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School Library Month: Make Your Librarian Feel Valued This April

by Emily Horn March 23, 2022

written by Emily Horn

Do you respect, value, and appreciate your school librarian or library media specialist? Well, April is School Library Month, April 7-13 is National Library Week, and April 4 is National School Librarian Day. So, it’s a great month to rally your school community to express it! I mean, every day is a great day to show your school librarian that you respect, value, and appreciate them and their work, but April is a great month to take your school library advocacy up a notch. Before we look at ways school leaders and educators can show appreciation, let’s look at the job of the school librarian.

What Do School Librarians Do?

Do you know the answer to this question? If the thought of a school librarian stirs up visions of a stern-looking, glasses-wearing, “shusher” sitting behind the desk in the school library, scolding students about late returns before slowly pushing a dusty, creaking cart of books to reshelve the returns all day long, I have to say– this is not what it means to be a school librarian today. It’s so much more.

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) has a sample job description that can shed some insight into the life of a school librarian. But keep in mind that this is generalized. It doesn’t necessarily reflect the specific needs of individual schools that librarians may be required to meet. Many school librarians are also teaching (meaning they lead classes), responsible for duties (such as co-teaching, lunchroom, recess, car line, etc.), acting as instructional coaches, and/or completing other duties as assigned in addition to regular school librarian job duties.

Here is some additional information from AASL about the work of school librarians. You see, being a school librarian is jam-packed with diverse responsibilities that are all meaningful and important to learners, educators, and school communities. Librarians are change agents, guardians of information, life-long learners and researchers, and more. And the library is the heart of the school.

Why Are School Librarians So Important?

School librarians are as important now as ever before. Students have an immense amount of information at their fingertips. In addition to teaching and reinforcing library and media skills, reading comprehension skills, digital literacy skills, and supporting a growing love of reading, part of the work of a school librarian is to teach students how to think critically about information, how to sift through sources to determine which ones are reliable, how to conduct proper research, and how to summarize and communicate their ideas and the results of research.

This is not even touching the surface of the important work school librarians do each day in collaboration with teachers to support their work in the classroom. Not only do school librarians work with students, but they may also provide training for educators on trending topics, resources, and digital learning tools. Librarians I know are constantly completing trainings, certifications, and courses to stay on top of the latest and greatest ed tech tools and library best practices. They work with teachers to collaborate on learning goals, units, lessons, and more. It is extremely important to also note the tremendous value librarians offer students and teachers through the curation and management of a rich, equitable, diverse, inclusive, and engaging collection of literature, resources, and texts (both print and digital). Often, they are curating without adequate funding.

**Source**: State of America’s Libraries Report *2019*

Resources about the importance of school libraries/librarians:

10 Reasons Librarians Are More Important Than Ever (Common Sense Education)
The Nonnegotiable Role of School Librarians (National Association of Secondary School Principals)
Roles of the School Librarian: Empowering Student Learning and Success (Northeast Comprehensive Center)
The Importance of Having a School Library (United Federation of Teachers)
Librarians Help Students Navigate an Age of Misinformation- But Schools Are Cutting Their Numbers (University of South Carolina)
The Importance of School Libraries in the Google Age (Schools Catalogue Information Service)
And there’s so much more.

Showing Appreciation During School Library Month

Don’t you feel a welling up of appreciation and respect for school librarians? I know I do. I recently asked librarians on Twitter what colleagues and leaders can do to make them feel appreciated during National Library Week, School Librarian Day, and School Library Month. Let’s take a look at some of their suggestions and a few additional ways leaders and educators can say “thanks” during the month of April and throughout the year.

School Leaders:

Leaders, how your staff and community view the school library often starts with you. You are a powerful ally. In addition to the librarian’s advocacy for the library, your visible advocacy and support can help set your school librarian, the library, and your school up for success. Do you know your librarian’s vision? Are you actively promoting it? Here are some ideas for celebrating School Librarian Day, School Library Month, and supporting the library all year long.

Request a proclamation of School Library Month from your school board and elected officials (ALA templates).
Note School Library Day and School Library Month on your school calendar.
Send out an email to the school community promoting School Library Month and School Librarian Day. In the email, share the importance of the school library to learning. (Resources and more resources for promoting).
Set up a “Library Mailbox” where students, teachers, and parents can place handwritten notes for the librarian.
Acknowledge your library staff in staff meetings and give them the opportunity to give library updates.
Explicitly mention and promote in staff meetings ways that teachers and librarians can partner. Highlight partnerships and projects throughout the year.
Share your librarian’s Amazon Wish List or Library Wish List with your school community.
Post “library brags” on social media about the important work your librarian is doing.
Offer them a hot beverage and/or morning treat.
Buy them lunch!
Write them a handwritten note of thanks. State specific reasons why you’re happy they are at your school and/or how they specifically make an impact.
Give a shout-out during the morning announcements.
Visit the library. Ask questions and take interest in their work. Tell your librarian in person how much you appreciate them and give a specific example of something in particular you appreciate.
Cover a class or duty to give them a little break!
Encourage book donations or financial donations.
Volunteer in the library by giving book talks, shelving, etc.
Actively and regularly publicly promote your school’s library through communication highlighting what’s going on in the library (on social, via email, or through a newsletter, etc.).
In partnership with the librarian, make the school community aware of library needs and ways to help the library.
Facilitate and promote collaboration on pedagogical projects, units of study, and lessons between teachers and the librarian.
Last, but not least– ask your school librarian how you can best support them and show your appreciation.

Highlight the library to the community, promote what’s happening, facilitate collaboration among staff, and repeat…all year long.

Educators:

Educators, you are important partners for school librarians, and they love supporting the work you’re doing in your classroom. Are you currently collaborating with your school librarian to bridge the classroom and library? Here are some ways you can show appreciation, work with your students to help them express gratitude, and forge a solid partnership with your school librarian.

Create a student choice board with activities for showing appreciation for the library and library staff (write a note, draw a picture, make a video, record an audio message, etc.).
Provide your librarian with chocolate (or another favorite treat).
Run a class (or staff!) book drive for the library.
Collect donations from staff and offer the funds as a donation to the library.
Lead your students in writing thank you notes (or drawing pictures) to your librarian for specific ways he/she/they have inspired, helped, or encoured them in their reading, personal, or academic journey.
Get them something off their Amazon Wish List or Library Wish List.
Give your librarian social media shout-outs!
Collect letters, or write a letter signed by staff, and send them to the school board outlining the importance of the library and the work of your librarian.
Write them a handwritten note expressing your respect for their work and your appreciation for what they do.
Reiterate to your students why the library is important to your community and to their learning.
Invite your librarian to your classroom!
Return your books on time, and remind your students to return their books on time.
With your class, brainstorm things you love about the library, and make a “We Love the Library!” collage for your librarian.
Ask students how the library has impacted them, and make a list to offer your librarian from the class.
Let your librarian know in advance what comprehension/reading, writing, or research skills you are working on and collaborate on how to connect the library and classroom.
Ask your librarian to attend a unit planning meeting and work together on a full unit of study or project.
Schedule times (outside of library class times) to take your students to the library for collaborative lessons or research time.
Share learning goals with your librarian and ask them about digital tools to support these goals.
Seek out their book recommendations for read alouds, your classroom library, or to support student learning needs.
Last, but not least– ask your school librarian how you can support them and show your appreciation. They’ll tell you!

Additional Resources for School Library Month

Here’s a National Library Week **template** by librarian **Erin Jewell**

Please spread the word about School Library Month (April), National Library Week (April 3-9), and National School Librarian day (April 4) so that you and your school community can take this time to intentionally show appreciation for all the amazing school librarians. What will you do for your school librarian and library this April? Leave us a note in the comments!

Summer Librarian Conference Is Back!

Calling all librarians! TCEA’s annual Librarian Conference is back, and we want YOU to be a part of it. Three days of virtual learning exclusively catered to all things library? Yes, please.

If you’re interested in topics like the latest research on reading, organization and time management tools, promoting your library, and curation tools and tips, this summer camp is perfect for you. Join your fellow librarians and media specialists online this for this summer librarian event and grow your network, knowledge, and library.

Online Testing: How Texas Schools Can Be Prepared

by Jennifer Bergland January 12, 2022

written by Jennifer Bergland

Texas school districts are gearing up for mandatory online assessments beginning in the 2022-2023 school year. Most school districts have been giving some type of online assessments for many years, so this move is more an issue of scale than a totally novel concept. However, providing online assessments to almost all your students takes a different level of preparation.

Feasibility Study

The Texas Education Agency has been planning to transition to online assessments for several years. HB 3906 was passed in the 86th Texas Legislature requiring TEA to conduct a feasibility study. The purpose was to determine what districts would need to be able to administer the state assessments online. Texas A&M University conducted the study and presented it to the Governor and the state legislature on December 1, 2020. The report indicated that most school districts had the technology infrastructure necessary to accommodate online assessments, but not all.

HB 3261

To remedy this, the Texas Legislature passed HB 3261. This bill was authored by Chairman Dan Huberty and established a one-time grant to be made available sometime in early 2022. This grant will enable districts to acquire the infrastructure necessary to meet the demands of the mandatory online assessments. In addition, this bill gave districts more flexibility in using the Instructional Materials and Technology Allotment to pay for the technical infrastructure for broadband. They may also use the allotment to train teachers and other personnel on administering online assessments.

Grant Funding

HB 3261 established $4 million for these grants. This figure came from the report Texas A&M University submitted to the legislature. However, $4 million is not enough to cover the total cost of the required infrastructure upgrades. This figure is the amount that the state believes districts will need after they have received their E-Rate discounts for the required service and equipment. This means that those districts needing to upgrade their technical infrastructure and take advantage of the TEA grant will either need to plan on using local funds to complete their project or submit a request for E-rate discounts from USAC.

IMPORTANT: This is time-sensitive, so I highly recommend you begin that process now if you haven’t already done so. The filing window opens on January 12 and closes on March 22, 2022.

Implementation Guide

TEA has created a guide to assist districts in moving to online assessments. The guide recommends that a district have 500 kilobits per second (Kbps) per concurrent tester. Cambium, the company the state has contracted to manage the online assessments, has created a Bandwidth Diagnostic Tool that will help districts determine how much bandwidth each classroom, school, and district will need. It is important to note that not all students need to test simultaneously. In fact, TEA recommends that a district stagger the administration of the tests to ensure that there is adequate broadband. This means that a district does not need 500 kbps per student, but for each concurrent tester.

Preparing Your Infrastructure for Online Testing

In the guide prepared by TEA, determining the amount of broadband needed is the first step. As mentioned above, they have provided a tool to help you determine the needed amount. The next step is to determine how many student devices you need. They recommend at least a 3:1 student-to-device ratio. The third step is to determine what software you will need to install on your testing devices. This includes the operating system and Cambium’s secure browser. In addition, a district must make sure that all assistive technologies are installed and configured for those students who need them. In the implementation guide, TEA provides districts with some suggested steps to help make sure these three steps can be accomplished.

Strategic Planning for Online Testing

Clear Communication

Equally important is to ensure there is a good plan for a successful implementation. TEA recommends that the district leadership is clear on what is required for full online testing implementation and why it is important.

Including Technology Staff

I highly recommend that each district include a technology staff member in the planning process. These personnel should be included now. Don’t wait until next year!

I recently heard of a district that wanted to give all their students the MAP test, but didn’t inform the technical staff it would happen. Needless to say, it did not go well. They had too many devices hitting the network at the same time, and thus it was a frustrating experience for both students and staff. If they had included the technology staff, the district would have learned they either needed to make sure all non-testing devices (cell phones, extra computers, smartwatches, etc.) were taken off the Wi-Fi-network or schedule the test so that not all students were taking it at the same time. Including the technology staff in the planning process for any and all online testing is a requirement if the goal is to have a successful testing experience.

Meeting with the Team

Once the district determines who should be included in the planning process, they should begin meeting to establish a plan and a timeline for moving to online testing. This must include a clear communication strategy to make sure all staff know what is happening and when.

Staff Training

TEA’s implementation guide also includes suggestions on training staff so they feel comfortable and familiar with the technical aspects and the process. It also addresses issues that might arise from IEP and 504 paperwork. I highly recommend printing the guide and having a team discuss it to begin your planning process.

TEA’s Assistance with Online Testing

Besides the implementation guide, TEA has provided videos, a FAQ that will answer most of your questions, TEA contact information, and detailed information about the STAAR redesign on the TEA website. I recommend bookmarking this site so that you can be kept informed about any new information they release.

TCEA 2022 Session on Testing

During TCEA 2022, I will be hosting a panel dedicated to online testing. It is called Yikes! Online Testing for All Tests? There will be experienced administrators who will share their advice and someone from TEA to answer all your questions. If you are coming to the convention, put this session on your schedule!

Networked computers photo: Chris Woodford/explainthatstuff.com

January 12, 2022 0 comments

Advocacy

Advocacy Update on State and Federal Technology Funding

by Jennifer Bergland September 16, 2021

written by Jennifer Bergland

Most educators have been focused on getting students acclimated to a new school year. It’s my job to keep up with what is happening at the Texas and DC Capitols and the Texas Education Agency related to classroom technology so that teachers and administrators can focus on their students. Since what’s happening in these places directly affects what happens in the classroom, it’s important to keep an eye on what the elected officials and policymakers are up to. So, grab your favorite after-school beverage (mine is iced tea from Sonic), kick your feet up on your desk, and spend a few minutes catching up on the Austin and DC scene through this TCEA advocacy update. We’ll review some of the recent changes regarding EFC funding and the TIMA allotment.

Emergency Connectivity Fund Opens Second Window September 28

FCC education funding — *Jessica Rosenworcel, Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission*

The FCC is opening a second 15-day window for school districts to apply for funding to purchase eligible items in the Emergency Connectivity Fund. The filing window opens on September 28 and closes on October 13. These funds may be used to purchase connected devices and broadband connections for off-campus use by students, school staff, and library patrons for the current 2021-22 school year. During the first window (July 1-June 30th), the FCC received requests for $5.137 billion. They had budgeted $7.17 billion, which is why they are opening up a second window. Texas districts and libraries requested $496,488,916 in the first round of applications. Any school or library that is eligible for E-Rate support is eligible for the ECF program.

The FCC has published a list of FAQs that may help identify if this fund can be used to address the at-home digital access gap for your students and staff. They have also published a list of common misconceptions surrounding the ECF. I found this list enlightening.

This is an unprecedented opportunity to use FCC funds to help bridge the digital divide. I highly encourage your district to review the FAQs and determine if this money can help meet any home access inequities.

SB 15 Update

Last week, I wrote a blog post on SB 15 which expanded opportunities for virtual learning. I won’t review that bill except to say that the Governor has signed the bill and it is now law. TEA posted their guidance on the bill’s implementation on September 9. You can find the guidelines here.

TIMA Gets a New Name

TEA is in the process of renaming the Technology and Instructional Materials Allotment to the Instructional Materials and Technology Allotment. Their stated rationale is that the Legislative Council, the group that writes the government code from enacted legislation, has consistently called the allotment the Instructional Materials and Technology Allotment.

Background:

In 2017, there were two bills that renamed the IMA. One renamed it Technology and Instructional Materials Allotment, and the other renamed it the Instructional Materials and Technology allotment. TEA adopted TIMA in their rules, but the Legislative Council adopted IMTA. Apparently, the bill that is signed by the governor last determines which bill takes precedence. Therefore, we need to get into the habit of calling it the IMTA. However, the result is the same. Technology is included in the title, sending a message that the allotment is designed to pay for both instructional materials and technology.

IMTA Allotment Amounts

Speaking of the IMTA, TEA recently released the amount of funding placed into each district’s IMTA account. Districts will recognize that their allotment was substantially cut this year.

TEA education funding — *Mike Morath, Commission of Education (TEA)*

At the June SBOE meeting, Commissioner Morath explained why the legislature cut the TIMA so drastically for this biennium.

Morath indicated that the cost for this biennium’s textbook proclamation is light ($120 million). This means there are still funds available for districts to spend on technology and staff from their TIMA ($430 million). He also pointed out that the state used up to $800 million of federal CARES Act funding during the 2020/2021 school year for technology. He further suggested that there is funding appropriated in HB 1525 that can be used for technology. Additionally, he reminded the SBOE that Texas school districts have recently received $15 billion in federal funding in which technology is an allowable expenditure. And finally, he made it clear that this is a one-time reduction.

Here is the short clip where Commissioner Morath discusses the cut in the TIMA.

September 16, 2021 0 comments

Advocacy Educational Trends

Virtual Learning Opportunities Expanded in Texas

by Jennifer Bergland September 7, 2021

written by Jennifer Bergland

How We Got Here

Typically, the Texas legislature only convenes every two years. The state constitution provides that these biennium sessions may only last for 140 days. Each session begins in January and ends in May. However, the Texas governor may call the legislators back to Austin for a special session that lasts for 30 days. At that time, the legislators are only allowed to address issues that the governor places on the special session call. The second special session ended on Thursday, September 2, 2021.

The governor included the following education-related item in the list of issues that could be addressed during this session:

Legislation providing strategies for public-school education in prekindergarten through twelfth grade during the COVID-19 pandemic, which ensures:

Students receive a high-quality education and progress in their learning;
In-person learning is available for any student whose parent wants it;
The wearing of face coverings is not mandatory; and
COVID-19 vaccinations are always voluntary.

Senate Bill 15

In response to this item, the legislature passed SB 15. Specifically, this bill addresses the issue of virtual education. At the beginning of the process, this bill was very similar to HB 1468 that was introduced in the regular session. Because it was not voted on before the session ended, HB 1468 died on May 30.

SB 15 has passed both the House and the Senate and is awaiting the signature of the governor to become law. Let’s take a look at some of its provisions.

Note: The law governs school districts and open-enrollment charter schools. For the sake of brevity, the word “district” below includes both school districts and open-enrollment charter schools.

Local Remote Learning: It’s Temporary

The law creates a new category of virtual instruction called local remote learning. Local remote learning is outside of the Texas Virtual Network; thus, the provisions that govern the TxVSN do not apply to this new program. As a result, it has its own set of rules and regulations. It is meant to be a temporary solution that will be revisited in the 88th Legislature (2023). There will be a Virtual Learning Commission that will be meeting over the next year and a half. This commission will be studying this issue and, as a result, will make recommendations to the 88th Legislature. They may or may not continue the provisions of SB 15.

It’s Local

According to SB 15, the purpose of local remote learning is to enable school districts to offer remote learning for their students, not statewide. However, a school district may create a memorandum of understanding with another district to allow their students to attend another district’s virtual school.

Remote Learning Program Requirements

In its remote learning program, a district must:

Include at least one grade level in which an assessment instrument is required or a complete high school program, including an end-of-course assessment instrument for each course
Provide the ability for a parent to choose in-person instruction for their child
Periodically assess the performance of students enrolled in the remote learning program
Meet the special education needs of the participating students consistent with federal and state law
Require participating teachers to complete a professional development course on virtual instruction
Not directly or indirectly coerce any teacher to agree to an assignment to teach a full-time local remote learning program
Not require a teacher to provide both virtual instruction and in-person instruction. However, the commissioner may waive this requirement for courses included in the enrichment curriculum

Attendance

SB 15 puts a 10% cap of the district’s enrollment on enrollment in the remote learning program. This affects the funding. The state will provide ADA funding for all the students up to 10% of the district’s enrollment.
- The commissioner may waive this on an application by a school district or in response to a public health emergency.
In calculating the number of students that are enrolled in the local remote program, students must spend at least half of the student’s instructional time in virtual learning.

Options for Remote Learning

The remote learning program may be synchronous, asynchronous, or a combination.
The program may provide a hybrid approach of both in-person and virtual.
The district may remove a student from virtual instruction if the district or school determines that the student does not meet the criteria set by the state or the school district.
- The district must have an established process to remove a student so that the student and parent have sufficient notice and opportunity to provide input before they are removed from the program.
A student may participate in an extracurricular activity sponsored or sanctioned by the district in which the student is enrolled or by the UIL in the same manner as other district or school students.
Students participating in remote learning may also take courses in the TxVSN.

Student Eligibility

Students must be enrolled in the school district with one exception. School districts may enter into an agreement that enable students from a sending district to attend the virtual school of the receiving district. These students are still considered enrolled in the sending district for purposes of attendance and accountability.
The student must have reasonable access to in-person services for the course at a district or school facility.
The student must meet any additional criteria, including minimum academic standards, established by the district.

State Funding

A student enrolled in a virtual course under the remote learning program will be counted toward the school district’s ADA in the same manner as other district or school students. The commissioner will adopt rules providing for a method of taking attendance, once each school day, for these students.
A district may not count a student for purposes of calculating the school’s ADA if the student has ten or more unexcused absences in the program in a six-month period.
This law prevents a district from receiving ADA funding for students that received virtual or remote instruction for a majority of the instructional days during the preceding year if the student:
- Did not achieve satisfactory performance or higher on the state assessment or something equivalent
- Had a number of unexcused absences that exceeds 10% of the number of instructional days in the preceding school year, or
- Did not earn a grade of C or higher or the equivalent in each of the foundation curriculum courses taken virtually or remotely in the preceding year.

Evaluating Virtual Learning

Students in the remote learning program shall participate in the state assessment program in the same manner as the other students in the district.
The commissioner shall assign the program separate overall and domain performance ratings as if the program were a campus of the district.
The performance rating is not subject to Section 39.054 (a-3) which requires the rating to be made public, or Section 39.0546. The performance rating will also not determine whether to impose any intervention or sanction on the district as authorized by Chapter 39A.

There’s Always an Exception

A few districts and open-enrollment charter schools used the waivers given by the commissioner in the school year 2020-2021 to create a virtual school that served both their students and students outside their district. SB 15 gives these few districts and open-enrollment charters the ability to continue to operate as they did in the 2020-21 school year. Consequently, this means they may exceed the 10% enrollment cap and function as they did last year.

Remember, It’s Temporary

Remember there is a Virtual Commission that will meet during the interim to evaluate the state of virtual education in Texas. The commission will make recommendations for the 88th Legislature. Therefore, the provisions of SB 15 are seen as a temporary solution. Hopefully, the commission will build on the provisions of SB 15 and create an even better framework for virtual education in the state of Texas.

If your district will be establishing a local remote learning program, you should consider TCEA’s Remote Educator Certification program. This online, self-paced course takes teachers and administrators through the process of effectively guiding student mastery of content area standards while learning online. The course covers the following essential topics:

Straightforward ideas for communicating with stakeholders (parents, colleagues)
The ingredients for designing remote lessons
Integrating Social and Emotional Learning into your remote learning classroom
Creating collaboration and meaningful discussion using tools in breakout rooms and chats
Understanding of FERPA and how it pertains to student recordings
A deep dive into high-effect instructional strategies to improve student outcomes
Choosing the right digital tool for each assignment

The course is $49 per participants with discounts available for purchases of 10 or more. You may contact Miguel Guhlin if you have questions about this successful program.

September 7, 2021 0 comments

Advocacy CTO/CIO Cybersecurity Digital Literacy Funding

Texas Legislature and SBOE Make Policy Changes Affecting Ed Tech

by Jennifer Bergland August 5, 2021

written by Jennifer Bergland

The Texas Legislature meets every two years for 140 days. It’s a whirlwind of activity, even in the midst of a pandemic. The 87th Legislature ended their regular session on May 31, 2021. I have highlighted below some of the legislation that passed that affects educational technology, as well as a brief update on the Texas State Board of Education and its actions.

Broadband

TCEA has been working on broadband policy since 2013. We are very pleased that many of the things we have been advocating for were enacted into law in this recent session.

HB 5 was an omnibus bill that addressed several of the inequities surrounding broadband access.

One key element of the bill established a broadband office that will be housed in the State Comptroller’s office.
- The office will be a resource for information regarding the expansion and adoption of broadband service in the state. It will also engage in outreach to help expand broadband service in areas that are currently underserved and unserved.
- The office will also create a broadband development program to provide grants, low-interest loans, and other financial incentives to expand broadband across the state.
HB 5 also created a Broadband Development Account that will be used to administer the steps outlined in the bill.
In addition, the bill included provisions that will assist in providing more accurate broadband maps.

HB 3853 allows electric utility companies to sell middle mile wholesale broadband to providers that would sell broadband directly to the customer.

SB 507 directs TxDOT to adopt rules to allow broadband-only providers to use state highway right-of-ways in the same manner that other utilities currently enjoy. This puts broadband-only providers on par with other utilities that access state highway right-of-ways., thus removing a barrier to the efficient deployment of broadband.

HB 1505 creates a pole replacement program and fund that will help defray the cost of broadband installation.

Online Assessment

HB 3261 puts into place the needed support for districts to administer online assessments. The state will administer almost all assessments online beginning in the 2022-23 school year.

Use of TIMA to Administer Online Assessments

Below are the provisions in HB 3261 that pertain to the Technology and Instructional Materials Allotment:

Requires the Commissioner to estimate how much money school districts need in the TIMA for technology.
Requires the SBOE to take into consideration how much districts need for technology (as reported by the Commissioner), as well as how much they need for instructional materials.
Deleted the language in the law that required districts to purchase instructional materials before they could spend their TIMA on technology.
Requires the SBOE to limit the size of the proclamation to 75% of the TIMA.
Adds four allowable expenditures for the TIMA funds.
- Broadband services (currently allowed in TEA’s rules)
- Broadband equipment (currently allowed in TEA rules)
- Technology infrastructure that is necessary to ensure adequate internet connectivity
- Personnel to train teachers in the administration of online assessment instruments

Grant to Help Fund Broadband Infrastructure

HB 3261 creates a grant that will help districts that do not have adequate infrastructure to support the necessary bandwidth required for online assessments.

Online Assessment Provisions

The bill also stipulates that no more than 75% of the available points on the assessment can be multiple-choice questions.
It also allows districts to administer the test on the first instructional day of the week.
HB 3261 prevents TEA from requiring school districts to provide a device with a keyboard for online assessments. This decision is up to the district.
The transition plan will begin September 1, 2021.

TIMA

When HB 1525 passed the last day of the legislative session, it enacted a budget rider that had been written in the waning days of the session. Riders convey specific instructions on how agency funds can be collected or spent. Riders may also express legislative intent and be used to provide funds for administrative functions. The HB 1525 rider reduced the amount of the TIMA by $620,690,923. This means that the legislature appropriated only $429,290,923 for the TIMA for the 2022-2023 biennium. This is the lowest amount that has been appropriated for the TIMA since its inception.

At the June SBOE meeting, the Commissioner addressed the cut to the TIMA funds. He indicated that the cost for this biennium’s proclamation is light ($120 million), which means there are still funds available for districts to spend on technology and staff from their TIMA ($430 million). He also pointed out that the state used up to $800 million of federal CARES Act funding during the 2020-2021 school year for technology. He further suggested that there is funding appropriated in HB 1525 that can be used for technology. He finally reminded the SBOE that Texas school districts have recently received $15 billion in federal funding, for which technology is an allowable expenditure.

TEA’s website indicates that they will load the new TIMA allotments into EMAT sometime in June or July.

TIMA May Be Used for Conference Fees

There is some good news related to the Technology and Instructional Allotment. TEA will once again allow districts to use their TIMA for professional learning fees, including the registration fees to conferences. This is something they allowed for years and then changed the policy to prohibit the use of TIMA funds for conference fees. We have been petitioning them to change this rule because the law clearly states that the allotment can be used for training personnel on how to use technology and the instructional materials. We received an email this week indicating that they have reverted to their original policy of allowing districts to use their TIMA for conference fees, but not to pay for the travel expenses to attend a conference or professional learning experience.

Virtual Learning

HB 1468, a bill that would have allowed districts to offer virtual learning for students living within their boundary, was a casualty of the session ending before midnight on May 30. We had hoped that this issue would have been added to the list of issues that could have been discussed in a special session, but so far it has not been added. Senator Taylor, the Senate sponsor for 1468, has indicated a desire to pass this type of legislation during a special session.

Student Data Privacy

HB 363 by Representative Van Deaver was amended into HB 1525. It requires that a company that has been approved or adopted by TEA and possesses personally identifiable student information must use the unique identifier established by the Texas Student Data System (TSDS) for any account creation, data upload, data transmission, analysis, or reporting to mask all personally identifiable student information. The company must also adhere to a state-required student data sharing agreement that includes the established unique identifier standard.

TCEA was able to amend the bill to give districts more flexibility. The language that was changed allows districts to add to the list of data that a company can collect on a student. They also have the ability to negotiate with the company to adjust the data sharing agreement. Both of these changes were meant to help meet the district’s specific needs.

Cybersecurity Training

There were two bills that passed that dealt with cyber security training. HB 1118 requires that any employee who uses a computer for 25% of their duties or more is required to participate in the cybersecurity training. SB 1267 only requires the Cybersecurity Coordinator to take the training and then leaves it up to the district to determine who may also participate in the training. I’ve heard the last bill signed by the Governor takes precedence over the issue when there are two conflicting bills. SB 1267 was signed by the governor after HB 1118, so SB 1267 should be the one that governs who must be trained within the district. On the DIR website, they advise that your district seek legal advice on which bill to follow. They also address these two bills in their FAQs.

SBOE News

Technology Applications

The SBOE is currently reviewing the K-8 Technology Applications standards. Below is a timeline of the process.

Anticipated Timeline

Summer 2021 – Work groups revise and review the TEKS.
Fall 2021 – SBOE discusses and receives initial feedback.
Spring 2022 – Public hearing is held and SBOE votes on the first reading and filing authorization. This triggers the 30-day public comment period.
Summer 2022 – SBOE adopts the revised Technology Applications standards.
School Year 2024-2025 – Revised K-8 Technology Applications are required to be taught.

Additional Resources

Additional information and updates will be provided throughout the review process on the T echnology Applications TEKS Review , Kindergarten-Grade 8 web page.

The current K-8 technology applications TEKS are available on the TEA website.

This site provides more detailed information about the legislation that passed in the 87th legislature that affects educational technology.

Photo of Texas State Capitol taken by Dale Honeycutt on Unsplash

Photo of Jar of Money was taken by Michael Longmire on Unsplash

Photo of girl in home library by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

August 5, 2021 2 comments

a young woman stands in a field with a saddled horse

Advocacy Educational Trends

Ed Tech News Roundup: Germs, Gaps, and the Texas Legislature

by Andrew Roush July 23, 2021

written by Andrew Roush

Howdy, folks! Welcome to another in a series of periodic ed tech news roundups. We hope you enjoy this one, and if you have a story you’d like to see included, let us know in the comments.

As summer zooms toward fall, new developments in the ed tech industry, education policy, and more are shaping the school year ahead. Here’s what you need to know.

A Clean Start

The coronavirus, and new variants of it, continue to spread. As schools look to reopen amidst the ongoing pandemic, educators and leaders are working to ensure learning spaces are as safe and hygienic as possible.

Writer Erin Cunningham explores how schools are developing strategies to keep classrooms accessible and safe and how to limit the spread of germs and the coronavirus. [EdTech]
This month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their guidelines for reopening, including best practices for different age groups and a summary of recent changes. [CDC]

Minding the Gaps

The pandemic has also heightened and underscored existing gaps and inequities in the world of education, while many consider how we can use these lessons to improve things.

The changes in education during the outbreak have highlighted many gaps in education, from tech to achievement. Jill E. Thomas argues that educators should also be aware of a “wellness gap” for teachers. [EdSurge]
Connectivity is one of the gaps educators were working to close when the pandemic struck. Here’s how teachers and leaders are working to keep closing that gap. [EdTech]

Theory and Practice

In Texas, legislators have battled to pass measures meant to limit the teaching of Critical Race Theory, an academic framework mostly used in advanced and post-graduate studies of American culture and history. Here are some reactions and explainations.

A team of reporters have gathered thoughts from teachers across the state. [Education Week $]
The bill advanced on the teaching of race relations sidesteps the term “critical race theory,” but has still courted strong resistance. [Texas Tribune]

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

July 23, 2021 0 comments

Advocacy Educational Trends Leadership

Listening to the Voice of Texas Teachers

by Dr. Julie A. Evans May 5, 2021

written by Dr. Julie A. Evans

For almost two decades Project Tomorrow/Speak Up has annually surveyed K-12 students, parents, teachers, and administrators across the country. These online surveys have played a crucial role in capturing the authentic voice of education stakeholders and providing schools and districts with essential information about the needs and aspirations of their key stakeholders. Our yearly Speak Up reports, based on the survey data, regularly inform policies, programs and funding at the district, state, and national level.

We are grateful for the partnership we have this year with TCEA and for their past support. TCEA has made it possible for Project Tomorrow to reach out to all the dedicated and committed teachers, students, parents, and administrators in Texas and ensure that their voices are heard loud and clear.

This past year has been a challenging one for everyone. Closed schools led to remote and hybrid learning and then to reopening. Students, parents, and administrators all struggled to manage in this changed environment. And for our classroom teachers this has been a year like no other testing their skills and endurance. Thank you to all the Texas teachers who demonstrated their spirit and endurance, working tirelessly to meet the needs of their students.

Listening to the real-life experiences of our classroom teachers is more important than ever. Our teachers were eyewitnesses to the unprecedented events unfolding in their schools and classrooms. Gathering their feedback and insights is critical now and can pave the way for improving the educational experiences of all students.

During Teacher Appreciation Week we are expanding our efforts to reach teachers – and TCEA is playing an important part in this effort. We urge TCEA members to join us in this call to action for teachers to “Speak Up”.

Texas Teachers, You Matter

During Teacher Appreciation Week, teachers can directly share their views through a special Speak Up survey for teachers. Here are ways that Texas teachers can be part of Speak Up’s efforts during Teacher Appreciation Week.

SHARE: Share the email and link below with teachers in your district, state, and TCEA membership. Click here to view Sample Email.
PROMOTE: All teachers who complete the survey will be eligible to receive prizes and awards for their classrooms. Learn more now!
EARN: You can earn recognition through our District Recognition Badge Program.
BENEFIT: You will receive your survey information, essential information in making key decisions, particularly as it relates to the new stimulus funding.

The Project Tomorrow has additional information. The good news for all teachers taking the survey – you will be eligible to win prizes and classroom grants.

Listening to Texas Teachers Matters

Teachers are still taking the survey, but we could not resist peaking at some of the preliminary data. The early findings are proof of why every K-12 district administrator should be seeking input from their teachers right now.

To use technology more effectively Texas teachers told us they needed:

Classroom set of digital learning devices for every student (64%)
Planning time with colleagues (60%)
Professional learning about effective use of digital tools (56%)
Reliable, high-bandwidth Internet in the classroom (49%)
Confidence that students have out-of-school Internet access (54%)

These preliminary findings – and much more – are part of the recently released infographic. View all of our new infographics released during Teacher Appreciation Week here.

Every school district in Texas needs authentic data like this right now to make the best decisions for their community and for spending new federal dollars that are being disbursed.

Texas Data Matters

Over the years, state education leaders and district administrators have used Speak Up data to validate new initiatives and support new investments. On a national level, Speak Up data highlights digital learning trends in K-12 education and promotes new discussions about ways to support innovation in schools. More important than ever, this year’s national Speak Up report provides a glimpse into how the sudden shift to digital learning may lead to sustained educational transformation. Read more about what the Speak Up data is telling us here.

Call Out

Together we can listen – and act upon teacher voice – and make a difference in the learning experiences of all Texas students. The Speak Up survey is open until August 15 – urge all Texas teachers to take part in this important effort. Help us get the word out and make sure that the voices of all teachers in Texas are heard! Participate now!

Make Your Voice Known

You have a voice so use it. Take the survey now!

May 5, 2021 0 comments

Advocacy Educational Trends Leadership

The Digital Divide in Education

by Rachel Jane, Guest Author March 10, 2021

written by Rachel Jane, Guest Author

Times have drastically changed the way every sector of society operates, but the effects are being felt especially strongly in education. Indeed, millions of Americans didn’t go back to the classroom this spring for fear of catching the virus. Instead, remote learning continued to be the new norm.

However, not every student can afford to continue their education this way. Here’s what you need to know about the digital divide in the education industry.

Defining the Divide

The digital divide refers to the gap between those who have access to the internet and other electronic devices and those who don’t. CNN reports that as many as 16 million students in the country “lack internet access or laptops for online learning.” As such, some kids are given two options: attend public school physically and risk their health or stop school for a year. Both choices aren’t ideal, but they’re the only ones available because of the digital divide. Plenty of factors fuel this technological gap such as poor (internet) infrastructure, price inflation, and more.

In fact, even before 2020, the digital divide has been a huge problem in education. For example, the Digital Divide Council highlights that as our era becomes more integrated with technology, those who have tech training have an unfair advantage in the workspace. Plus, the range of information students without the internet can access is limited. This can make coursework a lot harder and can even impede their research altogether.

*Image credit: Unsplash*
https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1541178735493-479c1a27ed24

Bridging the Gap

What’s being done to bridge the gap?

Plenty of schools and educational institutions are making an effort to ensure that students can access the proper resources. After all, distance learning has persisted even before the pandemic, and will continue to do so in the future.

Starting at the Top

Many trends across education begin in higher ed. As early as 2018, The Hechinger Report states that roughly 20% of public universities (160) are fully online. That number goes up if we add the private schools and colleges that offer mixed classes, like the University of Florida and Trine University.

This is a trend being seen across the country with Maryville University offering over 30 online bachelor’s degrees, leading them to be more proactive in their efforts to provide digital access to students. This resulted in the university being named an Apple Distinguished School for 2018–2021 for leadership and excellence in providing students with a high-tech, mobile learning environment. Last year, the university started a project called TechBar where they collect old hardware from companies and donate those to non-profit organizations in the industry.

Duke University gives out free iPads and other gadgets to help students carry out all the recommended coursework. Since their courses are focused on technology and medical science, the administration makes sure that everyone receives equal access to the material.

Even the government and other organizations are doing their best to bridge the gap. T-Mobile, for instance, promised to provide 600,000 students in Florida with an internet connection. New York City council members Ben Kallos and Farah Louis introduced a bill that would provide every public school student in the city with a free laptop and tablet. It’ll come with free ebooks and network access.

Advocating for Improvements

Much attention is now being given to bridging the digital divide at the PreK-12 level.

Here are a few posts touching on this topic that may enrich your understanding of this issue:

At TCEA, our members work to encourage decision-makers, especially the Texas Legislature, to bridge the gap in broadband access. You can keep up with these issues with the help of our two-part legislative priorities guide, and learn more about TCEA advocacy efforts here. Finally, learn how to keep up with the Texas Legislature in this post.

Moving Ahead

The digital divide is an ongoing problem, and this pandemic has only highlighted its consequences. Fortunately, it has also moved entities into action. Hopefully, this trend will continue until the gap is completely gone.

If you’re interested in accessible technology in the classroom, read our post on “Integrating Smartphones Into Lesson Plans.”

Image credit: Unsplash https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1596495578174-17a3987571e4

March 10, 2021 0 comments

Advocacy Leadership

The Texas Legislature Online Tool

by Jennifer Bergland March 3, 2021

written by Jennifer Bergland

The 87th Texas Legislature is kicking into high gear. This might be a good time for a refresher on the use of a free tool that is designed to help citizens find information about the legislators and the legislative process. The Texas Legislature Online is a one-stop shop to find almost all the information you need to be engaged in the legislative process.

Here are just a few of the things you can find on the TLO.

Find out who represents you both in Texas and in Washington DC
Discover what bills have been filed at the Texas Legislature
Track the actions of certain bills
Find the videos (both live and recorded) of the various bill hearings
Learn when certain committees are meeting

Create an Account

To really take advantage of the power of the TLO, I recommend that you create a free account. This will let you create a list of bills to track and also receive alerts if there are any actions that happen to a bill you are interested in.

The first step is to set up your free account. See below for the steps to do that.

Create a Bill List

The next step is to begin making bill lists. These are lists that can track a subset of bills. It makes it easy to find all the bills that you are interested in that are related to each other.

For instance, in this session, broadband is going to be a big topic. I want to track all the various bills related to broadband, so I created a list of these bills. Below are the steps to create these lists.

Find Bills of Interest

The next step is to find bills that have been filed that you are interested in. You can do this on the main TLO page. If you know the bill number, you will enter it into the search field. Make sure you have selected Bill Number. You will always need to indicate if it is a Senate bill (SB) or a House bill (HB) by placing the appropriate initials in front of the bill.

You also need to make sure you are searching in the correct legislature. It defaults to the current one, but if you happened to go back and search for a bill in a previous legislative year, it may still be set to search in that legislature.

If you don’t know the bill number, you will want to do a word or phrase search. Here are some steps showing you how to do that.

Review the Bills

You are now ready to review the bills you have placed in various lists.

Alerts on Bills

You can also receive alerts on bills you are wanting to track. I recommend you track by “any category.” This will let you know when anything happens to a bill, such as when it is going to be heard in a hearing. There are a couple of ways you can subscribe to the alerts.

Hopefully, this will help you make use of this very important tool. The more you know, the more you can influence your legislators throughout the process. In a future blog post, I’ll provide some tips on how to interact with your legislators and their staff members. The first thing to remember is that they work for you!

Additional Resources

Blog post on TCEA’s Legislative Priorities I and II
TCEA’s Bill Analysis for the Texas 87th Legislature

March 3, 2021 0 comments

Advocacy CTO/CIO Digital Literacy Funding Leadership

TCEA’s 2021 Legislative Priorities (Part 2)

by Jennifer Bergland January 11, 2021

written by Jennifer Bergland

Last week, we took a look at some of TCEA’s legislative priorities for the 2021 session of the Texas Legislature. This week, we explore digital learning topics and policies.

Legislative Priorities for Digital Learning

Technology Planning

Technology is ubiquitous in our society. Almost every aspect of our day is powered by technology. This is true for a school district as well. This has required many districts to quickly adapt as they strive to find personnel that have the level of technical expertise that is required to support sophisticated networks, teachers who can leverage technology to support student learning, and staff with the skills to analyze data that was once only needed in the corporate world. The network and equipment these staff members need must also be purchased and maintained in a safe and secure environment. All of this must be accomplished with limited funds. But none of this is possible without careful planning. Currently, Texas school districts are not required to create, follow, or update a technology plan.

Teacher Readiness

In a recent report written by Common Sense Media, it was noted that 56% of teachers felt that lack of training is a “significant or extremely significant problem.” The quick pivot to remote learning was taxing on many teachers. They were unprepared to adapt to the demands of knowing how to use the conferencing platforms, but also how to integrate the technology tools within their pedagogy and their content. In 2011, when districts lost the Technology Allotment, many schools disbanded their instructional technology training teams. These districts had used their Technology Allotment funding to pay for personnel to train their teachers. When that resource was eliminated, so were those positions. We are still reaping some of the consequences of the loss of that dedicated technology funding.

Digital Literacy

There is a mistaken assumption that since most children and teenagers have a smartphone, they must be digitally literate. Knowing how to use a consumer product and how to utilize digital technology for work and learning are two separate skill sets. The digital literacy skills that students need today are complex and require not only access to a variety of technologies, but also instruction and guidance in how to leverage digital resources in order to research, create, analyze, curate, and collaborate as they are acquiring new knowledge and skills. At the same time, they need to be taught how to protect themselves and their data since much of their life will be lived online.

Technical Support

School districts often have the largest and most sophisticated networks within a community. These networks must support the growing technical demands of the school district while protecting the student and staff personal information from cybersecurity attacks. These networks and the digital devices that access the networks require technical staff that can keep up with the demands of a large scale deployment of devices. They are often understaffed and underpaid, but they are committed to the core mission of the school district. These dedicated personnel are managing complicated networks and face many security challenges. Keeping them trained and staffed at a level that is manageable is a challenge. It requires funding for technical equipment, salaries, and training to provide the level of support required to ensure the technology is always available and is safe to use.

Recommendations to address the various components of digital learning:

In the 85th Legislature, SB 810 required the SBOE to update the Long Range Plan for Technology at least every five years. The SBOE updated the plan and added it to the appendix of the Long Range Plan for Education in 2018. The Texas Education Agency brought together a group of stakeholders together to reimagine what is possible if we utilize technology within our educational environment. TEA then took this group’s ideas and built a plan that, if enacted, would address the barriers identified by TCEA.

The plan has already been developed and approved. To address the barriers of digital learning, the state now needs to implement the plan. Below is a list of actions we believe the Texas Education Agency and the ESC’s should do to assist districts in implementing the Long Range Plan for Technology (LRPT).

The Texas legislature should provide appropriate funding to accomplish the goals and strategies in the LRPT. These funds would support the following activities:
- Create a task force made up of district and state stakeholders to establish benchmarks that districts can use to measure their progress in implementing the LRPT.
- Require districts to write and adopt a three-year technology plan that demonstrates how they will align their district’s goals with the LRPT.
- Establish a Digital Teaching and Learning grant that districts can use to implement their technology plans once they are approved by the state. These grants should be available for all districts that submit an approved plan.
- TEA, ESC’s, and educational technology nonprofits should provide districts with support as they implement their plans. This could be in the form of, but not limited to:
  - Technical support and advice
  - Professional development for both administrators and teachers
  - Workshops on best practices for implementing digital instructional materials
  - Technology planning advice
  - Exemplar districts who exhibit best practices are identified so that other districts could contact and visit them.
The Texas legislature should also:
- Replace the outdated time-based system (Carnegie unit) of awarding credits and funding with one that is based on a student’s competency.
- Allow school districts to create their own full-time or part-time TxVSN school, if only within their own district boundaries.

In Conclusion

After reviewing our legislative priorities, you can see why we see 140 days as the biggest barrier to making these priorities a reality. Our enemy is the clock, not our policies. Throw in a pandemic that has negatively affected the state budget and will decrease our access to legislators and their staff members and you can see why it is imperative that we focus on a few of our major priorities. Broadband has been a priority of TCEA’s for more than eight years, but the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the chances that it will also be a priority of the Texas legislature. We are hopeful that some meaningful legislation will be passed on broadband policy.

We will look for ways to move all of our legislative priorities forward, but the clock, the budget, and access will make this a difficult session. If you are interested in following our progress and you are a member of TCEA, be sure and join the Advocacy group in the TCEA Community. If you are not a member, consider joining and/or come back to the blog for updates and check out my Twitter feed @jbergland. And finally, if you want to get more involved in TCEA’s advocacy efforts, email me at jbergland@tcea.org.

January 11, 2021 0 comments

Newer Posts

Older Posts

Advocacy

What Do School Librarians Do?

Why Are School Librarians So Important?

Showing Appreciation During School Library Month

School Leaders:

Educators:

Additional Resources for School Library Month

Summer Librarian Conference Is Back!

More Librarian Reads

Feasibility Study

HB 3261

Grant Funding

Implementation Guide

Preparing Your Infrastructure for Online Testing

Strategic Planning for Online Testing

Clear Communication

Including Technology Staff

Meeting with the Team

Staff Training

TEA’s Assistance with Online Testing

TCEA 2022 Session on Testing

Emergency Connectivity Fund Opens Second Window September 28

SB 15 Update

TIMA Gets a New Name

IMTA Allotment Amounts

How We Got Here

Senate Bill 15

Local Remote Learning: It’s Temporary

It’s Local

Remote Learning Program Requirements

Attendance

Options for Remote Learning

Student Eligibility

State Funding

Evaluating Virtual Learning

There’s Always an Exception

Remember, It’s Temporary

Broadband

Online Assessment

Grant to Help Fund Broadband Infrastructure

Online Assessment Provisions

TIMA

TIMA May Be Used for Conference Fees

Virtual Learning

Student Data Privacy

Cybersecurity Training

SBOE News

Additional Resources

A Clean Start

Minding the Gaps

Theory and Practice

Texas Teachers, You Matter

Listening to Texas Teachers Matters

Texas Data Matters

Call Out

Make Your Voice Known

Defining the Divide

Bridging the Gap

Starting at the Top

Advocating for Improvements

Moving Ahead

Create an Account

Create a Bill List

Find Bills of Interest

Review the Bills

Alerts on Bills

Additional Resources

Legislative Priorities for Digital Learning

Technology Planning

Teacher Readiness

Digital Literacy

Technical Support

Recommendations to address the various components of digital learning:

In Conclusion