tcta.org |
March 31 , 2008 |
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Committee for public school accountability hears from educators |
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The Select Committee on Public School Accountability invited educators from across the state, including TCTA member Judy Hill of Robinson ISD, to testify on the real-life impact of the state accountability system on schools and teaching practices. Hill, a high school chemistry teacher, testified about the inordinate amount of time spent in her district preparing for the TAKS test. She cited numerous examples, including requirements to review TAKS objectives at the beginning of every class, conduct extensive benchmark testing, and attend TAKS preparation sessions every two weeks. |
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Senate committees discuss investment policies of state’s pension funds |
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The Senate Committees on Finance and State Affairs held a joint meeting to discuss investment policies of the state’s public 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… |
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State Board of Education passes part of ELAR TEKS |
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The State Board of Education (SBOE) passed on first reading the proposed revised curriculum standards (Standards Work document) for the English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) TEKS, without an embedded author and title list. The board then directed that a facilitator work with the educator panel and English Language Learner experts to further improve on the Standards Work document. The ELAR TEKS has been the subject of much controversy since the February meeting when some board members attempted to substitute their own controversial plan for a proposal stemming from a two-year study by an educator standards panel. The controversy over the ELAR TEKS has delayed their adoption to such an extent, the SBOE is on a tight timeline to adopt the ELAR TEKS so instructional materials can be prepared and assessments can be developed or aligned to the new curriculum, and the board can move on to review the next subject’s TEKS. |
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State releases English Language Arts TAKS scores |
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The Texas Education Agency has released the 2008 English Language Arts TAKS scores for grades 3, 5 and 8. In comparison to 2007, results showed a slight increase for 8th grade students passing the first-round of exams, while the scoring percentages for grades 3 and 5 remained mostly consistent. |
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Federal pilot project meant to aid states’ failing schools |
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Recognizing that the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act fails to distinguish between schools with a few problems and those drastically underperforming, the U.S. Department of Education announced a differentiated accountability pilot project designed to allow more moderate interventions for many schools identified as failing. The pilot project will allow up to 10 states to focus reform efforts on schools labeled “in need of improvement” and intervene less forcefully in schools that are consistently raising the test scores of most students but might be struggling with one student group. States must apply by May 2 to participate and only those meeting certain criteria will be eligible. It is not clear at this time whether Texas is eligible to participate. |
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| 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). Read more… |
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| Extra Credit | ||
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. Fully funded study program to the Galapagos Islands Full-time teachers and teacher librarians in grades 6-12 are encouraged to apply for this fully funded international professional development opportunity. While visiting the legendary islands, educators of all subject areas will observe and explore environmental projects, speak with experts and community advocates, and participate in group learning activities aimed at encouraging an internationally and environmentally oriented interdisciplinary curriculum. The deadline to apply is May 9, 2008. Read more... Teachers and librarians can receive free art reproductions The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has announced a new initiative called Picturing America, a collection of 40 free art reproductions depicting specific images in American history. Interested schools and public libraries are eligible to apply by the April 15 deadline. A teacher resource book for all grade levels is also included. Read more… |
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| Copyright © 2008 Texas Classroom Teachers Association®. All rights reserved. The Texas Classroom Teachers Association is an independent association for Texas teaching professionals, which was founded in 1927 and has over 50,000 members across the state. TCTA is based in Austin and is the only statewide teacher association that limits Active membership to those directly involved in classroom teaching or teaching support. For more information about TCTA, please visit our Web
site at www.tcta.org. |
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