Today we’d like to introduce you to Patricia Walters, EdD.
PSIA was born out of multiple requests from parents of private and home-schooled students while the organization’s founder served as Director of Academic Development for the University Interscholastic League (UIL) in Austin. The overarching goal of academic competition, however, remains similar to that established by UIL and the charter members of PSIA —the improvement of schools and individuals through the pursuit of excellence in academic competition.
Private Schools Interscholastic Association, Inc. (PSIA) was formed in September, 1997, in Austin, Texas, by Patricia Wisdom-Walters. In October, 1997, the organization received official corporation status. In January, 1998, the IRS granted non-profit corporation status to the organization, and 31 Texas private schools joined together to create a North and South zone for competition.
The first PSIA competition was held at Baylor University in Waco on the last weekend of April, 1998. In 1999, the PSIA State Advisory Board, made up of 10 private school administrators and lead teachers from across the state, was established. A North and South Zone was established. St. Michael in Weimar was the State Champion for these first two years of competition.
By 2000, PSIA had grown to 150+ schools, and schools were divided into “A” and “AA.” Two State tournaments were held at Southern Methodist University in Dallas for “AA” and Texas Christian University in Fort Worth for “A.” In 2001, TCU became the dedicated host of PSIA State competition.
Administered by thousands of volunteers, PSIA now provides an extracurricular academic program for private, parochial, charter, and home-school students in grades 1-8. The curricula includes 19 skill categories, producing 59 grade-level appropriate contests (Art, Calculator Applications, Creative Writing, Dictionary Skills, Impromptu Speaking, Listening, Maps, Graphs & Charts, Mathematics, Modern Oratory, Music Memory, Number Sense, One-Act Play, On-Site Drawing, Poetry/Prose Interpretation, Ready Writing, Science, Spelling, Storytelling, and Vocabulary).
Approximately 47,000 students in Texas participated in PSIA spring district competition at the campus level in 2017. More than 3000 student entries advanced to State at TCU from 24 district meets by winning first or second place in individual events at their district level of competition.
In its twentieth anniversary year, interest in an extracurricular academic program for private and charter elementary and middle school students remains strong, with an estimated 50,000 participants at the campus level. Membership fees paid by schools serve to partially defray the cost of hiring contest writers, providing facilities for competition, printing contest curriculum and test materials, and mailing information to over 700 Texas private schools.
Research confirms that providing these extracurricular educational opportunities produces student incentive and higher academic achievement. For example, middle schools that participated in UIL academic activities for a minimum of two years were found to score significantly higher on the state-mandated Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) tests (Walters, 1998).
PSIA is pleased to offer this most comprehensive extracurricular academic program in the nation to all private, parochial, charter and home schools in Texas. We know that participation makes a lifelong difference for many of these students.
Has it been a smooth road?
Perhaps a struggle as the program progressed was finding good writers for contests and finding the right person to work with us in our state office in Grapevine. As a volunteer type non-profit organization, securing enough volunteers to administer tournaments has been challenging, but we have found that teachers and parents dedicated to the academic achievement of their children have come forward to make this program a success throughout Texas.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Statement of Purpose:
Private Schools Interscholastic Association (PSIA) believes . . .
- that most students enjoy the pursuit of excellence and seek opportunities to test themselves against their own accomplishments and those of others;
- that such opportunities are best provided through properly conducted and equitably administered competitive activities;
- that the classroom is enriched by the flow of student energy into the more intensified arena of competition and back into the classroom.
Therefore, we reaffirm that students are the focus of our endeavor and deserve an opportunity to:
- refine physical and mental aptitudes;
- nurture self-realization and build self-confidence;
- feel a sense of pride and dignity;
- experience teamwork and develop a sense of fair play;
- develop the ability to lead and the willingness to follow;
- foster self-discipline and perseverance;
- appreciate that rules, consistently applied, create order and discipline;
- learn to graciously accept the decisions of judges and officials;
- affirm self-worth in times of disappointment as well as adulation;
- cultivate lifetime skills;
- complement their classwork with practice and performance;
- experience the joy of achieving their potential in a wholesome environment;
- discover that ultimately the true meaning of winning is doing one’s best; and
• have fun!
• Private Schools Interscholastic Association, Inc. (PSIA) does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, or national origin (ancestry), in any of its activities or operations.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Certainly, the Dallas/Fort Worth area is a great place to begin a program. For example, more than 100 of our private schools in this statewide program are located in the DFW area. As PSIA continues to grow, additional districts have been formed to accommodate the increasing number of schools seeking positive academic extracurricular programs that provide incentive for achieving students’ highest potential in a wholesome environment.
The DFW area offers a wide variety of opportunities for entrepreneurial endeavors in education, as well as just about any profession one would desire to create.
Pricing:
- Membership Fee – Small schools with enrollment in grades 1-8 of up to 232 = $295
- Membership Fee – Larger schools with enrollment in grades 1-8 of 233 or more = $345
- State Participation Fees of $50 per event to a maximum of $745
- District Participation Fees that go to the individual host school = $10 per entry
Contact Info:
- Website: www.psiaacademics.org
- Phone: 817-416-9504
- Email: info@psiaacademics.org
Image Credit:
Dr. Patricia Walters
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