Home ::
Tectonic Shift in General Ed vs. Special Ed Responsibilities
If you haven’t heard the acronym RTI yet, you will. It stands for Response to Intervention and represents a tectonic shift in the way students can be referred for special education services. Read more...
Social Security: Is there really a chance for change?
Several bills in the current Congress would repeal or modify the GPO and/or WEP. None of these bills has been scheduled for a committee hearing, despite considerable support in Congress (339 co-sponsors to the primary House bill, HR 82, that would repeal the provisions). However, both the House and Senate committees dealing with Social Security issues have held hearings in the last few months to receive input on the problems experienced by those affected by the GPO and WEP. Read more...
Future of NCLB may fall to new Administration: So just where do the presidential candidates stand?
The year 2007 has come and gone and with it the opportunity to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) on time. Policymakers could not reach a consensus on the best approach to modify the existing law so a temporary extension of the law was passed with no changes. The year 2008 has turned into the year of change. Monitoring closely the mood of the national electorate, presidential contenders continue to position themselves as that candidate. Read more...
Are Educators Still Influential at the Polls? Primary results and a look ahead
March 2006 proved a crucial turning point for educators as a political power. The involvement of the public education community in that election cycle produced several surprises during the primary election, demonstrating to political observers, candidates and policymakers across the state that public school supporters were a force to be reckoned with. Teachers were unhappy with the recent education-focused legislative sessions and concerned about the possibilities for the special session scheduled for later that spring, and teacher associations and affiliated political groups became more openly involved in the elections than they had in years past. Read more...
Electronic Devices in the Classroom: Making the right call
An English teacher in a small West Texas town took up a student’s cell phone after finding him text messaging in class, in violation of the student code of conduct. As she attempted to go on with the lesson, the phone kept vibrating in her pocket, so she opened the phone to disable it and saw nude pictures being sent from one student to another. She then turned the cell phone in to the office according to school policy. The mother of the student felt that her son’s rights were violated when the teacher opened his phone. The teacher, a TCTA member, consulted TCTA attorneys immediately, who said the teacher was entitled to open the phone in order to maintain discipline and minimize disruption in the classroom. Read more...
Senate committees discuss investment policies of state’s pension funds
The Senate Committees on Finance and State Affairs held a joint meeting to discuss investment policies of the state’s pension funds (including TRS and ERS). Committee members discussed acceptable levels of risk for public funds, as well as “social investment” issues, such as promotion of Texas-based opportunities and investments in casino gambling. Read more...
Voucher-type program discussed at HS Completion and Success Initiative Council meeting
The High School Completion and Success Initiative Council recently adopted the strategic plan for coordinating public high school improvement initiatives. During the meeting, members discussed the opportunity to include a voucher-type program as an option for dropouts, bringing opposition from TCTA and some newspaper editorial boards (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Waco Tribune-Herald). TCTA testified against any such measures and provided written testimony on other aspects of the plan. TCTA is waiting for the Commissioner of Education to propose rules for implementing the plan and anticipates clarification on the proposed program.
State and Federal grant opportunity information available online
TEA released information on state and federal grant opportunities in March. Details, deadlines and application information can be found on the TEA website.
Ninety-nine percent of Texas school districts earn full accreditation status
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced March 10, 2008 that 1,018 of the state’s 1,031 independent school districts had earned full accreditation status. The Texas Legislature established accreditation classification in 2006 to reflect how school systems handle both academic and financial issues in their district.
“The accreditation status will give taxpayers a quick indication of how well a school district is educating children and managing money. The vast majority of our school districts earned full accreditation status because they are doing a good job serving their students and handling the public’s money,” said Commissioner of Education Robert Scott in a TEA press release. Read more or scan a list of districts not accredited or marked status pending.
TCTA testifies in favor of multiple graduation pathways
The Senate Education committee met to discuss high-school reform legislation passed in the recent legislative session. TCTA’s testimony pointed to research that shows students who drop out of school do so because of boredom, and allowing flexibility in coursework choices and graduation pathways would keep students engaged in their learning. TCTA stressed the value of rigorous career and technology courses to provide students with relevant learning and hands-on experience.
The committee also discussed methods for measuring annual improvement in student achievement on required assessment instruments. TCTA urged the committee to ensure the determined measures are scientifically, research-based and validated for that particular use. Most experts have acknowledged that the TAKS test is not designed to measure student growth; additionally, TCTA has consistently stated that an instrument designed to measure student performance is not necessarily valid to measure educator performance.
SBEC issues update on fingerprinting process
The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) has issued a status report to districts highlighting concerns and issues regarding the fingerprinting process currently underway. Of particular concern is SBEC's statement that some e-mail notifications sent to educators were returned as “undeliverable messages” due to district filters. Affected educators should ensure that the district has a valid e-mail address so necessary notifications will be received. SBEC has also provided a fingerprinting helpline (1-888-863-5880, Option #3 or e-mail) to answer any additional questions with regard to SB 9. Read more…
2008 state testing brings enhanced test security
Random test monitoring, seating charts, and scrambling the order of field test items on exams are among more than a dozen steps being taken by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) this school year to enhance the security measures that surround the administration of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. Read more about the security measures in TEA's press release.
TCTA Officer named to state committee
Susan Lewis, TCTA Chair of the Curriculum & Instruction Committee, has been appointed by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Speaker of the House Tom Craddick to the Select Committee on Public School Accountability. Created during the 2007 legislative session, the committee is charged with conducting a comprehensive review of the public school accountability system. Lewis is the only appointee to the committee who is a current public school teacher. Read more...
TEA releases final school accreditation rules
Legislation from the 2006 3rd called special legislative session implemented an entire new system of accreditation standards and sanctions for school districts under the state accountability system. Charged with issuing rules on the new system, TEA posted those on the agency’s web site. The rules address sanctions such as alternative management, reconstitution, and/or closure of campuses should a school continue to perform poorly in state evaluations. TCTA gave extensive input on the rules, questioning why the sanctions were mandatory under the rules but not in the legislation, and also asking for language to be included that would ensure decisions regarding reassignment or retention of educators at reconstituted campuses remain with the school board. Read more...
TCTA successful in impacting final TEA special education rules
Exemplifying how long the process can take to change state law/rules in response to changes in federal law, the final TEA rules on special education finally became effective on November 11, 2007, almost three years after Congress reauthorized the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. On December 3, 2004, President Bush signed into law the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004) Amendments of 2004, which contain many changes to the federal law pertaining to the education of students with disabilities. On October 13, 2006, the United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, published final federal regulations.
The Texas Education Agency then held stakeholder meetings of parents, advocates, and educator groups, of which TCTA was a participant, in November 2006 and January 2007. The TEA proposed rules were then developed, with the public comment period on the proposed rules beginning on April 20, 2007, and ending June 19, 2007. TCTA was involved from the beginning of the process to the end, submitting input to Congress when IDEA was in the process of being reauthorized, submitting input to the U.S. Dept. of Education when the accompanying federal regulations were being drafted, participating in TEA stakeholder meetings when state education rules were being developed, and commenting on the proposed state rules when they were issued. Read more...
TEA mentoring rules includes TCTA suggestions
During the last special session, lawmakers passed legislation establishing a $15 million statewide mentoring grant program. TEA recently issued proposed rules regarding the grant, and TCTA gave input, successfully persuading TEA to include language in the rules that required components of any mentoring program approved for a grant must be successful in:
* improving teacher retention
* providing continuous support and training tailored to the needs of mentor teachers
* scheduling release time in order for a mentor teacher to fulfill mentoring duties
The originally proposed rule only required that approved mentoring programs show success in improving teacher quality. However, TCTA pointed out that “Given the startling statistics showing that 30% of teachers leave teaching within the first three years, and 50% within the first five years, policymakers at every level agree that something needs to be done to stem this tide, and policymakers agree that one of the best ways to do so is to implement a strong teacher induction and mentoring program that helps retain teachers.” TCTA also pointed out that “Research on the successful components of mentoring/induction programs shows that two of the essential components are scheduled release time for the mentor to be able to meet with the mentee and fulfill mentoring duties, as well as training for the mentor.” TEA responded favorably and the rules including TCTA’s language were finally adopted.
SSA responds to one-day exemption report
We have received additional information regarding the Social Security Administration’s response to an audit report recently released by the SSA Office of the Inspector General. TCTA has obtained a copy of the four-page response by the SSA.
At this point, we do not have any indication that the SSA intends to provide a definitive statement regarding any action they may take, and we are taking a “no news is good news” stance. The SSA response disputes the primary findings of the audit report and we are hopeful that the agency will not take adverse action against educators who have utilized the one-day exemption according to the law as it was in place prior to July 1, 2004.
Obviously we will monitor this situation VERY closely and keep our members informed of any additional developments.
Reviewed: 04/15/08
