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Join a TEA Instructional Materials Focus Group!
Would you like to join an instructional materials focus group to collaborate, suggest improvements and make an impact on one or more of the Texas Education Agency’s instructional materials offerings? The TEA provides school districts and educators with direct access to an optional set of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) designed especially for Texas students! We are seeking educator feedback as we work to continuously improve these materials. Focus groups typically meet for 60-75 minutes each month, and the feedback they produce helps inform future editions of TEA’s instructional materials. We look forward to hearing from you. Stay tuned for future opportunities in other subjects and grade bands.
To fill out a short interest form, please click here.
Questions? Email Matthew Russell: Matthew.Russell@tea.texas.gov
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Events
July 1st: Instructional Materials Focus Group application window opens
July 18th: Texas Mobile STEM Laboratory pre-visits will begin
August 12th: Deadline for the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) application
September 13th: Texas Mobile STEM Laboratory kicks off the 22-23 visits
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 Texas EcosySTEM News
Region 7 Education Service Center EcosySTEM Shout Out
Paul Eyler, STEM Lead at ESC 7, congratulates the East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) for winning the Bronze Award for Best Education and Training for non-broadcast in the 43rd Annual Telly Awards with the Become an East Texas Hero – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle video.
National Ecosystem Convening
The Texas team gathered in Bay City, Michigan, to learn and collaborate at the National STEM Ecosystem Community of Practice convening. Michelle Sedberry, the TEA Statewide STEM Coordinator, presented the Texas-Sized STEM Framework and STEM Toolkit to share resources Texas use in STEM programming. The STEM toolkit supports districts when developing a local STEM program that aligns with the high-quality indicators identified by the state. The STEM toolkit provides resources for planning and implementing a PK-12 STEM program aligned to the Texas STEM Framework. An instructional series is available within the Toolkit consisting of six 15-minute videos covering each section of the STEM Toolkit. The instructional series helps users navigate the toolkit and understand the purpose of each tool. Find more information on the PK-12 STEM Webpage.
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Federal STEM Highlight
Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) Grants are Open
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced the ITEST grants. The goal of this applied research and development program is to advance the equitable and inclusive integration of technology in the learning and teaching of STEM from pre-kindergarten through high school. Proposed ITEST projects are expected to: 1) engage students in technology-rich learning; 2) prioritize the full inclusion of groups who have been underrepresented and/or underserved; 3) motivate students to pursue technology-rich careers; and 4) leverage strategic and community partnerships. Applications are due August 12, 2022.
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Texas Mobile STEM Lab Professional Development for Teachers: Fostering a STEM Mindset
During the month of June, the education team for the Texas Mobile STEM Laboratory, Desurae Matthews and Katie Askelson, conducted professional development at the STEM conferences at Education Service Centers 4 and 9. These hands-on sessions included STEM activities that modeled how to foster a STEM mindset in classrooms and helped educators design their own STEM lesson plans incorporating the engineering design process. The picture above features Region 9 educators participating in the session.
The TEA Texas Mobile STEM Laboratory TEKS-aligned curriculum is available at no cost.
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The Texas Education Agency will improve outcomes for all public school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.
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