Frisco ISD is opening up Frisco High School and Bright Elementary School to students district-wide who want to participate in new special programs.

In a 2015 strategic planning process, school officials and community members identified adding new academic programs as one of the top priorities, said Katie Kordel, deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction.

“Since 2015 we have been formally researching and planning for programs,” Kordel said. “Another [reason] for the implementation would be that at the high school level at FISD we are really focused on student choice and student opportunity for all students.”

FISD plans to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Frisco HS and the Primary Years Programme at Bright Elementary. The schools will remain the home campuses for students who live in those attendance zones, and students in other zones can apply to participate in those programs.

The Primary Years Programme will begin next year at Bright Elementary, which will become Bright Academy, and will be available to all students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

“The intent behind [the program] is just a philosophical, inquiry-based approach where students are engaged in a lot of collaboration with their peers,” Area Director of Elementary instruction Christy Fiori said.

The program’s curriculum will combine knowledge and skills from multiple subject areas in hands-on lessons.

In addition to the Primary Years Programme, Bright Academy will also incorporate a new program called Project Lead the Way Launch. The program is a pre-career and technical education program that will focus on science, technology, engineering and math.

FISD began the Bright Academy admissions process in March, and will continue until all seats are filled. The admissions process will reopen again next year.

Diploma Programme

The Diploma Programme will be available for 11th- and 12th-grade students and will provide a set pathway of coursework that will comprise languages, sciences, mathematics and the arts. Students can earn up to 24 hours of college credit in the program.

“In the IB program, students do more presentations and writing assessments,” Area Director of Secondary Instruction Angela Romney said. “The program is more well-rounded and focuses on the whole-child approach.”

The Diploma Programme will start with the class of 2023. In November, eighth-grade students will be given information about the program. Interested students will be randomly selected for enrollment based on the number of seats available.

Students who accept admission will become Frisco HS students beginning in 2019-20. The first IB courses would be offered when students are juniors in 2021-22. These students will be encouraged to take Advanced Placement courses in their freshman and sophomore years. Informational meetings will be held in October. In November, eighth-grade students will be able to apply to the program.

Other added programs

In addition to the IB Programme, FISD is also adding  Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID. This program will be available to seventh-grade students at Hunt and Staley middle schools next school year. FISD plans to expand the program to Frisco HS as participating students enroll in high school.

The program is an elective course designed to provide academic, social and emotional support to students as they take advanced coursework, such as AP or Pre-AP courses. Romney said this program helps provide support to those students who may be underrepresented or students who might be first-generation college students.

FISD will also pilot INCubatoredu at four high schools—Centennial, Frisco, Heritage and Lone Star high schools—next year with the potential to expand the program in the future. This program will provide curriculum, resources and training to support an existing entrepreneurship course offered at all the high schools.

“[Adding these programs] is exciting because at Frisco ISD we really want to be actionable with our mission statement, ‘Know our students by name and need,’ and then take action to support that by having a variety of opportunities that meet their future readiness,” Kordel said.