Department of Education
, the highest award an American school can receive, during the 2010-11 school year.
high school, and part little red school house
. Unlike a regular magnet school
, such as Houston ISD's DeBakey High School for Health Professions
, Kerr lacks an official area of concentration. Unlike traditional campuses, students are not separated by individual classes with one assigned teacher. Students can seek out a variety of peer and teacher input. Unlike a one-size-fits-all pacing, students work at their own pace.
Students usually apply to Kerr in their 8th grade year, but applications will be accepted in later grades. The student and his/her parents must attend an orientation. Afterwards, the student must submit an application. Admission into Kerr is based on TAKS scores, grades, student behavior, and attendance records. Traditional high schools in Alief ISD are assigned by a lottery
to either Alief Elsik High School
, Alief Hastings High School
, or Alief Taylor High School
. Alief Kerr and Alief Taylor are located across the street from each other; Kerr shares transportation with Alief Taylor.
In most classes, teachers will go over the course material once a week in a seminar. Separate seminar rooms are available for teacher instruction.
, Astronomy
, Biology
, Chemistry
, Environmental Science
, GMO, and Physics
. Centers hold 25-150 students. Teachers are responsible for more than one subject at a time. A science teacher may be teaching Chemistry I, Physics I, and AP Physics
during the same period. The centers at Alief Kerr include Art
, Business
, English
, Foreign Language
, Journalism
, Math, Science
, and Social Studies
.
Webmastering/Computer Science, and Speech are all held in traditional type classrooms. While these classrooms are smaller than the major centers, the classes held in these classrooms still abide by Kerr's theme of independent learning and the PAK system.
The testing center is where tests are administered for most classes. A testing center clerk gives the correct test to the student when the student presents a testing pass. The student chooses a seat in the center, completes the test, and turns it in when completed. When the student turns in a test, the students are handed the last sheet of the testing pass to the student. This is proof that the student took a test.
by the United States Department of Education
, the highest award an American school can receive, during the 2010-11 school year.
in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 school years. For the 2009,2010 and 2011 school year, Alief Kerr received the highest recognition possible, Exemplary, from the TEA.
2008 Texas Education Agency Gold Performance Acknowledgements Program
Children At Risk
is a policy research and advocacy organization focused on improving children's quality of life. The organization ranks public high schools in eight counties of the Houston metro area.
Kerr has done well on Children At Risk
rankings annually. Kerr is currently ranked 3rd in Houston and 9th in Texas. Kerr is also ranked 4th best as a Math and Science school in the Houston area. In addition, Kerr was 10th "most improved" in the Houston area.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
located in the Alief community, near the city of Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
in an unincorporated area of Harris County, Texas
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The school is a part of the Alief Independent School District
Alief Independent School District
Alief Independent School District is a school district that is based in southwest Houston, Texas, United States.Alief ISD, which covers of land, covers a small portion of southwest Houston and parts of unincorporated Harris County...
and serves grades 9 through 12. Kerr High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, the highest award an American school can receive, during the 2010-11 school year.
History
Kerr High School was named for Carey Jean Kerr, a counselor who worked with students at both Chancellor Elementary and Alief Middle School. Kerr died from asthma in 1992 after a 15-year career with Alief ISD. The school opened in the fall of 1994. In May 1996, the first class of approximately 55 students graduated.Structure
Kerr may be best explained as part Montessori, part performing artsPerforming arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
high school, and part little red school house
Little Red Schoolhouse (Brunswick, New York)
The District #6 Schoolhouse, also known locally as the Little Red Schoolhouse or the Lincoln School, located in Brunswick, New York, United States, is a one-room schoolhouse built circa 1830 or 1837 that was home to grades one through eight until the consolidation of Brunswick Central School...
. Unlike a regular magnet school
Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
, such as Houston ISD's DeBakey High School for Health Professions
DeBakey High School for Health Professions
Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions is a medical secondary school located in the Third Ward area of Houston, Texas, United States....
, Kerr lacks an official area of concentration. Unlike traditional campuses, students are not separated by individual classes with one assigned teacher. Students can seek out a variety of peer and teacher input. Unlike a one-size-fits-all pacing, students work at their own pace.
Students usually apply to Kerr in their 8th grade year, but applications will be accepted in later grades. The student and his/her parents must attend an orientation. Afterwards, the student must submit an application. Admission into Kerr is based on TAKS scores, grades, student behavior, and attendance records. Traditional high schools in Alief ISD are assigned by a lottery
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
to either Alief Elsik High School
Alief Elsik High School
Alief Elsik High School is a secondary school located in the Alief region of Houston, Texas.Elsik is divided into two campuses: the main campus , and the Alief Elsik Ninth Grade Center , which serves ninth graders...
, Alief Hastings High School
Alief Hastings High School
Alief Hastings High School is a secondary school in the Alief neighborhood of Houston, Texas, United States. Originally named Alief Junior-Senior High School, the school's present location opened in 1972....
, or Alief Taylor High School
Alief Taylor High School
Alief Taylor High School is a public high school, located in Alief Independent School District in unincorporated Harris County, Texas. Opened in 2001, Alief Taylor is the newest high school in Alief ISD...
. Alief Kerr and Alief Taylor are located across the street from each other; Kerr shares transportation with Alief Taylor.
Independent Learning
Kerr is based on independent learning. Under the teacher's guidance, the student proceeds through the course on his/her own. He/she is given deadlines for completion of assignments, projects, and tests. Students who understand the material well and are focused on class work can proceed faster. Students have finished courses two to four times faster than the normal pace. Students that need more time may move at a slower pace, but must complete the course within the end of the term.In most classes, teachers will go over the course material once a week in a seminar. Separate seminar rooms are available for teacher instruction.
PAK (Personal Activity Kit)
Instead of traditional assignments, PAKs (Personal Activity Kit) are administered for each class. PAKs include all the work for the unit. They inform students of the objectives, direct them to learning materials, and prepare them for tests/quizzes. The PAK system encourages students to participate in team work, seminars, and large groups to provide opportunities for teacher-directed and group learning. After the PAK is turned in, a test is given over the material of that PAK.Centers
Instead of small traditional classrooms, Alief Kerr has large centers for each core subject. Every class in a specific subject is held in the subject's center. For example, all the science classes are held in the Science Center. This includes AnatomyAnatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
, Astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, Environmental Science
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
, GMO, and Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
. Centers hold 25-150 students. Teachers are responsible for more than one subject at a time. A science teacher may be teaching Chemistry I, Physics I, and AP Physics
AP Physics
AP Physics defines three categories of high school physics courses: A, B, and C. Category A refers to general introductory physics courses that are not mathematically rigorous...
during the same period. The centers at Alief Kerr include Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, Business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
, Foreign Language
Foreign language
A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
, Journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, Math, Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, and Social Studies
Social studies
Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
.
Webmastering/Computer Science, and Speech are all held in traditional type classrooms. While these classrooms are smaller than the major centers, the classes held in these classrooms still abide by Kerr's theme of independent learning and the PAK system.
Testing
Because of Kerr's unusual environment, traditional examination administration is difficult, especially when other classes are in the center. The three main testing administration methods at Kerr:- Teachers pull their students away from the center (into a smaller classroom) and administer the test themselves.
- The whole center will have their tests due on the same date and turn into a testing zone. For example, all the science classes schedule their tests on the same date and close the center for testing on that particular date.
- Student takes their test in the testing center.
The testing center is where tests are administered for most classes. A testing center clerk gives the correct test to the student when the student presents a testing pass. The student chooses a seat in the center, completes the test, and turns it in when completed. When the student turns in a test, the students are handed the last sheet of the testing pass to the student. This is proof that the student took a test.
Rankings and Acknowledgements
Kerr High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of ExcellenceBlue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, the highest award an American school can receive, during the 2010-11 school year.
TEA Acknowledgements
Alief Kerr achieved the Recognized status from the Texas Education Agency accountability ratings systemTexas Education Agency accountability ratings system
The Texas Education Agency accountability ratings system rates all public schools, charter schools, and school districts in the State of Texas.The criteria are the same for schools and districts, and are discussed below...
in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 school years. For the 2009,2010 and 2011 school year, Alief Kerr received the highest recognition possible, Exemplary, from the TEA.
2008 Texas Education Agency Gold Performance Acknowledgements Program
Texas Education Agency Gold Performance Acknowledgement Criteria
In addition to the Texas Education Agency accountability ratings system used to rank campuses and districts, TEA also awards schools for performance on additional categories not included in the accountability ratings system...
- Advanced Course/Dual Enrollment Completion
- Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate Results
- Attendance Rate
- Commended Performance: Reading/English Language Arts (ELA)
- Commended Performance: Mathematics
- Commended Performance: Social Studies
- Comparable Improvement: Reading/ELA
- Recommended High School Program/Distinguished Achievement Program
- SAT/ACT Results
- Texas Success Initiative-Higher Education Readiness Component:ELA
- Texas Success Initiative-Higher Education Readiness Component:Mathematics
Children At Risk
Children At Risk
Children At Risk is a 501 non-profit policy research and advocacy organization in Houston, Texas which focuses on improving children's quality of life. Founded in 1989, its primary areas of focus are poverty, childhood health, public education, and safety issues...
is a policy research and advocacy organization focused on improving children's quality of life. The organization ranks public high schools in eight counties of the Houston metro area.
Kerr has done well on Children At Risk
Children At Risk
Children At Risk is a 501 non-profit policy research and advocacy organization in Houston, Texas which focuses on improving children's quality of life. Founded in 1989, its primary areas of focus are poverty, childhood health, public education, and safety issues...
rankings annually. Kerr is currently ranked 3rd in Houston and 9th in Texas. Kerr is also ranked 4th best as a Math and Science school in the Houston area. In addition, Kerr was 10th "most improved" in the Houston area.
| Rating | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top HS in Houston | 11 | 19 | 9 | 3 |
| Top HS in Texas | N/A | N/A | N/A | 9 |
| Top Math and Science HS in Houston | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4 |