How Momentum Academy Works | Academic help for failing high school students

Momentum Academy
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How Momentum Academy Works


It’s a natural occurrence in life.

The older we get, the more we lose touch with the emotions of teens.

For a kid to fall behind in school can be absolutely devastating.  Many don’t have the perseverance of you and I because they don’t have enough life experience. Life presents them with a major challenge and they quit. Sometimes literally.

To prevent Houston area teens from quitting, the Houston Independent School District has come up with a remarkable program called the Momentum Academy.

In this article, we will share more about H.I.S.D.’s Momentum Academy and how it can help teens to succeed academically, even if they have a history of failure.

After reading this article you will understand the following:

  • What is Momentum Academy?
  • When was it created?
  • How it helps students who have struggled in the past turn things around
  • What the classroom structure is like
  • Where the academy is located?
  • How you enroll in this program?

What is Momentum Academy?

Momentum Academy is a Houston Independent School District program that helps high school students who are struggling academically, pass their classes and graduate on time.

Momentum Academy is a good referral for students who have failed a grade because they provide original credits as well as credit recovery. Whatever barriers stand in between the student graduating on time, Momentum works to overcome those problems.

How does Momentum Academy help students succeed? 

The academy helps students in the following ways. Students can choose one of the following or a combination:

  • Smaller Classes
  • Face to Face Instruction
  • Online Classes

Continue reading to learn more about smaller classroom sizes.

Smaller Classes 

One staple of Momentum Academy is the smaller classrooms.

Many times students have a difficult time keeping pace in a classroom of 30 students. When students do have questions a fear of being judged prevents them from asking questions.

At Momentum, those issues are addressed with smaller classes. The smaller classes allow teachers more time to work with students on an individual basis. It also gives them the confidence to ask questions when there is a lesson that they do not understand.

Face to Face Instruction

As mentioned above, the smaller classes allow teachers to work face to face with students.

There are many different learning styles and for students who learn best with hands-on experience, this setting benefits them. Students have the ability to watch their teacher present a lesson and they can ask questions in real-time.  The limited classroom sizes allow teachers to spend more time speaking with the student in an effort to ensure they understand the lesson.

Online Classes

Another way Momentum helps students achieve is via online classes.

While a student may struggle in mathematics, they may excel in U.S. History. For these students who do not require much classroom instruction, they can log on to a Google Classroom and move throughout the course as fast as they like.

Prior to today, we had no idea what Google Classroom was. If you’re interested in this online program check out the video below:

Where is Momentum Academy located? 

The main office is located at 1102 Telephone Road, Houston, TX 77023.  You can reach them by phone at 713.926.4528.

While the main office is on Telephone Road, the actual classes were scattered throughout Houston in various multi-service centers during the 2017-2018 school year.

The City of Houston Health Department owns these multi-service centers. A few of the multi-service centers that housed this program include:

  • Sunnyside MSC
  • Acres Homes MSC
  • 5th Ward MSC
  • and more…

At the time of this article (July 2018) Momentum is coordinating the sites of the academy for the upcoming 2018-2019 school year. Once the new locations become available we will make updates to this section.

How do you enroll in Momentum Academy? 

To enroll in this program you must speak with the student’s school counselor.

If the student attends Wheatly High School, you would need to speak with this counselor and request a referral to the Momentum Academy.

The school counselor will then complete an application and include things like transcripts and details on special classes they may be enrolled in.

Momentum will take all this information into consideration and make a determination on whether or not the student is eligible.

Although this is a new program the school counselor should be aware of this program. If there are any questions on the school counselor’s part, you can call Momentum Academy at 713.926.4528.

Conclusion

Teenagers can be fragile and they are this way because of a lack of life experience.

For students who struggle academically, it is up to us as a parent, case managers, teachers and coaches to recognize when they need help and step up to the challenge.

For many teens, the fear that they will not graduate can cause them to give up. However with the structure and encouragement provided at Momentum Academy even students who have a history of struggling can see success in the classroom.

If you have questions for Momentum visit their main office at 1102 Telephone Road, Houston, TX 77023 or call them at 713.926.4528.

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