Tag:

TEA

Technology Standards Approved at June SBOE Meeting

by Jennifer Bergland June 20, 2022

written by Jennifer Bergland

The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) met during the week of June 14-17. At this meeting, the board heard from the Commissioner of Education and dealt with several issues that pertain to technology in Texas schools.

Commissioner Update

At each meeting, the Commissioner of Education, Mike Morath, updates the board on things pertaining to Texas schools. He usually provides the board with pertinent updates and then answers questions posed to him by individual board members.

He began the meeting by discussing the shooting in Uvalde. He acknowledged how difficult the past four weeks have been for all involved, including the agency that is dedicated to the well-being of all children in Texas. One of the ways the agency is responding is to create a team at TEA led by a Chief of School Safety and Security. This individual will report directly to the commissioner and will work to improve the safety of our schools.

The Commissioner then highlighted the agency’s work on improving the teacher pipeline. This discussion included the recruitment, retention, and preparation of Texas teachers. He also discussed the work of Teacher Vacancy Task Force that was launched on March 10.

I always find the commissioner’s update to be insightful. You can learn a lot about the agency’s priorities and the priorities of the SBOE members. His update was given on June 15 at the beginning of the SBOE’s agenda. It lasts about an hour and twenty minutes.

Technology Applications and Computer Science Standards Revised

On Friday, June 17 the board voted to approve on second reading the revised K-8 Technology Applications TEKS. For background on the revision process, see the blog post I wrote on May 16, 2022. A vote taken on second reading is the final vote which means these standards have been approved. However, because it takes several years for the instructional materials to be created and selected, they will not be used in Texas classrooms until the 2024-2025 school year.

The board also approved on second reading the revisions made in seven CTE computer science courses: Fundamentals of Computer Science, Computer Science I, Computer Science II, Computer Science III, Foundations of Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics, and Cybersecurity Capstone.

A proclamation seeking instructional materials for each of these courses will be issued which means they, too, will be implemented in Texas classrooms in the 2024-2025 school year. This is the next step for most of the high school courses listed above. However, the changes made to Fundamentals of Computer Science and Computer Science III do not require new instructional materials, so they will be implemented in the 2022-2023 school year.

TEA Provided an Update on the Long Range Plan for Technology Update

At the April SBOE meeting, TEA gave an update on their progress on the Long Range Plan for Technology. At that meeting, the board provided TEA staff with some specific suggestions of things they wanted to see in the plan. During the June meeting, TEA provided a very brief update on their progress with the plan and their inclusion of the board’s recommendations.

The plan will change the device refresh cycle from a recommended seven years to a much shorter range of two to three years. During the pandemic most districts provided devices to their students that were taken home. Districts have reported that the wear and tear of devices that are used 24/7 prohibits their ability to extend their usage to seven years.

At the board’s request they added a stipulation that all districts must ensure compliance with CIPA. Currently, only districts that participate in the E-rate program are required to abide by the CIPA regulations. Very few districts do not participate in the E-rate program but there are a few that do not.

The plan will also include provisions that deal with cybersecurity. It will also address the need to ensure that students have access to high speed Internet both at school and home. And finally, the plan will address school safety, including the need to use technology to provide physical security to school facilities.

TEA indicated they would bring the final draft to the board for their approval at the September meeting.

In Conclusion

This the second consecutive SBOE meeting that has dealt with major issues that pertain to the use of technology. As always, TCEA is committed to monitoring these items as they make their way through the process. It is important to remember that issues that involve teaching and learning are not only decided by the Texas legislature but also the State Board of Education. I encourage each of you to identify who your board member is and reach out to them when you have questions or concerns. They work for you! If you don’t know which board member represents you, use this form to find out. Make sure you use your home address, not your school address.

June 20, 2022 0 comment

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 comment

Good Teaching Leadership

Texas Resources for the 2020-21 School Year

by Andrew Roush August 14, 2020

written by Andrew Roush

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.

texas education agency — Some of the options listed on TEA’s Strong Start page

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

August 14, 2020 0 comment

CTO/CIO Educational Trends Funding Leadership

OER Implementation in Six Steps

by Jennifer Bergland July 27, 2018

written by Jennifer Bergland

Over the past twenty years, school districts have become much more prescriptive about what happens in their classrooms. Teachers no longer open up a textbook and start on page one and progress through the book until they get to the end (or the school year comes to a close). Many districts not only provide a scope and sequence so a teacher knows what to teach and in what order, but in many cases, they also provide lesson plans so that every student gets the content taught in the same manner. The creation of Open Educational Resources (OER) for these districts is the next logical step in tailoring the state standards for their student’s needs.

Why OER?

In a recent survey, Texas technology directors indicated that 30 percent of their school districts are currently investigating the use of OER and 56 percent say they are open to their use, but need more information. Open Educational Resources are teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under a license that permits their free use, reuse, modification, and sharing with others. Over the past year, we have published several blog posts related to OER. So if your district is in the beginning stages of looking into OER you might want to read some of the following posts

Ready to Go Further?

If your district has already investigated the use of these resources and decided to begin the process of implementing these free instructional materials aligned to the state standards, the following steps may help guide your efforts. These steps, created by Achieve.org, were included in a document designed to help states implement a state OER initiative. I’ve adapted the steps so they fit within the context of a school or district.

1. What’s your vision?

OER The first thing you must do is make sure that you know how OER will be used within your school or district. You must be able to envision what the ideal OER system would look like, including the expected impact it will have on your teachers and students. Below are some of the questions you should be able to answer:

Why is your school or district considering the use of OER?
- Is it it reduce the costs of instructional materials?
- Do you want more control over the instructional materials used within your classrooms?
- Do you see it as a professional learning opportunity for your teachers as they curate and create instructional materials?
What will be the impact on teachers?
- How will you manage the process so that it empowers teachers?
What will be the impact on students?
- How will you ensure that every student has access to the instructional materials whether they are at home or school?
- What needs to be in place to make this happen?
How will you measure success with teachers?
How will you measure success with students?
Who do you need to share this vision with?
How will you get them to buy into the vision?

2. What resources do you need?

You next must determine what resources you will need to deploy the OER to your teachers and students. This includes key personnel, technical infrastructure, instructional materials, and software. One of the biggest issues you will need to deal with is the quality of your OER. Your team will need to answer the following questions:

Access

What portal or system will you use to share resources?
Is there an existing system you can use?
How will you handle licensing/copyright?
How “open” will materials be?
How will you address technology infrastructure challenges?
What devices will be accessing your OER? If devices are necessary, do all your students have a device that can access the OER and, if not, how will you overcome this barrier?

Content and Policy

Will you curate existing resources, create your own, or a mix of the two?
Will you use the OER that were produced for TEA by OpenStax or Study Edge?
How will you work within or address curriculum and textbook adoption policies and funding restrictions?

Quality

How will you define quality?
What rubrics will you use?
How will you evaluate quality of the OER curated or created by your teachers?
Who will conduct the evaluations?

3. What’s your timeline?

Now that you know what you want to accomplish, you can begin to sketch out the timing of the each of the steps. Use these questions to guide your discussion.

What is the timeline for implementing priority activities?
Is there a final deadline you are working toward?
Are there other time-sensitive activities to consider?
When will each activity need to be completed?
Are there deadlines or milestones along the way?
What timelines already exist for roll out of instructional materials or professional development that you could build upon?

4. Who will design and implement the plan?

You will need to identify the key stakeholders and define their roles in the creation and implementation of the OER. For each of the stakeholders, you will need to answer these questions:

What part should each stakeholder be responsible for?
What do they need to know, understand, or be able to do?
What kind of training do they need?

5. What’s your communications strategy?

For any new initiative, communications is key. It is best if you include this in your plan. Identify the groups you need to communicate with and consider the following questions:

OER

What is the stakeholder’s current level of engagement? High or low?
Ideally, what would the engagement of this stakeholder look like?
How will you engage this stakeholder?
What is your message to this stakeholder?
How will you know your message is reaching this stakeholder?

6. How will you know if it’s working?

Finally, plan now how you will determine if you have been successful in the creation, distribution, and implementation of your OER. The following questions can guide you as you design your evaluation process.

How will you measure success?
How will you determine whether the OER is having the intended impact on educators and students?
How will you determine whether your activities are being implemented as intended?
What metrics will you use to assess the implementation progress?
Who should be involved?
Who is responsible?
What data will be reviewed?

As you grapple with these questions, keep at the forefront the reasons why your district chose to consider Open Educational Resources in the first place. OER is more than just a way to reduce the cost of your instructional materials. The process of creating them has proven to be an excellent professional development experience for the teachers involved. The creation or modification of OER also enables you to design your instructional materials to meet the educational needs and struggles of your particular students. These questions will help your district as you move through the process of adapting and creating your own instructional materials.

Open Photo by Finn Hackshaw on Unsplash

Stickies on Chalkboard Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Clock Photo by Sonja Langford on Unsplash

Teacher holding Comment Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Puzzel Pieces Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

July 27, 2018 0 comment

two women working on an engineering project

Coding/Computer Science Professional Learning STEM/STEAM

Get Your Computer Science Certification

by Miguel Guhlin June 19, 2017

written by Miguel Guhlin

“Only forty percent of U.S. schools offer computer science courses with programming,” says Dr. Carol Fletcher, Deputy Director of the Center for STEM Education. She also shares some additional facts worth listening to. Want to get computer science certified? Seize this opportunity before it expires in December 2017. What’s more, WeTeach_CS offers a free self-paced online course with the option to earn college credit for $99 more.

Thanks to the support of the Texas Education Agency (TEA), WeTeach_CS is extending the Certification Incentive Program (CIP) through December of 2017! This means current Texas teachers planning to take the TExES CS 8-12 Certification Test during any of the four remaining 2017 testing windows may be eligible for for the Certification Incentive Program (CIP), which offers a $1,000 stipend to accepted teachers who obtain their CS certification.

Requirements for Teachers

Are you eligible for the Certification Incentive Program? You have to meet the following conditions to receive the CIP stipend:

Be pursuing a TEA certification in Computer Science 8-12.
Not already be certified in Computer Science or Computer Information Systems (any level).
Be currently certified to teach in Texas or enrolled in an approved teacher certification program for Texas.

There are also deadlines to meet and documents to gather.

Necessary Documents

Required documents include your Texas Driver’s license, TEA Certification Information, and a letter from a school administrator on official letterhead. The letter should confirm your employment as a teacher or your enrollment in a teacher preparation program. If you are certified but not working for a school, the letter is not required. Finally, you will need the completed and signed Payee Information Form and Assurances Form.

Deadlines

As with any program, there are deadlines. These deadlines are based on the testing window that you select. Applications to test are accepted through December 2017. Deadlines (source) include the following:

June (6/28/17-7/1/17) Testing Window Deadlines:

CIP Application due: 6/22/17, 5pm
TExES Test Registration deadline: 6/26/17
Proof of CS Certification due: 8/11/17, 5pm

August (8/16/17-8/19/17) Testing Window Deadlines:

CIP Application due: 8/10/17, 5pm
TExES Test Registration deadline: 8/14/17
Proof of CS Certification due: 9/15/17, 5pm

October (10/4/17-10/7/17) Testing Window Deadlines:

CIP Application due: 9/28/17, 5pm
TExES Test Registration deadline: 10/2/17
Proof of CS Certification due: 11/14/17, 5pm

December (12/6/17-12/9/17) Testing Window Deadlines:

CIP Application due: 12/1/17, 5pm
TExES Test Registration deadline: 12/1/17
Proof of CS Certification due: 1/18/18, 5pm

Need More Information on Computer Science Certification?

If you need more information, you may want to read this post.

June 19, 2017 0 comment

Content Areas Good Teaching

Online Resources for the Classroom with the Texas Gateway

by Lori Gracey March 9, 2016

written by Lori Gracey

The Texas Education Agency recently announced the opening of the Texas Gateway, a free website filled with classroom-ready instructional resources for students in grades K-12 and self-directed professional development opportunities for teachers. The Gateway includes material for ELA, reading, math, science, social studies, and ELPS (English Language Proficiency Standards). While the content is aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards, the resources can be used by teachers anywhere.

The site is organized extremely well with a very powerful search engine, allowing the user to find needed content by subject area, grade level, content type (resource, binder, or course), or strand. You can also search by keyword. If you register for a free account, then you can also save your favorite content and create your own resource lists in the Gateway Dashboard. This allows you to easily sequence activities for the whole class or create differentiated learning paths for your students: RtI, PBL, small group instruction, and IEP goals. You can also subscribe for updates to the content and new professional learning opportunities.

Much of the content can be assigned to students through sequenced binders of instruction. This can include videos, activities, interactive exercises, quizzes, PDF documents, and more, making this resource even more valuable. All of the materials are organized around the Five E’s instructional model (engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate), which makes it easy to incorporate the right activity into the most appropriate part of your lesson plan.

This portal is a tremendous tool for any teacher, whether from Texas or not. And parents may also find it helpful as they work with their children on difficult topics. So be sure to take a look at the Gateway today. There is an excellent Getting Started Guide to help you.

March 9, 2016 6 comments

Advocacy Funding Leadership

Senate Education Committee Hearing on SB 507

by Jennifer Bergland February 18, 2016

written by Jennifer Bergland

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