Dallas ISD is set to host its yearly districtwide college fair, an event geared toward providing 11th- and 12th-grade students with information and resources to apply to college.
The no-cost event offers district students and their families an opportunity to access essential information and interact with representatives from higher education institutions. It will also serve as a platform to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of the Dallas ISD’s top-performing students.
“Students oftentimes don’t know the opportunities afforded to them as a top-10 percent student,” said JoAnn Jackson Powell, director of counseling services at Dallas ISD, per a district news release. “We want to encourage them to attend a four-year institution and make them aware of their opportunities [after] high school.”
The event will include a “VIP Recognition Celebration,” which will honor students ranking in the top 10% of their class.
Despite the hard work of the district’s dedicated educators, the district has underperformed in terms of getting students college, career, or military-ready (CCMR).
According to Dallas ISD’s latest accountability report for the 2021-2022 school, only 59% of the 8,003 students who graduated that year met the necessary criteria to be considered CCMR. The statewide average was 65%.
Additionally, only 25% scored at or above the standard on their college-readiness exams or earned credit for taking a college prep course. The statewide average was 41%.
That school year, nearly 20% of students in the graduating Class of 2022 earned a high school diploma in four years. The statewide average was 90%.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde spoke out against upcoming changes to the Texas Education Agency’s CCMR criteria, claiming that the updates are intended to make it seem like “public schools are failing.”
The college fair is scheduled for September 20 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Ellis Davis Field House. Attendees will be provided with insights into college admission and financial aid from more than 170 participating universities and colleges. Various other organizations will also be on hand to offer information on a range of postsecondary opportunities, according to the news release.
