Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, state and national education agencies and organizations have worked to coordinate, provide models, and create plans for the uncertain 2020-21 school year. In Texas, home of TCEA, the state education agency is updating two programs meant to provide support to districts as the school year approaches.
Within the Texas Education Agency‘s (TEA) focus on instructional continuity, it has developed a partnership with PBS, as well as a general instructional continuity framework. In addition, two recently updated tools are available to help schools get the new year off to a good start.
Strong Start 2020
TEA’s Strong Start initiative provides planning tools and example plans, sample school models, and implementation supports, which include webinar and training offerings. Sample school models include detailed options for fully on-campus, fully online, and hybrid instruction models.
The Strong Start portal includes downloadable resources and tools directly from TEA, but also links to decision-making tools, plans, and guides from organizations and educational institutions from across the country.
Texas Home Learning
Another TEA project, Texas Home Learning, is being updated for the coming year. Entering its third phase, the program is designed to provide contingency at-home learning resources for Texas schools and districts.
The third phase of the project is designed for the 2020-21 school year, while phases one and two from this spring and summer, were meant to provide resources in between school years.
Phase three includes standards-aligned curriculum, free access to learning management systems, and more, according to the initiative’s website.
Sharing Useful Tools
What resources, grants, tools, or techniques are you using or hope to use this school year? Let us know in the comments!
Photo by Matese Fields on Unsplash