Advanced Academic Strategies
Encyclopedia
Advanced Academic Strategies (AAS) is a nationally recognized and locally required elective class for sophomore
s in Cypress-Fairbanks I.S.D. located in Dallas, Texas
. AAS has been required of all high school students graduating from any school in CFISD, and is considered a foundational course for learning about college and career options.
ual idea in the spring of 1980 when teachers Mrs. Amy King and Mr. James Wells decided that students needed more information about post-secondary options. After spending several months looking for a specialized program to meet their students’ needs and not finding one, they decided to work together to create a specialized curriculum
that has since morphed into what is now known as AAS. Due to its immense popularity, many schools across America have patterned a class similar to the AAS curriculum for their own students.
s. The sixteen different career clusters, as defined by TEA (Texas Education Association) are used as a roadmap for students to explore. Many guest speakers are brought into the classroom to talk about various career options. Some such speakers have included Dr. Amber Stephens, a cardiac specialist from Texas Children's Hospital
who invented the electrical CPR method, and Mr. Douglas Harbrueger, a business owner and inventor of the slurpee
machine. During the second semester of AAS, students explore various colleges and universities that they might be interested in attending after high school
. Students talk field trip
to various Universities and Colleges located in Texas
. Additionally, students are required to attend a spring break
trip to New England
to visit various Ivy League
schools.
has reportedly used the CFISD AAS model as an example of how future classes on post-secondary options should be introduced to secondary students. In the spring of 2011 AAS is scheduled to undergo a re-design so that international trips can be included instead of the New England trip during spring break.
Sophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...
s in Cypress-Fairbanks I.S.D. located in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. AAS has been required of all high school students graduating from any school in CFISD, and is considered a foundational course for learning about college and career options.
History
AAS began as a conceptConcept
The word concept is used in ordinary language as well as in almost all academic disciplines. Particularly in philosophy, psychology and cognitive sciences the term is much used and much discussed. WordNet defines concept: "conception, construct ". However, the meaning of the term concept is much...
ual idea in the spring of 1980 when teachers Mrs. Amy King and Mr. James Wells decided that students needed more information about post-secondary options. After spending several months looking for a specialized program to meet their students’ needs and not finding one, they decided to work together to create a specialized curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
that has since morphed into what is now known as AAS. Due to its immense popularity, many schools across America have patterned a class similar to the AAS curriculum for their own students.
Content
Students who take AAS are required to do so for an entire school year. During the nine months of AAS students are exposed to spend the first semester researching various careerCareer
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
s. The sixteen different career clusters, as defined by TEA (Texas Education Association) are used as a roadmap for students to explore. Many guest speakers are brought into the classroom to talk about various career options. Some such speakers have included Dr. Amber Stephens, a cardiac specialist from Texas Children's Hospital
Texas Children's Hospital
Texas Children's Hospital is a pediatric hospital located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas.With 639 licensed beds and 465 beds in operation, Texas Children's is the largest children's hospital in the United States and is affiliated with the Baylor College of Medicine as that...
who invented the electrical CPR method, and Mr. Douglas Harbrueger, a business owner and inventor of the slurpee
Slurpee
A Slurpee is a flavored frozen drink sold by 7-Eleven. In 1967, 7-Eleven licensed the product from the ICEE Company, and began selling it as the Slurpee.-Slurpee history:Machines to make frozen beverages were invented by Omar Knedlik in the late 1950s...
machine. During the second semester of AAS, students explore various colleges and universities that they might be interested in attending after high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
. Students talk field trip
Field trip
A field trip or excursion, known as school trip in the UK and school tour in Ireland, is a journey by a group of people to a place away from their normal environment...
to various Universities and Colleges located in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Additionally, students are required to attend a spring break
Spring break
Spring break – also known as March break, Study week or Reading week in the United Kingdom and some parts of Canada – is a recess in early spring at universities and schools in the United States, Canada, mainland China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the United...
trip to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
to visit various Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
schools.
Success
AAS has helped thousands of Cypress-Fairbanks graduates attend post-secondary schools of their choice, as well as helped prepare them for their chosen careers. President Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
has reportedly used the CFISD AAS model as an example of how future classes on post-secondary options should be introduced to secondary students. In the spring of 2011 AAS is scheduled to undergo a re-design so that international trips can be included instead of the New England trip during spring break.