Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy - Hartford Public Schools

HARTFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Phase II: School Design Specifications:
Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy
Overview of School Model
Background
Hartford Magnet Middle School opened in SY 2000-2001 as part of a larger urban magnet school vision called The
Learning Corridor. As originally envisioned, the Learning Corridor included Trinity College, a Girls' and Boys' Club, the
Institute for Living, the Hartford Children’s Medical Center, and three other magnet schools: Montessori Magnet School,
Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, and Greater Hartford Academy of Math and Science. The result of unprecedented
determination and cooperation among its founding institutions, the Learning Corridor has transformed an educational
vision into reality. HMMS has earned the distinction of being the highest performing school within the Hartford Public
Schools and has maintained autonomy status per the district’s OSI ranking score. Hartford Magnet Middle School in
partnership with Trinity College seeks to carry on the Learning Corridor vision by expanding upon this success and
creating Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy, HMTCA. Together, Hartford Magnet Middle School and Trinity
College will extend the middle school design to include an Early College High School. The new grades 6-12 model will
maintain its full interdistrict magnet school status from the Connecticut State Department of Education as a Hartford Public
Schools host magnet.
Description of School Type, Accreditation & Affiliation Model
Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy will be a college preparatory model for 400 high school
students, grades 9-12, who wish to pursue a course of study in science and the arts and spend their senior
year on the Trinity College campus. The program will prepare students to be successful in college,
setting them on a career pathway in the fields of science as well as the visual and performing arts.
Proposed to open in August 2011 for Grade 9 students, the HMTCA will expand by one grade each year
and reach capacity in 2014.
The early college high school model integrates high school and college study in an articulated program.
Five Core Principles provide the framework for planning and implementing early college schools:
1. Early college schools are committed to serving students underrepresented in higher education.
2. Early college schools are created and sustained by a local education agency, a higher education institution, and the
community, all of whom are jointly accountable for student success.
3. Early college schools and their higher education partners and community jointly develop an integrated academic
program so all students earn one year of transferable college credit leading to college completion.
4. Early college schools engage all students in a comprehensive support system that develops academic and social skills
as well as the behaviors and conditions necessary for college completion.
5. Early college schools and their higher education and community partners work with intermediaries to create
conditions and advocate for supportive policies that advance the early college movement.
The early college high school model provides students with a rigorous and supportive educational
program that prepares students to experience success in college level courses before graduating from
high school. Twelfth grade students meeting Trinity College’s criteria will have the opportunity to enroll
in classes and receive dual credit. A Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) will be developed for all
students that may include: college-level courses, Capstone Projects, professional internships, and studies
abroad.
The early college experience is a blend of high school and college in a rigorous and fully supportive
program, compressing the time it takes to complete a high school diploma and the first year of college.
The goal of the early college model is to reach students who typically fall through the cracks between
America’s system of K-12 schools and its system of postsecondary education: low-income youth, first
generation college-goers, English language learners, students of color and other young people
underrepresented in higher education. This opportunity will allow students to save time and money and
is a powerful motivator for students to work hard and meet serious intellectual challenges. The
partnership will open doors for Hartford’s youth to attend a prestigious college and provide a pathway to
Trinity College endowment scholarships.
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