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Frequently Asked Questions

  1. How does a student get to attend UBCL?

Any student who wants to attend UBCL will obtain an application from the counselor at their home high school.  The application will be completed and returned to the home high school counselor who will complete and forward the application and files to UBCL.  Students will be accepted to attend UBCL based upon program interest and space availability.  If more students apply to attend the school or a specific program than the school can accommodate based on space, a lottery will be held.  The lottery will be conducted in the same manner as The Academy lottery.  The program will be open to students to apply who are repeater 9th graders or in the 10th, 11th or 12th grades.  Eligibility for the program will be determined by the home high school counselor and UBCL at the time of application.

  1. What will happen to students who need to be in the Language Development Program (LDP) since this program is no longer offered at UBCL?

Upon arrival at the comprehensive high schools, students whose native language is not English and who have had limited schooling will be sent to the Testing Center for language testing.   These students will be tested according to existing district guidelines and protocols.  If they meet established criteria for the newcomer center, they will be sent to Irving HS for enrollment.  Irving HS will enroll them in the Newcomer Center for their first academic year.  At the end of the first year, the student will return to his or her home campus and placed in the appropriate level of ESL based on LPAC recommendations.

  1. Can students still apply for the Mega Program?

No!  The MEGA Program is no longer in existence at UBCL.  As a result, MEGA applications will no longer be accepted.  Applications for the new credit acceleration program will be available April 15th.  The high schools will be able to allow students to apply for the new credit recovery program starting on April 15th.

  1. What courses are offered in the A+ Learning Program at UBCL?

The following programs are offered for credit recovery and/or acceleration at UBCL:

  • Reading 1-3

  • Social Studies:  World Geography, World History, US History

  • English/Language Arts:  English I, II, III

  • Math:  Algebra I, Geometry, Calculus

  • Science:  Biology, IPC

  • Art I

  • Humanities 1

  • Humanities 2

  • PE Foundations

  • Sociology

It should also be noted that many of these same courses are available at each of the comprehensive high schools for credit recovery.

  1. What other options will students have at UBCL to accelerate or recover credits?

Students at UBCL will also be able to recover or accelerate the earning of credits by participating in the following programs/courses:

  • Accelerated Algebra/Geometry block

  • EPIC Early College English IV

  • EPIC Early College Economics

  • EPIC Early College Government

  • EPIC Early College Chemistry

  • EPIC Early College Physics

  • EPIC Early College Algebra II

  • Eight period day

  • Extended day including evening courses (until 9 PM)

  • Extended year ( summer classes)

Students who take classes in the EPIC program will have the opportunity to not only earn high school credit, they may also receive college credit if they earn a high enough qualifying score on the final exam.

  1. I have a student who wants to participate in the abbreviated auto tech or cosmetology licensure/certification program but does not want to attend UBCL on a full time basis.  He or she wants to stay at the home high school for core classes and attend this program in the afternoon/evening.  Is this possible?

A student may attend the abbreviated auto tech/cosmetology program in the evenings on a space available basis.  Priority for enrollment in the program will be given to students who attend UBCL in the auto tech/cosmetology house.

  1. Can ESL students attend UBCL?

Level 2, 3 and 4 ESL students can apply and attend UBCL.  Enrollment will be based on program availability and program entrance criterion such as having taken TAKS, etc.

  1. Is it possible for a special education student to attend UBCL?

A special education student cannot be placed at UBCL by an ARD committee.  However, a special education student can apply to UBCL and attend the school if selected on a space available and/or lottery basis (like The Academy) like any other student.  Once a student is accepted into the program, an ARD committee would be convened with the sending campus and UBCL staff to plan accordingly to meet the individual needs of the student.

  1. Why is UBCL only open to repeater 9th graders or students in the 10th, 11th and 12th grades?

Due to the rules of the state accountability system for alternative campuses, students must have taken the previous years’ TAKS on grade level and be scheduled to take the next years’ grade level TAKS the coming year.  Students in 10th, 11th and 12th grades will be able to meet these criteria.  Since the school is designed to meet the needs of at-risk youth, repeater 9th graders are also allowed to attend the program.  They will be accelerated the first semester and have the opportunity to be re-classified as a 10th grader at mid-term based on a special revision in board policy.  The mid-year reclassification option is not available to students at the other high schools.

  1. What will happen to the overage 15 year olds that the middle schools have been sending to UBCL?

Because of the new Student Success Initiative rules that have gone into effect this year (2008), overage and under achieving middle school students must be placed in the next grade based upon the criteria set by the state and on the recommendations of the middle school Grade Placement Committee.  This process in effect eliminates the overage 15 year old program that was previously housed at UBCL.  To support the needs of these students, the following programs are in place to assist them in being successful in high school:

  • Mandatory summer school

  • Transition program for 9th grade (to start in 2009)

  • Students will be placed in the 9th grade teams at the high schools

  • Adult mentors at the high schools (i.e. teacher, counselor, etc.)

  1. Can a student new to Irving ISD enroll directly at UBCL?

No.  UBCL is a referral only campus.  A student new to Irving ISD will need to start the enrollment process at their home high school.  (They may or may not actually enroll.)  If their application is accepted as outlined in question number one, the student would then be allowed to enroll at UBCL.

  1. Will there still be programs for students who did not graduate due to TAKS?

YES!  The TAKS Academy will still be offered at UBCL in the late afternoon and evening as well as during the summer.  The program will be free of charge and will take place for fong each of the TAKS test administrations in October, February, and April.  The summeur weeks in the summer (prior to the July testing) and the four weeks precedir program will consist of three sessions that meet from 8 AM to 10 AM, 11 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 4 PM.  The sessions during the school year will meet from 4:15 PM to 6:15 PM and from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM.  TAKS Academy students who attend the school year program will be coded as a fifth year senior at the high school they attended as a senior until they successfully pass the TAKS test and receive a diploma or the 5th year expires. 

  1. Will transportation be provided to and from UBCL?

Transportation will be provided between UBCL and the home high school in the morning and afternoon (8 AM and 3:30 PM).  It is hoped that additional times will be added throughout the day to allow students to attend at other times as well.

  1. Will BCIS or another technology application credit be provided at UBCL?

All credits needed to complete the Recommended Diploma Plan will be offered at UBCL in the house program.  At this time, a technology application credit is not available in either the A+ lab or the EPIC Early College Program.

  1. If I attend UBCL can I still earn a distinguished or recommended diploma?  Or am I limited to the minimum diploma only?

All of the courses needed to complete recommended diploma plan will be offered at UBCL; therefore, a student is not limited to completing the minimum diploma.  Earning a distinguished diploma is possible depending on what credits a student earned at the home high school, but it will be very difficult to earn this diploma at UBCL since the school does not offer a full range of AP or honors credits.

  1. Will I be able to take a foreign language at UBCL?

Yes.  There are plans to offer at least two years of Spanish at UBCL within the next three years.

  1. Will students in the TAPPS Program still be able to attend UBCL?

Yes.  Students may still attend UBCL for the TAPPS program regardless of their grade level.  UBCL will accept students for TAPPS in grades 6 -12.  Attendance is in the program will not be subject to the lottery and is not governed by space limitations.
 

It is the policy of Irving ISD not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender or handicap in its vocational programs, services or activities as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972; Section 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.  Irving ISD will take steps to ensure that lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation in all educational programs and services.

Union Bower Center
101 E. Union Bower
Irving, TX  75061
972-273-6180