The Texas State Board of Education met in November to discuss how we should approach educating the digital generation. The SBOE heard testimony from both practitioners in the schools making the transformation happen and those who have expertise in targeted areas that support the practitioner’s work. In order to capture all of the remarks of the speakers to help inform future discussions, TCEA commissioned Dr. Geoffrey H. Fletcher to summarize the day’s testimony and propose the next steps. Here is the link to the report.
advocacy
The Texas Senate Education Committee held a special hearing on February 10, 2016, in McAllen to discuss the placement of video cameras in self-contained special education classrooms as specified by SB 507. This bill was overwhelmingly approved by the Texas House of Representatives and was approved by the Texas Senate by a vote of 21-10.
Provisions of SB 507
- Require districts to install video and audio equipment in classrooms in which a majority of the students in attendance are provided special education services, and are assigned to a self-contained classroom or other special education setting for at least 50% of the instructional day.
- A request for this type of recording in a classroom is triggered by a parent, trustee, or staff member of a school district or open-enrollment charter school.
- Video equipment must be able to record all areas of the classroom or special education setting, except the inside of a bathroom or any area in the classroom in which a student’s clothes are changed. Audio recording is still required in these areas.
- Written notice must be given to all school or campus staff and to the parents of the students in the classroom prior to the installation of recording equipment.
- Recording is only permissible while the conditions that triggered the request are still present.
- The recording may not be used for the purpose of teacher evaluation; however, it may be used against district or school personnel if the recording is believed to document a possible violation of district or school policy.
- The recordings must be maintained for at least six months.
- The commissioner of education may make rules giving districts guidance in the implementation of this law.
Outstanding Questions:
- When someone requests that a camera be placed in a classroom, does that require a district to put cameras in all classrooms covered by the bill?
- Does a recording constitute an educational record, thus triggering FERPA requirements which would require the storage of the recording for much longer than six months?
- When will the commissioner’s rules be available for public comment?
What Was Learned at the Hearing:
TEA has had one stakeholder meeting to gather input before the commissioner makes his rules. At the stakeholder meeting, TEA indicated that the commissioner’s rules would probably not address whether a request for video recording would trigger one classroom or multiple classrooms. They also indicated that the rules would not address how much time a district has to comply with a request due to infrastructure or budget availability. At the hearing, TEA indicated that the proposed rules will not be available for comment for at least four weeks.
Janna Lilly, Director of Government Relations for TCASE, provided testimony about the challenges and concerns that districts have with the implementation of SB 507. She made it clear that districts are eager to comply with the law, but that districts need clarification regarding implementation of the law. One of the biggest challenges districts are facing is whether one request triggers the installation of video and audio recording equipment in multiple classrooms or just that one. She predicted that the cost projection for the equipment is between $3,000 to $3,500 a classroom. If districts must install this equipment in multiple classrooms, it could be a large financial burden on many districts. She urged the committee to consider appropriating additional funding in the 85th Legislature for districts to implement SB 507.
The senators on the Senate Education committee expressed their frustration that TEA has not released the proposed rules by now. Since student safety prompted this law, the senators want districts to have as much information as they need to implement the bill by the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, as required. They also were adamant that they never intended one request to trigger multiple rooms across the district, nor did they consider the recordings to be considered an educational record. They also suggested that districts look for grants or gifts to be given for the purpose of camera and audio equipment installation.
District and Stakeholder Input:
I see two avenues to impact the implementation of SB 507. First, when the rules are posted, provide feedback to TEA. The commissioner and TEA staff will use this input to help edit and shape the rules. Second, contact your senator and let them know of your concerns, especially if they are on the Senate Education Committee. Senator Van Taylor stated that this law is at the top of the list of bills with which his superintendents are concerned. He indicated that their concerns involved cost, implementation, and privacy issues related to storing video of students. He was very much interested in getting answers to the questions that were posed by his superintendents from TEA.
The senators see this as a safety issue and thus are eager to get it implemented, but we can continue to engage them in conversations that will help inform the legislators of the questions and struggles districts are having in the implementation.
Senate Education Committee
Larry Taylor, Chairman
Eddie Lucio, Jr., Vice-Chairman
The Department of Education recently released the new National Education Technology Plan. The last time it was reviewed and updated was in 2010. A lot has changed in education and technology since then. So not only are some of the goals updated, but the format in which the plan is delivered has changed. There is still a PDF version that can be downloaded and printed, but the online version is more reflective of the content. It has short videos that illustrate the different aspects of the plan and lots of graphics that highlight its specific features.
The plan has seven different sections. It starts with an introduction and ends with a conclusion and in between are the different areas the plan addresses; learning, teaching, leadership, assessment, and infrastructure. In each of the sections, there is a major goal and list of ways states and districts can reach that goal. Key terms such as “personalized learning” and “blended learning” are explained so that non-educators can understand what is being described and how technology can assist in the process. Each section provides case studies as examples so that others can see what the plan is describing.
If you want to skip all the background information, explanations, and examples and just get a list of recommendations, then you will find that in the conclusion. The NETP is something that districts and states can use in their planning for the future. It has lots of resources and examples that can be advantageous in the strategic planning process. Building a vision that is shared with key stakeholders is vitally important when determining how your district wants to use technology. This plan provides resources that will help those stakeholders envision ways in which technology can empower students and teachers to achieve the educational goals of the community.
This plan, just like the one in 2010, focuses on learning. Technology is seen as a foundation that empowers the learning process. This is as it should be. If you are coming to TCEA 2016, you can get a personal tour of the plan by Zac Chase from the Department of Education. He will be presenting on Wednesday, February 3 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in room 18A.
Since the Texas legislature only meets every other year for 140 days, it is difficult for them to study and consider solutions for all of the issues that face the state. Therefore, they use the period between the sessions to study and make recommendations for problems that the state faces. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker Joe Straus recently released their list of interim charges. They both include a study on the availability of affordable broadband access to school districts across Texas.
TCEA has been active in this issue for more than two years, so we are very pleased that both the Lt. Governor and the Speaker have asked their respective education committees to study this very important issue and make recommendations for a statewide plan that would build the necessary infrastructure to provide affordable, scalable broadband for all Texas schools.
You can read the entire Senate list of education related interim charges on the Lt. Governor’s website and the Speaker’s interim charges on his website. TCEA looks forward to working with both the House and Senate education committees as they move ahead on this critical issue.
- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, smartphones, tablets, mobile apps, online classes, and games – Do these digital tools or others like them really have a place within our classrooms today?
- Are students more engaged in learning when instruction includes these tools?
- Can technology increase teacher productivity or student achievement?
- Do technology tools support the development of critical thinking, communications, teamwork, and global awareness?
- What do parents think about the use of technology for learning?
These are great questions that districts need to consider when thinking about how technology should be used to support a student’s instructional goals. Fortunately, districts don’t have to reinvent the wheel and create and manage a survey that will gather this valuable information. Project Tomorrow’s Speak Up Survey will provide districts with the answers to all of these questions and more. It is designed to gather data from students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community members. Participating districts will receive localized reports with all of their data findings to use for planning, budgets, and purchasing decisions. The best part is that it is easy to administer and it’s free!
This data would be very useful in the evaluation of a district’s performance in providing a strong digital learning environment, which is required in House Bill 5 (passed in 2013). All the information your district needs to participate in the Speak Up Survey can be found on their website. The survey is currently open and will remain open until December 18. If you have any questions, contact Jenny Hostert at (949) 609-4660, ext 17 or email her at jhostert@tomorrow.org.
With the recent changes made in the E-rate program, districts and libraries have new options that are available to help them achieve their connectivity goals. To help districts understand how they can utilize these new rules, TCEA hosted the Fiber Boot Camp on Friday, August 28th, at the TCEA Conference Center in Austin, Texas. We brought in experts from the FCC, the USAC, and the non-profit EducationSuperHighway to illuminate how the new rules can be used to solve the attendees specific connectivity problems. The presenters were Dana Shaffer, the Deputy Managing Director of the FCC; Joe Fredosso, a consultant representing the USAC; Tony Swei, the co-founder of the EducationSuperHighway; and Yasmin Narielvala the Director of District Programs, also from the EducationSuperHighway.
Dana Shaffer and Joe Fredosso went over the new rules and then took questions to help clarify the rules and answer questions about specific situations from those in attendance. Tony Swei and Yasmin Narielvala shared the mission of the EducationSuperHighway and went over a new tool they launched this August, the Fiber Tool Kit. The tool kit is designed to help school districts explore their options to purchase or lease lit or dark fiber. They provided information that will help a district know how much broadband they should get, how they can secure funding, what are the types of services that are available, and how to write a good RFP.
The big takeaway from the discussion was to recognize that the new E-rate rules allow districts to do things they haven’t been able to do before. Three main points to remember are:
- The new rules allow school districts to lease dark fiber and receive discounts on the fiber as well as the electronics to light the dark fiber beginning in 2015-2016.
- Also beginning in 2015-2016, in some situations, districts will be allowed to self-provision (own) the fiber if it is the most cost effective solution.
- Up until now, the E-rate program would only provide discounts on construction projects that costs $500,000 or less. For four years, they are suspending that cap. This is an opportunity to utilize E-rate funds for those districts whose construction costs for fiber installation exceed that amount.
One other opportunity provided by the new rules is that the E-rate program will provide up to an extra 10% discount on special construction costs for fiber installation if the state of Texas matches up to 10% of the total cost of the construction. Currently, Texas hasn’t made plans to do this, but TCEA is working to ensure that policy makers know about this option in case there is a willingness to provide this additional funding.
The presentations and other resources for the boot camp can be accessed here.