T. H. Rogers School

As a magnet school within HISD, T.H. Rogers has no religious affiliation. Students’ religious convictions do not factor into admissions, and the curriculum does not include theological material. While there is no institutionalized prayer in the school, there is a daily minute of silence during which students may choose to pray. Additionally, absences due to religious holidays do not count against a student’s record, though the student is still responsible for make-up work.

Located at the corner of San Felipe and Bering, T.H. Rogers is situated in the Greater Uptown area, just northwest of the Galleria. It is close to St. George Place Elementary, Trotter Family YMCA, and Westminster United Methodist Church. T.H. Rogers’ facilities include four baseball fields, soccer fields, four campus buildings, a playground, a library, and a computer lab.

To apply to the Vanguard program, it is necessary to complete an online application and submit supplementary materials to the school. For kindergarten applicants, the required supplementary materials are as follows: proof of age 5 by September, proof of HISD residency, and testing date preferences. For applicants to grades 1-8, the required supplementary materials are as follows: the student’s G/T identification matrix and G/T status report (if already G/T designated), the end-of-semester report card for the current semester (grades 1-2 only) or the previous year’s final report card (grades 3-8 only), current Stanford/Aprenda or ITBS scores, a current NNAT-2 score, one teacher recommendation form, and proof of HISD residency.

For Vanguard applicants who have not been identified as G/T within HISD, T.H. Rogers requires NNAT-2 testing, which is offered on two Saturdays in January for students starting in grades 1-8. To determine whether a student is qualified for the Vanguard program, the admissions coordinator uses test scores, report card grades, teacher observation, and parent rating. Kindergarten and 6th grade are the prime entry points for the Vanguard program. Since T.H. Rogers has a limited number of spaces available, the qualified candidates are put into a lottery if there are more applicants than spaces. T.H. Rogers reserves twenty-five percent of the available spaces for siblings of former and current students, but otherwise, all qualified applicants are equally weighted in the lottery.

Admission to MI-PSI is based upon the recommendation of an Admissions, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) Committee and the Office of Special Education. Parents must request a meeting with the ARD Committee, who will determine what accommodations the student needs. If the Office of Special Education deems that the student’s needs cannot be met in a local school, the student is eligible to attend a specialized MI-PSI program. T.H. Rogers serves as the MI-PSI school for the West region of HISD.

Any students within the HISD zone who are diagnosed as deaf or hard of hearing are eligible to attend PDHH at T.H. Rogers. Parents should inquire with school officials as to the necessary procedures for enrollment.

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In the Vanguard program, the curriculum is advanced (Pre-AP) and interdisciplinary for all students. In addition to core courses, T.H. Rogers offers the following electives: art, choral music, orchestra, broadcast media, conversational sign language, reading/math lab, robotics, research, numerous technology classes, drama, journalism, and yearbook.

HISD offers a Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (PDHH) at T.H. Rogers for ages 3 through middle school. The PDHH programs instruct in reading, language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies, along with Core Enrichment classes, namely Music, Art, Physical Education, Computer Lab, Science Lab, Performing Arts, and Library. These students are included with their hearing peers at every appropriate opportunity.

The school’s MI-PSI program serves students who have severe disabilities in cognitive and developmental areas. Core academic classes for all grade levels consist of English Language Arts of Life, Reading for Life, Math for Life, Science for Life, Social Studies for Life, Personal Health for Life, and Vocational Skills for Life. Enrichment subject areas include music, art, and P.E. Sixth through twelfth grade students may participate in Special Olympics bowling and track and field events. Older high school students may participate in off-campus Community-Based Vocational Instruction.

Accommodations for Vanguard students with learning differences will be made according to standard HISD policy. If the parents already have documentation about the student’s learning differences, the school will need a copy of that documentation. After receiving the documentation, the school will set up an annual ARD meeting that the parents, the student, an administrator, a core subject teacher, a special education teacher or 504 representative, and an HISD advocate will attend to discuss the specific modifications necessary for the student and to create an individualized education plan (IEP) for the student. Every teacher will receive a copy of the modifications for the student after they are set in the ARD meeting.

If the parents want to request modifications for their child, then the special education teacher will give the student’s teachers paperwork to document the student’s behavior and any modifications the teacher uses for the student. After 6 weeks of documentation, the teachers will turn in the paperwork, and the special education teacher or 504 representative will call a meeting similar to an ARD meeting. If the meeting determines that the student needs accommodation, then the school will have documentation of the student’s special needs and will follow the same procedures as above.

The Vanguard program at T.H. Rogers offers Chinese, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language.

The Vanguard program offers the following fine arts classes: Orchestra, Choral Music, Scholastic Art and Writing, Texas Art, and Musings. The program also offers Music Appreciation, Drama, Journalism, and Yearbook.

The Vanguard curriculum includes an introductory course in technology applications for 6th grade students.

The Vanguard program offers the following clubs and academic competition opportunities: Chess, Scholastic Writing, Math Counts, the National French Contest, the National Spanish Exam, Name That Book, the Geography Bee, the History Fair, the Science Fair, Scholastic Art, Choral Music, Spelling Bee, UIL Orchestra, Prep Bowl, the Ecobot Challenge, and the First Lego League Challenge. The school also hosts the following student leadership opportunities: Student Council, National Junior Honor Society, and Peer Mediation. At T.H. Rogers Vanguard, students participate in the following service projects: Camp MI-Way, Community Volunteering, Sixth Grade Service Unit, and the School-Wide Global Project.

T.H. Rogers offers a number of after-school sports throughout the year. The school fields more than 12 teams across 7 sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer, swimming, track, and volleyball.

Students in the MI-PSI program have the opportunity to participate in bowling and track and field through the Special Olympics from the sixth grade onward.

Interested parents can volunteer for the T.H. Rogers PTO. The organization has many opportunities for involvement, such as box top raffles and silent auctions to help fund school initiatives.

The school also has a Shared Decision Making Committee, through which interested parents can join with teachers and community members to advise the principal on important administrative matters.