CONTINUED FROM 1
2023 EDUCATION EDITION
POST GRADUATION PERFORMANCE The Texas Education Agency scores districts based on how much students learn in each grade, whether they are prepared for the next grade and their readiness for post- graduation success, which for Richardson ISD includes learning nancial literacy.
to re ne the real-world knowledge and skills needed to gain and sustain employment after high school.” The bank is called a SMART Branch, which is named for its focus on ser- vant leadership, motivation, active learning, reasoning and technology. Students from the career and tech- nical education program will accept deposits, process withdrawals and open accounts. It will include a lobby, o ces, a classroom and an ATM. RISD Director of Community Engagement Carrie Thomas said hav- ing students working in a functioning bank will help instill a sense of respon- sibility in the workers while interacting with customers’ nances. It will also help give students a leg up on future college and job applications. “Richardson ISD wants each one of our students ... to lead produc- tive and successful lives,” Bryan said. “Financial literacy equips our students to make decisions that will directly impact their future.” Student workers will be selected based on things such as their academic record, communication skills and cus- tomer service mindset, Thomas said.
education or employment, the graduate pro le includes nancial literacy, criti- cal thinking/problem solving, e ective communication and real-world con- nections as components. Those are all things Bryan said students will get by working in the branch. “Prospective employers and college admissions will place value on stu- dents who ... worked at an accredited nancial institution,” Bryan said. Bryan said by teaching nancial literacy in a hands-on setting, the SMART Branch will also help equip students to make future personal nancial decisions—something sup- ported by a report from public policy nonpro t Brookings Institute, which stated teaching nancial literacy to teenagers is positively correlated with asset accumulation and net worth by the time they reach the age of 25. “If we can set students up for suc- cess ... they’ll have an advantage that will continue to pay dividends,” Coss said.
70% of those are students of color, and nearly 56% are considered economi- cally disadvantaged. On Measure of Academic Progress exams, which were administered in January to test readiness for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, about 50% of RISD students met their growth projections in math. Overall, the district received a B rating from the TEA in the areas of STAAR performance, college and career read- iness, and graduation rates. “The students interning with the SMART Branch will be engaged in preparing for and earning specialized industry-based certi cations to further enhance their experience,” Bryan said. Preparing for the future Having students make real-world connections and learn nancial liter- acy is part of the goals RISD o cials’ established for preparing them for post-graduation life. In June 2022, the board of trustees updated the district’s graduate pro le for the rst time in about a decade. Meant to be a description of the attributes graduates need for future
INSIDE THE BANK The SMART Branch at Berkner High School and STEM Academy will be the rst for Credit Union of Texas in Dallas County and will be open to residents in the area during school hours.
E. SPRING VALLEY RD.
Component score
Scaled score Rating
18
2-4
students will work in the branch at any given time
students selected for the program
Overall
84 81 82 83 75 85 85 85 82
B B
Student achievement STAAR performance
student works at the branch $1,000
1 2,000 2
scholarships will be given for each year a
CUTX branch manager will oversee the SMART Branch
Lloyd V. Berkner High School & STEM Academy
50 55
College, career & military readiness
square feet
Graduation rate School progress Academic growth
93.1
9 a.m.-4:20 p.m. during academic calendar Open
W. BUCKINGHAM RD.
B
N
teller windows
73 53 68
SOURCE: RICHARDSON ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
Relative performance
Closing the gaps
B
literacy” among students. The RISD SMART Branch is the rst in Dallas County and joins two other permanent locations in Allen High School and Little Elm High School. Coss said CUTX will consider opening more in the future. “The goal for our SMART branches is to provide students with the nancial resources and education that will pre- pare them for life,” Coss said. Teaching nancial literacy in high
They will receive a $1,000 scholar- ship earmarked for future educational needs for each year of work. Because the branch will be run in part by students, it will only be open from 9 a.m.-4:20 p.m. during the academic calendar. And to ease any concerns from customers about their nances, CUTX Chief Retail O cer Courtney Coss said student work- ers will undergo the same training as any other employee. Plus they’ll be
overseen by an on-site CUTX manager and Berkner CTE teachers. To address safety, Thomas said the branch will have a separate entrance and will be patrolled by Richardson police and school resource o cers. “Like any ... branch, checks and bal- ances will be in place,” Thomas said. Teaching nances Coss said the project will aid in closing the “widening gap in nancial
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY COMMUNITY IMPACT
school has been a growing trend. According to nonpro t Next Gen Per- sonal Finances’ 2022 State of Financial Education Report, nearly 23% of U.S. high school students have guaranteed access to personal nance courses, up from a little over 16% in 2018. How- ever, the report notes that just over
2% of Texas high school students had access to these courses, with students of color, economically disadvantaged students and those in urban areas lack- ing access the most. According to the Texas Education Agency, RISD has more than 37,000 students across 55 campuses. About
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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