Advanced Academics
We encourage students to take Tomball Advanced Placement (TAP) and Accelerated classes. When making a decision about how many of these classes to take, consider the following factors:
- Are you a self-motivated, organized, independent worker?
- Do you need and/or have support with your organizational skills and/or studies on a daily basis?
- Are you involved in many activities? Is your interest in this course of study sufficient to ensure that you will find adequate time to complete the extra work required outside of class without having to give up the things you enjoy?
- How much sleep per night do you require in order to feel rested and be productive the following day?
- How well do you handle the rigors of a demanding academic workload? Are you realistic about your performance expectations for yourself?
- ACT • College Admissions Test
- Advanced Placement®
- Advanced Placement® • AP®
- College Board
- Dual Credit
- Scholastic Assessment Test • SAT®
- SAT® Saturdays at Star
- Summer Learning Opportunities
- Summer Reading 2024
- TAPE • Algebra I
- Texas Success Initiative Assessment • TSIA
- Tomball Advanced Placement • TAP
ACT • College Admissions Test
The ACT is a standardized achievement test designed to demonstrate how prepared a student is for college by measuring the student’s knowledge and skills in the subjects they have taken in high school.
The ACT
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Subject content includes English, math, reading, science reasoning, and optional essay
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2 hours and 55 minutes (3 hours 40 minutes with essay)
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scored on a scale of 1-36 and score is valid for college admission for five years
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provides accommodations for students with disabilities and English language supports
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preparation includes the ASPIRE for grades 3-10 and the PreACT in grade 10 to measure growth
RESOURCES
Advanced Placement®
The Advanced Placement® (AP®) Program
Tomball ISD offers Advanced Placement® courses to high school students who are ready to engage in college level course content and rigorous academics. Courses are available in English, social studies, computer science, mathematics, science, languages other than English, music theory, and art.
The AP® Program offers college level instruction to the academically successful student while in high school with the option of taking an Advanced Placement® examination and possibly qualifying for college credit. AP® students are expected to work at an accelerated pace and to engage in outside reading and independent learning.
High school AP® courses are open to all students who meet the prerequisites for advanced coursework. Students who choose to enroll, however, should be prepared for the increased academic rigor of these courses. AP® and AP®/GT courses concentrate on providing students with rigorous college level instruction while preparing students for the AP exam associated with the course. Advanced Placement® (AP®) courses are offered at the 11th and 12th grade level; Advanced Placement® examinations are administered at the end of each course. If a student achieves a score of 3 or higher, college credit may be earned for the course.
High School AP® Course Offerings:
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AP® Biology (Khan Academy link)
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AP® Calculus AB (Khan Academy link)
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AP® Calculus BC (Khan Academy link)
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AP® Chemistry (Khan Academy link)
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AP® Computer Science A
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AP® Computer Science AB
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AP® English Language and Composition
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AP® English Literature and Composition
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AP® French Language
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AP® German Language
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AP® Macroeconomics (Khan Academy link)
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AP® Microeconomics (Khan Academy link)
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AP® Music Theory
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AP® Psychology
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AP® Spanish Language
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AP® Spanish Literature
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AP® Statistics (Khan Academy link)
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AP® Studio Art: Drawing
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AP® Studio Art: 2-D Design
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AP® Studio Art: 3-D Design
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AP® U.S. Government and Politics
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AP® United States History (Khan Academy link)
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AP® World History (Khan Academy link)
Advanced Placement® • AP®
AP® Practice
Khan Academy is now the official practice partner for Advanced Placement®!
Khan Academy videos, articles, and practice exercises are designed to build the knowledge and skills needed for AP®-level courses. Teachers can use them as part of their class and students can use them anytime for extra help. Here is a list:
Why Khan Academy for SAT® & AP® Practice?
For the first time ever, you have access to a personalized SAT® practice program with Khan Academy. Your practice recommendations are based on past SAT® and PSAT/NMSQT® scores. Once your Khan Academy account is linked with your College Board account, you will receive free SAT® practice that is customized just for you, based on your PSAT® performance.
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It is FREE, online, and available 24/7.
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Builds skills in math, reading, and writing.
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Daily practice can improve performance in courses, PSAT/NMSQT/SAT®, AP® exams, and STAAR English and Math exams.
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20 hours of personalized official SAT® practice on Khan Academy results in an average of 115 point gain on the redesigned SAT® exam.
College Board
Dual Credit
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) defines dual credit as a system under which an eligible high school student enrolls in college course(s) and receives credit for the course(s) from both the college and high school. Dual credit courses may be taught on the high school campus by an approved instructor or on the college campus. Dual credit courses include both academic and technical courses.
Tomball ISD works in collaboration with a Memorandum of Understanding with the Lone Star College System to provide High School campuses courses that students receive the high school credit and dual college credits while completing their high school pathway.
Scholastic Assessment Test • SAT®
SAT® (Scholastic Assessment Test) is an assessment managed by the College Board that has been used as a college admissions test since the mid-1920s. The SAT® measures literacy and writing skills and assesses how well a student analyzes and solves problems. Colleges may use SAT® scores for admissions and merit-based scholarships.
The SAT®
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subject content includes reading (5 passages), writing & language, math, and optional essay
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3 hours without essay (3 hours 50 minutes with essay)
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scored on a scale of 400-1600 and score is valid for college admission for 5 years
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provides accommodations for students with disabilities
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preparation includes the College Board’s Suite of Assessments.
RESOURCES
SAT® Saturdays at Star
Free SAT® Prep
All TISD 11th and 12th-grade students are eligible to attend a Free SAT® Prep Session. Space is limited! Students can signup beginning on December 4, 2023, at 8:00 AM.
All workshop sessions will be from 8:00 - 11:00 AM on the dates listed below at Tomball Star Academy, located at 11211 FM 2920, Building 3, Tomball, TX 77375.
Session 1
Jan. 13: RLA
Jan. 20: Math
Session 2
Feb. 3: RLA
Feb. 10: Math
Session 3
Mar. 2: RLA
Mar. 23: Math
Summer Learning Opportunities
Summer Reading 2024
Dear Students,
We are so excited to have you in our Advanced English/Language Arts program! Tomball ISD endorses a summer reading program for all students enrolled in advanced English courses grades 6-12. This summer we are offering a variety of novel choices for you to choose from. You will have until August 13, 2024 to complete the novel of your choice to be prepared for the discussions and assessments that will take place during the school day.
The selections on the summer reading list have been chosen to encourage the enjoyment of reading and to prepare students for the study of literature. Upon returning to school in the fall, students will be engaged in inquiry circles with classmates who selected the same book. In order to be prepared to discuss the book in such a setting, students must read the book through a critical lens and be prepared to share insights and original observations discovered while reading.
We realize that changes do occur during the summer, and sometimes students find themselves switching schools due to a recent move. Should you find that you will be attending a different Tomball ISD school, please check with that campus for their reading list, as that campus may have a different reading list than what appears on this page.
Below you will find your campus and class and choose from their particular list of books for your summer reading novel. Please note that you MUST choose from the list for your particular campus.
Northpointe Intermediate
6th Grade TAP
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Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
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Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis
Oakcrest Intermediate
6th Grade TAP
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The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
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Hope is a Ferris Wheel by Robin Herrera
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Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
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Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
Tomball Intermediate
6th Grade TAP
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Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick
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Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
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Freak The Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
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Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Creekside Park Junior High
6th Grade TAP
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Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
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The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
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Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick
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Counting by 7’s by Holly Golberg Sloan
7th Grade TAP
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The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
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City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau
8th Grade TAP
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I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
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Taking Flight by Elaine Deprince
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A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
Grand Lakes Junior High
7th Grade TAP
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Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool
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Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt
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Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
8th Grade TAP
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Refugee by Alan Gratz
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Body in the Woods by April Henry
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We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly
Tomball Junior High
7th Grade TAP
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The Uglies by Scott Westerfield
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Two Degrees by Alan Gratz
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Legend by Marie Lu
8th Grade TAP
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Paper Hearts by Meg Wivott
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Nyxia by Scott Reignton
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Fable by Adrienne Young
Willow Wood Junior High
7th Grade TAP
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Charlie Herandez and the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo
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Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
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The Thickety by J.A. White
8th Grade TAP
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The Body in the Woods by April Henry
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Far Far Away by Tom McNeal
Tomball High School
Tomball High School English I TAP
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A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
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Educated by Tara Westover
Tomball High School English II TAP
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A Separate Peace by John Knowles
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Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
Tomball High School English III AP
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Mansfield Park by Jane Austin
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Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Tomball High School English IV AP
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The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
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Dracula by Bram Stoker
Tomball High School English III DC
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The Education of Little Tree by Asa Earl Carter
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The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
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Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance
Tomball High School English IV DC
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Watership Down by Richard Adams
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A Black Fox Running by Brian Carter
Tomball High School AP Research
Tomball Memorial High School
Tomball Memorial High School English I TAP
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Educated by Tara Westover
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Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Tomball Memorial High School English II TAP
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A Separate Peace by John Knowles
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Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
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The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
Tomball Memorial High School English III AP
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The Color of Water by James McBride
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Becoming by Michelle Obama
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Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir
Tomball Memorial High School English IV AP
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A Doll’s House by Henrick Ibsen
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The Awakening by Kate Chopin
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Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Tomball Memorial High School English III DC
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Wild by Cheryl Strayed
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Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Tomball Memorial High School English IV DC
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REQUIRED FOR ALL: How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster (10 chapters)
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CHOICE: Dracula by Bram Stoker
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CHOICE: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
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CHOICE: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Tomball Memorial High School AP Research
Tomball Star Academy
Tomball Star Academy English I TAP
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The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
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Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan
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Educated by Tara Westover
Tomball Star Academy English II TAP
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Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
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Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris
Tomball Star Academy English III DC
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The Glass Castle by Jannette Walls
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Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
The following ideas are suggested in order to help students engage in active reading:
In his essay “How to Mark a Book,” Mortimer Adler explains that reading is a “conversation between you and the author.”
Adler writes: “Why is marking up a book indispensable to reading? First, it keeps you awake. (And I don’t mean merely conscious; I mean awake.) In the second place, reading, if it is active, is thinking, and thinking tends to express itself in words, spoken or written. The marked book is usually the thought-through book. Finally, writing helps you remember the thoughts you had, or the thoughts the author expressed.”
“There are all kinds of devices for marking a book intelligently and fruitfully. Here’s the way I do it:
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Underlining (or highlighting): of major points, of important or forceful statements
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Vertical lines at the margin: to emphasize a statement already underlined
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Star, asterisk, or other doo-dad at the margin: to be used sparingly, to emphasize the ten or twenty most important statements in the book (You may want to fold the bottom corner of each page on which you use such marks. It won't hurt the sturdy paper on which most modern books are printed, and you will be able to take the book off the shelf at any time and, by opening it at the folded-corner page, refresh your recollection of the book.)
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Numbers of other pages in the margin: to indicate where else in the book the author made points relevant to the point marked; to tie up the ideas in a book, which, though they may be separated by many pages, belong together
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Circling or highlighting of key words or phrases
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Writing in the margin, or at the top or bottom of the page, for the sake of: recording questions (and perhaps answers) which a passage raised in your mind; reducing a complicated discussion to a simple statement; recording the sequence of major points through the book
If marking your book is not a possibility, there are some other options:
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You can use sticky notes. Place these on the pages/paragraphs where you would underline or highlight and write out your thoughts or ideas on the note.
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Write out notes on paper and keep the paper inside the book. Include page numbers with comments/notations so that you will remember what prompted your thinking.
Should any questions arise, please contact us at your convenience.
Dr. Ashley L. Schlafly
Best,
Dr. Ashley L. Schlafly
Director Secondary RLA and Advanced Academics
Tomball ISD
TAPE • Algebra I
Texas Success Initiative Assessment • TSIA
The TSI Assessment (TSIA) is part of the Texas Success Initiative enacted by the Texas State Legislature and designed to determine a student’s readiness for college-level coursework in the general areas of reading, writing, and mathematics.
The TSIA, or one of its exemptions, has been required of Texas students entering a Texas college or university for nearly ten years. The TSIA is administered through the College Board’s Accuplacer digital platform. Universities, community colleges, school districts and high school campuses can request to administer the TSIA to students.
WHAT ARE PASSING SCORES?
Students scoring at or above the cut scores are considered “college ready” and eligible to enroll in any entry level college course (for example, English composition, history, government, or college algebra). Some college level courses require passing scores in more than one area.
Below are the passing cut scores for TSIA as set by the state:
- Mathematics: a minimum score of 350
- Reading: a minimum score of 351
- Writing: a score of 5 on the essay section or a score of 4 on the essay and a minimum score of 340 on the multiple-choice section
TSIA EXEMPTIONS
A student shall be exempt from taking the TSIA if the student has:
- scored a composite score of 23 with a minimum of 19 on the English ACT test shall exempt both Reading and Writing sections of the TSIA;
- scored a composite score of 23 with a minimum of 19 on the Math ACT test shall exempt the Math section of the TSIA;
- taken the SAT administered prior to March 2016 and earned a minimum score (verbal critical reading + math) SAT score of 1070, with a minimum score of 500 on both sections;
- taken the SAT administered March 2016 and later and earned scores on the evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) assessment of 480, and a minimum score of 530 in Mathematics (no combined score needed);
- taken the PSAT after October 15, 2015 and earned a minimum of 460 on the English section and minimum of 510 on the Math section;
- Veterans, active duty personnel, and a student who is serving as and, for at least 3 years preceding enrollment, has served as a member of a reserve component of the U.S. armed services;
- Transfer from another institution having satisfactorily completed college-level coursework; or
- Enrolled in a certificate program of one year or less (Level One certificates) at a public institution.
RESOURCES
Tomball Advanced Placement • TAP
New Name
Tomball ISD's Advanced Academics Program Plans for Program Name Change
Tomball ISD's Pre-AP® program will be making a noticeable name change beginning with the start of the 2020-21 school year. Due to a trademark of the current program, the district will rename the program the ‘Tomball Advanced Program’ (TAP).
Tomball ISD is preparing to change the name of its Pre-AP® courses in the Advanced Academics program to ‘TAP’, which will stand for Tomball Advanced Program. The instructional material will not change, only the name will change in response to the College Board owning the trademark for the term “Pre-AP®.”
Last fall, the College Board announced that it would launch an official Pre-AP® program with annual fees for participation associated. In the fall of 2022, the College Board will require that all classes in a school district that are labeled as ‘Pre-AP®’ must be submitted to the College Board, and an annual fee must be paid, to have their curriculum approved in order to be called ‘Pre-AP®’.
Students currently taking, or planning to take Pre-AP® classes will now be in TAP classes.
In 2018, Tomball ISD officials began researching and discussing the new name for the Pre-AP® program so that by the 2020-21 school year, the transition and implementation to the ‘TAP’ naming will be completed.
What is TAP?
Beginning in Grade 6, Tomball ISD offers open enrollment to TAP courses in English Language Arts, Social Studies, Math and Science.
They are designed to challenge students and prepare them for advanced level coursework in high school and in college.
Curriculum in TAP courses:
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is more rigorous
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focuses on depth rather than breadth
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requires independent learning
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requires outside reading and coursework
The TAP curricula for these courses are:
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built on the core academic curriculum
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academically advanced
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aligned with advanced course descriptions and curriculum
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developed with a concentration on building student capacity to understand rigorous content
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developed to prepare students for AP® coursework and for PSAT® and SAT testing
TAP instruction includes:
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a variety of assessment formats
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periodic timed assessments
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student accountability for independent reading
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the use of a variety of resources beyond the text
Students should:
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possess interest in the subject area
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consider balance of academic load with outside commitments
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be actively engaged in their own learning, taking responsibility for workload and asking questions when needed
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possess study skills and time management planning
Gifted students
At the junior high school level, Gifted & Talented students are served through TAP courses which require additional rigor and advanced curricular content. TAP courses satisfy the requirements for “advanced” courses which serve the academic needs of G/T students.
Tomball Advanced Programs (TAP)
TAP courses are designed to challenge motivated students and prepare them for success in college level course work in high school and in college. These courses typically move at a faster pace, are more academically challenging and require more independent learning and homework than academic courses. TAP courses also prepare students for College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Credit courses in high school where students can earn college credit.
Profile of a Successful TAP Course Student
TAP students should be independent learners who demonstrate:
Motivation
Some students take TAP classes because they are the best preparation for high school; others, for the academic challenge. Whatever the reason, students should apply their best effort.
Time Management and Organization
Beginning assignments when they are assigned, using planners and schedules when multiple projects are due, and developing the self-discipline to make academic achievement a priority are keys to success in TAP classes.
Positive Attitude
TAP courses demand more attention, work, and effort than a regular class. Students should persevere, and when faced with challenges, take the necessary steps to succeed in the class (tutorials, study groups, etc.). Students who can adjust to the rigor while in junior high find greater success in high school.
Strong Work Ethic
Students should be committed to their goals to be successful in TAP classes and demonstrate that commitment through good attendance, punctuality, and by showing respect for themselves and others. Students should expect to do a considerable amount of study and preparation outside of class, and to complete all assignments on time.
Course | 7th Grade | 8th Grade |
ENGLISH |
TAP Language Arts |
TAP Language Arts |
MATHEMATICS |
TAP Mathematics |
TAP Algebra |
SCIENCE |
TAP Science |
TAP Science |
SOCIAL STUDIES |
TAP TX History |
TAP US History |