Uplift Education Drives Major Gains in College Readiness

Uplift Education is being highlighted for increasing the number of students meeting benchmarks in reading and math on the Texas Success Initiative met-by-assessment criteria at a rate significantly higher than the county or state average.

Texas colleges and universities rely on the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) to assess whether students are ready for college-level coursework in English language arts and math. The primary tool is the TSI Assessment (TSIA), which high schools use to help students avoid costly, time-consuming remedial classes in college.

Students may also meet readiness criteria via SAT, ACT, or STAAR end-of-course exams. The bottom line is students who meet TSI standards are more likely to graduate from college and earn meaningful credentials, which is why districts like Uplift Education have made postsecondary readiness a priority through proactive planning, strong data systems, intentional staffing, and committed campus leadership.

At Uplift Education, intentional math support was one of many targeted strategies contributing to stronger college readiness outcomes. Similar to DeSoto ISD, Commit Partnership’s TSIA2 Math Toolkit played a vital role in equipping educators to teach with greater rigor in mathematics. This intentional focus was further driven by campus-specific goals, bi-weekly “all call” celebrations, and strong collaboration between district and campus leaders.  

The network also prioritized instructional support by hiring math interventionists, training teachers through summer ACT sessions, and leveraging instructional coaches and leaders for walkthroughs, feedback, and strategy sharing. By combining purposeful planning, collective accountability, and mid-year instructional shifts, Uplift Education demonstrated how intentional strategies, reaching directly from teacher to student, can produce transformative gains in college readiness.

These strategies, along with Uplift’s holistic college-going culture, helped 40% of the class of 2024 reach TSI benchmarks by assessment in both subjects, rising from 30% in 2022 and 32% in 2023, an overall gain of nearly 10 points. By uniting rigorous academics, student agency, family partnership, and long-term support, Uplift has shown how community-driven strategies raise aspirations and deliver lasting postsecondary success.

“The student is the driver,” said Brittany Cooper, Uplift's Senior Director for College & Career Preparation. “They’re saying, ‘Mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, this is my plan: I need to grow my ACT score by four points because that’s going to translate to 2000 more dollars to help me pay [for college].’ And so, it really gives agency and ownership to the scholar to have that conversation with families.”

At Uplift Education, these benchmarks are more than just numbers, they’re part of a holistic strategy to empower students with the tools and confidence to own their college journey. From instructional coaching to student agency, Uplift’s intentional approach is driving significant gains in postsecondary readiness.

To learn more about how Commit is working with school systems in Dallas County to increase the number of students meeting TSI by assessment, see our TSI strategy here and register for our upcoming TSI Readiness Summit on Tuesday, Nov. 18^th here.

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