Often times it’s difficult to tell whether or not a school, or a school district is “good” or “bad.” Everyone hopes that their child will realize her/his full intellect, but in some schools, a number of students fade into the background and don’t learn as much as they could.

    When moving to a new area, there are a huge amount of things to consider besides which school district is the best for your child, so it’s easy to overlook which school is right. However, it’s not a very good idea to leave it to fate, as some schools sadly do not perform as well as others; on the other hand, it can be difficult to determine which is which.

    There are a number of ways to decide; for instance you could look at standardized test scores. It may seem arbitrary, but a student may not graduate without passing the TAKS tests. Fortunately, College Station schools have performed very well. According to the district website about 90% of all students from all schools passed, making them eligible to graduate. Some may think it’s not quite 100%, but rest assured, relative to other districts, 90% is very good.

    Statistics can be a valuable, but they don’t tell you everything. Sometimes schools teach test-taking techniques, rather than actually teaching content. A district’s curriculum is really important; with the curriculum, the district dictates what each teacher ought to be teaching their students over what amount of time– giving the district leadership a heap of responsibility. The state only loosely determines what knowledge and skills students need to graduate with.

    Luckily for CSISD, its district leadership has been recognized by the state as distinguished. Last January, the College Station ISD trustees were awarded the Good Governance award by the Texas Association of School Boards. Essentially, the award is given to districts with effective leadership and a record of achievement, and only 10 districts in the the entire state of Texas were given the Good Governance award. The process for achieving this recognition is arduous, it can take over a year of auditing and assessment. Most importantly the award reveals that the people in charge of determining the school’s curriculum are responsible.

    If you’re in the process of moving, or considering to move, it’s a really good idea to do your own research. It’s important that children receive a healthy education, for a countless number of reasons, and the quality of a school is vital for gauging the quality of the education. But keep in mind that a school is given marching orders from district leaders, and that curriculum set has a direct impact on what teachers are telling your children.

Susan Hilton – Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal, Inc.

#1 in Real Estate in Bryan and College Station Home Sales

Real Estate for Bryan College Station!

Call 979-764-2121 and hear information on ANY property for sale in the Brazos Valley.

Every Bryan College Station, Tx parent wants their child to be successful– to have a happy child hood, and grow up and be able to support their own family. No words can articulate the emotions a beaming parent feels when their child achieves every goal they set for themselves, and become a successful adult with children of their own. This is never easy; parenting is one of the most difficult things anyone can do, and trying to raise a child into a successful adult requires so much effort and affection.

One of the most important things to consider when raising a child is education. Education is paramount; almost no one makes much of themselves without a quality education. Naturally, when moving to a new area, parents have to factor in what sort of school their kids would be attending. Luckily, Bryan/College Station has a phenomenal educational record. Not only are there an incredibly large amount of schools, public and private, for a relatively small city, the schools themselves have been enjoying a considerable amount of success.

In 2006, Money magazine named College Station the most educated city in Texas. In truth, much of that is due to the fact that Texas A&M takes up a significant portion of the city, and that so many educated people come here from other cities, states, and countries seeking higher education. However, it’s still relevant to parents interested in putting their children in the best primary and secondary schools because of the influence of the university.

Texas A&M has one of the most accredited education programs nationwide, and they are often working with local schools– giving the schools access to some of the most ambitious, well trained teachers in the nation. Beyond that, many A&M students live permanently in College Station and find careers in local public and private schools. All things considered, the Bryan/College Station area has access to an incredible level of education.

Even beyond of the influence from Texas A&M, Bryan/College Station schools are tremendously successful on their own. In fact, in the last 12 months, College Station ISD has had 7 national merit scholars, 16 national scholar semi-finalists, 3 national champions in software engineering, 17 French symposium winners, and a whole host of other commendations.

This district has shown time and again that they are doing something right, and their students are learning and becoming successful. In truth, the reason so many Texas A&M students are from the Bryan/College Station area is because of the success of these school districts.

The TAKS scores from these schools are very good, and according the the district website, a quarter of its students are in advanced placement (AP) classes. What’s even more remarkable is that from those advanced classes, 87% of students score above criterion on the AP exams. AP exams are incredibly difficult tests that are given out to determine how much a student has learned from the course. Nothing happens if a student does poorly, but if they score well enough (as 87% have), they get college credit. Basically, this means that after graduating, almost a quarter of students from CSISD have already earned enough college credit to graduate a semester, or two, early from college.

Considering how important it is for a child to get the best education available, Bryan/College Station would be an excellent choice of residence; its schools have proven themselves responsible and professional enough to be excellent educators. The whole area is saturated with fantastic schools and libraries, making it a very healthy educational environment that could help your child realize all the potential they have and make you the proud parent you set out to be.

Susan

Susan Hilton – Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal

Want to Search the Bryan/College Station Real Estate MLS? CLICK HERE!!!

Tonight I was asked to drive my daughter and her friends for Homecoming. No, they didn’t have dates and Yes I said YES!!!

Rather than just drive…  I dressed in all black, got a top hat and treated them like stars. I opened the doors for them, took pictures like paparazzi, served them non alcoholic sparling grape juice in plastic flutes and let them laugh and laugh and laugh.

I was so honored my daughter wanted me to be with her and her friends. I even overheard one of the girls saying how her mom would never do something like this – and then they asked if I would drive again for Prom even if they had dates….

It was GREAT helping making a high school memory one they will remember together! THEY are special & should be treated that way.

… and, the beautiful girl in black second from the left is MINE!

College Station Real Estate – College Station Consolidated High School Homecoming 2008

Just heard from Eddie Coulson, Superintendent for College Station Schools…

NO MAKEUP DAY is needed to replace the Hurrican Ike Day!

Hurricane Ike College Station

Susan Hilton – Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal

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Did you know that you can check your child’s grade ONLINE now at the Junior High and High School level?

No – you don’t have to wait until they hopefully bring their report cards home. You can login and see their grades in real time as the teacher inputs them. You’ll know if homework is being turned in, if tests are being passed adn if you are looking at spending the weekend at home while they are grounded or if you’ll be out celebrating their successes.

Just another GREAT feature of College Station schools.

Susan Hilton – Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal

Want to Search the Bryan/College Station MLS? CLICK HERE!!!

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The A&M Consolidated High School (AMC) Young Farmers Car & Vintage Tractor Show is coming on Saturday, October 4, 2008 at the College Station AMC High School from 10am – 2pm. This is a free FAMILY event with activities for all agents. 

Ready to bid on a silent auction item?

• Barbeque pit with smoker and hot box
• Barbeque pit with receiver hitch
• 4 x 4 ft box deer stand
• bird houses
• receiver hitch skinning rack
• artwork
• 600 lb capacity deer feeder
• steel custom made coffee table
• jewelry
• Much much more!

Want to enter your car?  The fee is only $20 and it comes with a t-shirt!

There will be a live DJ, awards, door prizes, food and drink. What more could you ask for?

Call 979-777-4955 after 5pm for more information. Remember all proceeds benefit the AMC FFA!

What is the FFA? Wikipedia defines it as -

FFA was the acronym for Future Farmers of America but the organization, in an effort to broaden its potential membership beyond youth working in traditional “production” agriculture, changed its official name from Future Farmers of America to the National FFA Organization in 1988; it is now officially named The National FFA Organization. High school students compete in various events called Career Development Events (CDEs). Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) programs, and Leadership Development Events (LDEs) are programs designed to broaden the students abilities and experience in different fields of agriculture. Students are supervised by agricultural education teachers in cooperation with parents, employers and other adults who assist individuals in the development and achievement of educational and career goals.

Susan Hilton – Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal

Want to Search the Bryan College Station MLS? CLICK HERE!!!

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Eddie Coulson’s, Monday Report on the schools in College Station was quite interesting. I understand he knows our kids are on Facebook and maybe with a little encouragement we can get him to join us. (You’ll have to ask him about the joke here….)

As of September 1, 2008 there were 9, 504 students enrolled in school. This is a 6.2% increase compared to the sixth day of school last year.  This translates into a 558 student increase at CSISD compared to the sixth day of school last year.  When Head Start Students begin school on September 4, 2008 there will be another 178 students enrolled.

The 558 new students…

• 239 elementary school
• 155 intermediate school
• 82 middle school
• 76 AMCHS (high school)
• 6 Timber Academy

Are you surprised at which 2 schools are the largest? AMCHS (high school) – 2,624 students and Forest Ridge  – 843 students. While every school has more students compared to last year the biggest class of students is in kindergarten with 813 students.

If you are interested in getting involved with the long term growth and planning for CSISD the CSISD Long Range Educational Planning Committee (LREPC) begins meeting on Monday, September 8, 2008. They will be planning for facilities for the future and will present the plan to the School Board sometime next spring.

Number of Students -

• AMCHS – 2,624
• CSMS – 741
• AMCMS – 659
• Cypress Grove – 749
• Oakwood – 694
• Forest Ridge – 843
• College Hills – 616
• South Knoll – 697
• Pebble Creek – 606
• Southwood Valley – 629
• Rock Prairie – 593
• Timber – 53
• Total- 9,504

Susan Hilton – Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal

Want to Search the Bryan College Station MLS? CLICK HERE!!!

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Ready to support A&M Consolidated High School Band and Texas A&M too? A&M Consolidated Band is selling Aggie Flag subscriptions!

For only $40. a Consolidated Band Student will come to your home (or business) EACH morning Texas A&M plays a home football game and place an Aggie flag in your yard showing your support! And they even come and pickup the flag later in the day!!!

This year there are seven home games this year where you can show your support for A&M Consolidated High School Tiger Band AND the Texas AGGIES!

 Ready to get your flags ordered? Contact Consol Band Boosters at 979-739-1790 or complete the form and send it to them directly. Be sure to let them know that Kyle Hoffman sent you so he can earn his band camp points too. Thanks, Cindy Davis for the heads up on this opportunity to help our community. I’ve already ordered my flags!

Susan Hilton – Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal

Want to Search the Bryan College Station MLS? CLICK HERE!!!

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2009 College Station Attendance Zone Lines are being redrawn. Do you know where your children will go to school?

Have you told anyone how you feel about it? do you want your children going to the school nearby or do you want them to have to ride the bus? Take a few minutes and TELL THE DISTRICT WHAT YOU THINK!

Agenda for August 12th CSISD Public Hearing

Click to view Community Forum Presentation (pdf)

Since Creek View Elementary is opening August 2009, new attendance zones are being setup. These changes will begin in the 2009-2010 school year.

CSISD Elementary Attendance Zones

CSISD Middle School Attendance Zones

Susan Hilton – Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal

Want to Search the Bryan/College Station MLS? CLICK HERE!!!

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Bryan Middle Schools – Which one is better? Greatschool.net compares the schools using test scores and class sizes.

If you are looking for a school with a smaller math class you should look to Stephen F. Austin. It appears that student TAKS scores are higher at Sam Rayburn. Sam Rayburn has the teachers the highest average number of years teaching but also has the highest number of beginner teachers.

Which school is better? I think I’d have to actually take a tour and talk with a few parents and teachers to decide here. They all three seem to be so close from the charts. What have you experienced?