A back-to-basics writing program at United South High School has become quite successful, leading to a big increase in test scores, and is now the focus of a research project that three recent USHS graduates will present at a national conference.

 

The graduates, members of the Texas Association of Future Educators, said PAW (Panther Accelerated Writing) Time, helped them excel and they wanted to highlight the benefits of the initiative.

 

Audrey Lopez, one of the presenters, said she had been an emergent bilingual student most of her life and had been unable to pass the writing area of the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System Exam. After a year of PAW Time, she successfully tested out of the writing section.

 

“When we started PAW Time, I started writing more and more, and it helped me get out of TELPAS last year. I think since I want to become a teacher, it will help me do my lesson plans, and it will help me to be able to explain things better,” said Lopez. 

 

USHS Principal Martha Alvarez said the program, which she launched three years ago after noticing that at-risk and emergent bilingual students were leaving extended answers blank on their standardized tests, didn’t come without some pushback.
 

“The first hurdle I needed to jump was my own staff,” she said. “Some said, ‘What do you mean? I am not a writing teacher. I teach U.S. History’,” recalled Alvarez.

 

And some students weren’t exactly crazy about PAW Time. “They would ask me in the hallway … “Que es eso PAW Time, ma’am. Yo no quiero escribir,” Alvarez said.

 

“It was tough in the beginning but by December, we saw the scores, and it was a huge jump, like 30 to 40 percent. And in biology, the extended constructive responses were not blank anymore. We would lose four points per student because they didn’t complete the extended responses on the End of the Course STAAR,” Alvarez said.

 

The graduates, who are now pursuing careers in education at college, are presenting the findings of their research project, titled “Inside Our Schools,” in Portland, Oregon at the Educators Rising National Conference which begins June 20. They produced a five-minute video in Spanish and will also spend five minutes discussing their findings.

 

“What makes these students special is not only the project they created, but also the perseverance, teamwork and heart they poured into every step of the journey,” said their TAFE sponsor, Kimberly Jalomo, who is a Career and Technical Education instructor in Education & Training at USHS.

 

Jaquelyne Eligio, one of the presenters, said she remembered that it was difficult to adapt to PAW Time following the time spent at home during the pandemic.

 

“Since COVID hit, we all went online and the classes were on the computer, and coming back, it was everything on the Chromebook. I think PAW helped us go back to how we would write in the journals,” Eligio said.

 

“Even in a lot of classes where we don’t use the journals, we have a journal just for PAW. It's really good because it helps us communicate better. For example, I am having an interview with someone and they ask me a question and I know how to answer the question because we’re used to answering questions every single day, five times a day. You know how to professionally answer questions,” Eligio added.

 

Alvarez said the writing in the program is purposeful. The teacher provides a question related to the lesson of the day. The students must use reasoning and evidence-based strategies to support their point of view. Students are graded on their work, and Alvarez conducts routine audits to make sure the students and teachers are on track. A student taking four core classes a day, for example, is expected to write in the journal at the end of every class.

 

Ashley Gonzalez, one of the presenters, said that PAW Time helped her improve her scores on college-level exams, and TAFE has built up her confidence and led her to be a better communicator.

 

The same is true for Eligio. “Mrs. Jalomo would always have us do presentations. Our sophomore year in class, I was super shy. By my senior year, I was always asking, are we going to present? And now we’re ready for nationals,” she said.

 

Alvarez said that PAW Time has transformed the students.

 

“It trained students how to collect data and evidence and organize it in a way that it’s clear and of course it hits the mark,” she said. “I think when you’re typing with all the edits, it’s very easy to copy and paste versus now you have to listen and formulate. I told them I didn’t want it on the computer. I wanted a physical journal. It was a huge step for all students. In a matter of two or three minutes, they can now present an organized thought.”

 

Others representing USHS who are going on the trip include Alexandra Moncivais and Sofia James, presenting the Project Visualize Service Project, and Danyka Charles, presenting an Interactive Bulletin Board on Elementary Education.

 

Alvarez said that she is extraordinarily proud of these students.

 

“These future young leaders deserve the spotlight,” she said. “The future is theirs; they are in the arena, and we are just the spectators at this point in their journey to success after high school.”

 

L to R: Audrey Lopez, Jacquelyne Eligio and Ashley Gonzalez. The three recent USHS graduates are presenting a highly successful back-to-basics writing program at a national conference in Portland, Oregon.

L to R: Audrey Lopez, recent USHS graduate, Jacquelyne Eligio, recent USHS graduate, USHS Principal Martha Alvarez, Ashley Gonzalez, recent USHS graduate, and USHS TAFE sponsor Kimberly Jalomo. The recent graduates are presenting the school's highly successful writing program at a national conference.