Consistent hard work throughout the year and making sure they knew where every student stood were just two reasons why OCTECHS, Odessa Collegiate Academy and George H.W. Bush New Tech Odessa reached A status in state accountability ratings, the principals said.
James Ramage is the principal at OCA. Karl Miller heads OCTECHS, and Gerardo Ramirez helms NTO. OCTECHS and Odessa Collegiate are on the Odessa College campus and New Tech is at 300 E. 29th St.
OCTECHS got a 93; Odessa Collegiate, a 92; and New Tech, a 96.
Hiring the right people, supporting them, coaching and encouraging those that are close, but need to do a little bit more and allowing them a chance to grow are all key factors, Miller said.
Ramage said getting an A is not just scoring high on a test. It’s performing well on all the STAAR tests, making sure they don’t have dropouts and getting students ready for college before they leave ECISD.
“There are so many nuances and pieces of that to get that A. It’s not just one score. It’s doing well on a multitude of things to get that ranking,” Ramage said.
The main three pillars for New Tech are project-based instruction, strong school culture and seamless use of technology.
Ramirez expressed gratitude for teachers and staff who have to wear a lot of hats because the campuses are smaller.
Ramage said tutorials are a big part of their success as well.
Students also have to be flexible because the college schedule looks different than high school. At NTO, Ramirez said, students have to get used to the shuttle schedule because they are allowed to go off campus for UIL and athletics.
Miller said all three have had devices for each student since the start.
“Even as COVID hit, and we had these last two trying years, we were already pre-positioned and ready to rock with this. Our teachers already knew how to use technology, with instruction and with a little additional help,” Miller said. “It was extremely easy for my staff to transition over. I think I had four teachers who really kind of threw their hands up and said, I need help, and we were able to get them that help very quickly.”
Ramirez said something they all have in common is a college-going culture.
“Obviously the early college models are at the college. They work very closely with Odessa College with our partner here and that’s the same case with New Tech Odessa, as well. We have a really strong partnership with our partners here at Odessa College, so that’s definitely one thread that’s very common for us. We have a lot of outpouring support,” Ramirez said.
Ramage said OC is there for any needs they have, and they also have backing from ECISD and the board of trustees.
Two years ago, when they had to go online, OC noted that some students decided they didn’t have to turn assignments in because it wasn’t really real and no one one was checking.
“The college said not happening, and they they began really opening up communications with our staff. And so now our teachers and the college teachers, there is seamless communication between us,” Miller said.
He added that having college teachers talk with his teachers has really helped OCTECHS.
“I think last year especially, it got 100% of our seniors to graduate, which was a great number for us. We were at 99%, 98% before, and we were at 100% last year. It really upped our game for things being submitted, and my attendance rate has been 98 to 97.6 (percent) every month,” Miller said.
Ramage said communication with the college professors has been “huge.”
He added that it really is like a village where everyone has each other’s back.
“We’re fortunate we can do that because each of us have around 400-plus students. You can actually spend that time with the students to address their concerns, or if they’re struggling and have those meetings. … It’s a lot of work, but you’re able to do that one-on-one as needed,” Ramage said. I
Ramirez said another commonality is that they care for students.
“We want to make sure we know them. We want to make sure they see us daily. As a principal, it’s very important for us to be visible. Families know that, and our kids know that. Our goal is for them to be successful in high school and beyond, and I think our students at these campuses, they have a lot of opportunities,” Ramirez said.
Ramage said it’s not just about graduating high school, but talking about what the students are doing afterward, “pushing them through that” and helping them get to that next step of a university, that first big job or interview.
The schools also help with scholarships.
Ramage said the cost barrier for college has been removed with the OC Promise at Odessa College and Falcon Free from University of Texas Permian Basin.
Miller said he had all 10 of his Occupational Safety and Environmental Technology students stay at OC for their final two years to get their bachelor of applied arts and science.
“It’s all paid and the teachers love them. They all get along great, and they understand the system. They understand what the expectations are … so that’s nice to see,” Miller said.
He added that OCTECHS is turning out students who can walk the stage with diplomas, industry certifications and multiple opportunities.
For all three schools, the students have to want to be there and be willing put in a lot of hard work and dedication.
Ramirez added that it’s always interesting to welcome freshmen who have come from six different middle schools, private schools or elsewhere and get them acclimated to what the expectations are.
Ramage said they spend a lot of time team building and getting to know the students.
Although they have reached A status, the principals say there are still things they need to work on.
“For NTO, I think our big highlight is parent involvement,” Ramirez said.
Ramage added that it’s probably true for all three schools.
“When COVID hit, because parents weren’t allowed to come to school, their parent involvement was much, much less. And so getting those booster clubs and parent-teacher organizations back up and running, I think all of us could do a better job with and just re-evaluating what we did well with last year; what else can we still improve; what areas do we need to work harder at,” Ramage said.
Ramirez added that closing academic gaps at New Tech is still an issue because of the COVID slide, so making sure students have what they need to be successful academically is very important.
Ramage said Superintendent Scott Muri met with principals for their monthly meeting recently and asked what they could do to repeat their success.
“Don’t don’t get stagnant. Don’t think that you’ve reached your moment; how do you repeat and how do you improve. That may be even even more stressful to repeat,” Ramage said.
He added that each year, the schools get a new set of students and that means new challenges.
“You get a whole new freshman class for our choice schools, and that’s where a bulk of our accountability is with algebra I, biology and English I. That’s a huge component of it,” Ramage said.
Miller said improving his teachers and culture are two of his objectives.
“A target that my staff and the student leadership wanted to work on was our community outreach and family and student engagement. We have instituted a weekly newsletter (and) a weekly student-led news broadcast. It’s a video that’s done every week. It’s the news of the week for OCTECHS,” Miler said. “We also have a growing spirit club with the parent group.”
They had about seven parents at a meeting at the beginning of September and 47 attended the most recent one. They brought their students and all the officers were elected.
“I need to say that the newsletter piece … I borrowed from Gerardo. His little message that he sends to staff every week, and he calls it week at a glance. I do the same and that’s just for my staff. I send it to my boss downtown. I send it to the college directors, so they know and I send it to our teachers,” Miller said.
