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March 2024
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Every Tuesday 1:00pm to 3:00pm CST: Division of Authorizing Amendment and Renewal Office Hours
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3/7 1:00pm- 2:30pm CST: McKinney Vento Funding & Sustainability | Register
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3/8 1:00pm-3:30pm CST: GTO Training
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3/26 10:00am-12:00pm CST: Foster Care 201, March 26, 2024 | Register
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3/27 10:00am-11:00am CST: Foster Care Office Hour
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3/28 10:00am-11:30am CST: Purple Star Campus Designation Application Training #1 Register
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With Spring Break approaching, I hope everyone takes some time off to rest and get ready for the end of the school year!
Mark your calendars! We are looking forward to connecting during our next operator council meetings, which are scheduled in March with Zoom meeting links as follows:
Small (Single Campus Operators) – Tuesday, March 26 – 11 a.m. CST
https://zoom.us/j/91818790436
Medium (2 to 5 Campuses) – Thursday, March 28 – 10 a.m. CST
https://zoom.us/j/97479435780
Large (6 or More Campuses) – Thursday, March 28 – 1 p.m. CST
https://zoom.us/j/96322578603
Our agenda for these sessions will include agency updates including safety grant opportunities and the JET grant and authorizing division updates including renewal, amendments, governance, campus activations.
As always, you can email, call, or text me with any questions or concerns.
- Marian
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UPDATES FROM THE AUTHORIZING DIVISION
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Updated GTO Training –March 8, 2024
If you are a charter board training provider, superintendent, officer, or someone who provides support to or wants to learn more about charters, please join us on Friday, March 8th, from 1:00-3:30 p.m. for Charter Governance Training Optimization (GTO) Version 2.0 training. If you are a current GTO training provider, feel free to attend as our GTO materials have been updated.
GTO equips charter board members and school officers with high-quality materials developed by TEA in conjunction with the National Charter School Institute that are directly aligned with board and officer training requirements found in 19 TAC §100.1102-1105. GTO covers a broad range of topics including:
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Why charter boards make a difference
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Board governance expectations and bylaws
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Implementing the goals of the charter contract
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Effective and efficient board meetings
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Evaluating academic performance
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Financial oversight and risk management
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Ensuring services to special populations
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School safety
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Tips for effective governance and continuous improvement.
Please click on the registration link to join us on Friday, March 8th. The training is fun, informative, and will be helpful to you in whatever role you serve with our Texas charters. Please reach out to Bruce Marchand if you have any questions.
We are looking for external reviewers!
The Request for Qualifications for Independent Reviewers of Charter Applications, Grants, and Competitive Opportunities is posted on the ESC 13 website. Please review qualifications and feel free to share with your networks! Reach out to ESC Region 13 with any questions about the application process or performance task.
AskTED Updates
Thanks to everyone who has recently used our All-In-One Form to provide updates to AskTED. During the month of August alone our charter portfolio coordinators processed 1,786 individual AskTED requests through this new process!
Did you know that the All-In-One form can also be used to do the following:
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Request a campus number for a new campus
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Verify information about a new campus or site
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Update governance information, including superintendent and governance board member changes
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Update other charter information that does not require an amendment
Because the information in AskTED is used by the agency as the source of contact information for staff that are in various roles, it’s vital that this information is up to date. In addition, it’s important for you to check to see that the information is correct (name spelled correctly, correct email address) so staff contacts don’t miss important communications from the agency.
When you send an AskTED update using the All-In-One form, you should expect that the information will be updated in AskTED by the end of the next business day. After that time, please check to verify that the information is updated correctly. If you notice that the information is not correct, please reach out directly to your school’s portfolio coordinator.
Please note that some AskTED roles are required by statute for every Texas LEA, including:
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Cybersecurity Coordinator
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Foster Care Liaison
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Homeless Liaison
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Transition & Employment Designee
In addition, there can only be one individual assigned to each campus principal role (assistant principals are not captured in AskTED), and there can only be one individual assigned to the superintendent role as well as the testing coordinator role at the LEA level. Most other roles, including PEIMS coordinator, may have more than one individual assigned.
Amendment and Renewal Update
In order to continue to make thoughtful amendment and renewal decisions, TEA has filed an emergency rule to allow the agency to consider scale scores for determining academically acceptable performance when ratings are not available.
Texas Education Agency filed 19 TAC 100.1020 on an emergency basis on Monday, February 5th. The rule goes into effect immediately and remains in effect for 120 days. The details of the rule are included below.
The purpose of this rule is to allow TEA to review and verify 2023 scale scores internally before granting or denying 2024 amendments or making 2024 renewal determinations.
If a school has questions regarding expedited expansion or high-quality designation amendments, please reach out to your portfolio coordinator in the Division of Authorizing.
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Portfolio Coordinator
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Charter School Assignment
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Jeff Koch
Jeffrey.Koch@tea.texas.gov
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A-D charter schools; Texas College Preparatory Academy, Premier High Schools, NYOS
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Mercedes Coleman
Mercedes.Coleman@tea.texas.gov
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E-L charter schools; KIPP Texas Public Schools, BASIS Texas, School of Science and Technology, School of Science and Technology Discovery
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Brittany Glenn
Brittany.Glenn@tea.texas.gov
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M-So charter schools; Harmony Public Schools
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Laurie McIntyre
Laurie.McIntyre@tea.texas.gov
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Sp-Z schools; Great Hearts Texas, International Leadership of Texas, Uplift Education
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The Texas Education Agency (TEA) adopts on an emergency basis new §100.1020, concerning determination of academic accountability. The new section implements the requirements of Texas Education Code (TEC), §12.1141, Renewal of Charter; Denial of Renewal; Expiration, which requires the commissioner to adopt a procedure for renewal, denial of renewal, or expiration of a charter for an open-enrollment charter school at the end of the term of the charter; and TEC, §12.114, Revision, which requires the commissioner to provide to the charter holder written notice of approval or disapproval of an expansion amendment not later than the 60th day after the date that a charter holder submits a completed request for approval for an expansion amendment.
The new section is adopted on an emergency basis to take effect immediately. As a result of a court order enjoining the commissioner of education from issuing A-F academic accountability ratings for the 2022-2023 school year, TEA, pursuant to Texas Government Code, §2001.034, is adopting this emergency rule on fewer than 30 days' notice in order to comply with requirements of state law found in TEC, Chapter 12, and its associated rules.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY. The new section is adopted under Texas Education Code (TEC), §12.114, which requires the commissioner to provide to the charter holder written notice of approval or disapproval of an expansion amendment not later than the 60th day after the date that a charter holder submits a completed request for approval for an expansion amendment; and §12.1141, which requires the commissioner to adopt a procedure for renewal, denial of renewal, or expiration of a charter for an open-enrollment charter school at the end of the term of the charter.
CROSS REFERENCE TO STATUTE. The new section implements Texas Education Code, §12.114 and 12.1141.
§100.1020. Determination of Academic Accountability.
If academic ratings are not issued for any reason, scaled scores may be used to determine "academically acceptable" and "academically unacceptable" performance.
Farewell from Allison Werner
I wanted to let you know that beginning in March I will be transitioning into the role of Chief of Staff in the Office of Educator and System Support. While I’m sad to move out of the Authorizing Division, I am so excited to continue to serve Texas schools in this new capacity. As the Chief of Staff, I will be supporting the office and its leaders in their work including authorizing, educator preparation, certification, and enforcement, district planning and supports, system innovations, and educator data, research, and strategy.
During the transition period, please contact Marian Schutte for any questions. You are always welcome to reach out to me directly, and I can help connect you with TEA staff.
I look forward to continuing to work with you all in the future!
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NEWS FROM AROUND THE AGENCY
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News from the State Board of Education
Nominations Open for 2024 Student Heroes Award
AUSTIN, Texas – February 19, 2024 – The State Board of Education (SBOE) today announced the opening of the nomination window for the 2024 Student Heroes Award.
Approved by the SBOE in 2015, the Student Heroes Award highlights Texas public school students participating in impactful volunteer service in their communities. Since the award’s inception, nearly 120 Texas public school students with a heart for service have been named Student Heroes. Fifteen students - one per State Board district - receive the award each year, with contributions ranging from initiating inclusive programs for seniors and students with disabilities to facilitating fundraisers for kids receiving medical treatment.
The SBOE encourages students, teachers, administrators, and community members to nominate any Texas public school students who exemplify the core value of selfless service. To be eligible for nomination, service projects performed by nominees must be voluntary and not associated with any curriculum requirement, school service project, or pre-existing community program. Winners will receive a plaque and a medal from their district’s SBOE member during an awards presentation held at their school.
For questions or additional support, email heroes@tea.texas.gov or call the SBOE Support office at (512) 463-9007.
News from the Highly Mobile and At-Risk Student Programs Unit
Texas Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program (TEHCY)
The links for the spring TEHCY program professional development opportunities are now available! More information about these offerings is included in the HMAR Training section below. Brand new for this Spring for the first time, TEA will offer a Funding & Sustainability training that will help LEAs and ESCs plan strategically for sustainability and consider funding and data needs to support program continuity. We look forward to serving you this spring!
Additionally, it’s important to know that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has been updated and released as of January 2024. You can find the full updates on the Federal Student Aid USDE website. As a reminder, the McKinney-Vento Act requires school counselors to assist all students experiencing homelessness with college preparation and readiness. Additionally, LEA (Local Educational Agency) McKinney-Vento Liaisons must inform unaccompanied homeless youth about their independent student status on the FAFSA and assist with verification of that status. Texas Education Agency (TEA) has a Sample FAFSA Verification Form for LEA McKinney-Vento Liaisons located on the TEHCY webpage.
Unaccompanied homeless youth will no longer need to verify their FAFSA independent status on a yearly basis. Beginning with the 2024-25 FAFSA form, applicants will have their answer to the homeless question carried over to subsequent award years.
For more information visit School House Connection recorded webinar The 2024-2025 FAFSA: Helping Homeless and Foster Youth
Heads up! TEHCY ARP I and ARP II Grantees:
We made changes to ARP I and ARP II Program Guidelines through Errata's that were released December 13, 2023. These changes align with the September 12, 2023 USDE guidance that expanded allowable use of funds and activities possible under these grants.
Check out TEA Grant Opportunities and links below for more information:
2021-2024 ARP Homeless I-TEHCY Supplemental Grant - Errata #1
2021-2024 ARP Homeless II Federal Grant - Errata #1
Foster Care and Student Success
Students placed in the care of the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) can happen at any time in the school year. It is imperative that LEAs and foster care stakeholders are clear on statutory requirements regarding the identification and accurate PEIMS coding of students in foster care. Below are some frequently asked questions and import reminders to support proper identification of students, during school transitions:
Q. If students leave foster care within the school year, do they remain coded for the remainder of the year in PEIMS?
A. Yes, when a student receives the Foster Care PEIMS Indicator Code, the student remains coded the full school year and summer months even if the student leaves foster care within the school year.
Q. If a student remains in foster care, does the foster care indicator carry over from year-to-year?
A. No. The Foster Care Indicator code does not carry over from year to year. A student’s time in DFPS Managing Conservatorship is temporary. The student must be re-identified in PEIMS at the beginning of each school year.
More information on this topic can be found in the Foster Care and Student Success Guide, Chapter 7, page 81. Additionally, here is a related pdf and video training.
In addition to these frequently asked questions, we also wanted to provide some additionally important foster care reminders:
- Maintain confidentiality of students’ information.
- Take time to build relationships and establish trust with students in foster care.
- Be mindful of the impact that family-based school programs and activities have on students.
- Be aware of the reasons why a student in foster care may miss school.
- Provide students with choices and include them in decision-making.
- Promote information related to foster care and activities, supports, resources, and scholarships available in school counseling centers, public places, district website, and student portals.
For more information, see the Foster Care and Student Success Guide, Chapter 11, page 115.
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Pregnancy Related Services (New Resource!)
Pregnancy Related Services has recently released an updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Within this FAQ, the discussed topics are program information, attendance requirements, Special Education and McKinney-Vento. We hope to clear up some of the complexities that can occur when interpreting federal and state laws along with the Student Attendance Accounting Handbook concerning this student group.
If you have any program information questions about PRS, please email pregnancyrelatedservices@tea.texas.gov. If you have any financial compliance questions, please contact christina.page@tea.texas.gov.
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Military-Connected Students
Purple Star Campus Designation
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is proud to announce the timeline for the SY 2024-25 Purple Star Campus Designation award. Created by the Texas Legislature in 2019, the Purple Star Campus Designation is awarded to those campuses that demonstrate a strong commitment to meeting the unique needs of military-connected students and their families. Currently, there are 331 Purple Star Campuses across the state of Texas.
All traditional District and open-enrollment charter schools are eligible and strongly encouraged to apply to earn the designation. The window for the SY 2024-25 application will be open April 1, 2024 – June 7, 2024.
TEA will host a Purple Star Campus Designation interest meeting webinar on February 20, 2024, at 10am. Please click here to register for the webinar. To learn more about the Purple Star Campus Designation, please visit our website. Information for application training dates and registration can be found in the Upcoming Training & Events section below.
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Military Interstate Compact
Texas is home to nearly 200,000 military-connected students across all regions of the state. Did you know there is a Military Interstate Compact that requires all Texas schools to support military children when they transfer schools? Specifically, the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children (Military Compact) exists to strengthen transitions and close educational gaps as military families and their children move to a new school district in a member state.
The Military Compact applies to the dependents of active-duty servicemembers, National Guard and Reserve, on active-duty orders, and uniformed members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS). Additionally, the children of veterans who are medically discharged or retired and servicemembers who die while on active duty are eligible under the Compact for a period of one year following the service member's discharge or death. Texas has been a member of the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3) since 2009. The Compact is codified in state law in Texas Education Code (TEC), Chapter 162.
As of 2014, all 50 states, including the District of Columbia, have joined the Military Compact. The Military Compact rules have the force and effect of state statute.
For this reason, it is vitally important that LEA and ESC staff, parents, installation personnel, and other school stakeholders become familiar with the aspects of the Military Compact. The MIC3 rules are available on the MIC3 website.
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MIC3 Compact 101 Asynchronous Virtual Training Available *New Resource*
The national MIC3 training office has announced the creation of a new asynchronous Compact 101 virtual training that covers a variety of topics including:
- Educational records and enrollment
- Course and program placement and attendance
- Eligibility (student enrollment and extracurricular participation)
- Graduation and more
Registration is easy and the course can be taken on demand anytime or anywhere for FREE! For more information or to register for the asynchronous Compact 101 training, please visit the MIC3 Training Portal. Please note that documented training of the Compact 101 course by LEA staff members satisfies one of the five Purple Star Campus Designation criteria requirements.
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Highly Mobile and At-Risk Student Programs Unit Webinars:
- February 15, 2024 | 1:00pm-2:30pm | Register
- May 2, 2024 | 1:00pm-2:30pm | Register
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Texas Education for Homeless Children and Youth Presentations:
- McKinney Vento 101 - Will be pre-recorded and distributed via TEHCY Listserv| Sign up here
- TEHCY Office Hours | February 12, 2024 | 1:00pm-2:00pm
- *NEW* McKinney Vento Funding & Sustainability | March 7th, 2024 | 1:00pm- 2:30pm | Register
- McKinney Vento 201 | April 11, 2024 | 11:00am-1:00pm | Register
- TEHCY/ARP Homeless I & II Grant Coffee Chat | April 18, 2024 | 1:00pm-2:30pm
- TEHCY Office Hours | April 25, 2024 | 12:00pm-1:00pm
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Foster Care Presentations:
- Foster Care 201, March 26, 2024 | 10:00am-Noon | Register
- Foster Care Office Hour | March 27, 2024 | 10:00am-11:00am
- Association for Compensatory Educators of Texas (ACET), April 2-5, 2024, San Antonio, TX | Information
- Foster Care Office Hour | April 24, 2024 | 10:00am-11:00am
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Military Connected Students Webinars and Presentations:
- Purple Star Campus Designation Spring Interest Meeting | February 20, 2024| 10:00am-11:30am | Register
- Purple Star Campus Designation Application Training #1 | March 28, 2024 | 10am-11:30am | Register
- Purple Star Campus Designation Application Training #2 | April 11, 2024 | 1:00pm-2:30pm | Register
Texas Education for Homeless Children and Youth (TEHCY) Program - HomelessEducation@tea.texas.gov
Foster Care and Student Success - FosterCareLiaison@tea.texas.gov
Pregnancy Related Services - PregnancyRelatedServices@tea.texas.gov
Military Connected Students - MilitaryConnectedStudents@tea.texas.gov
Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness - PreventingHumanTrafficking@tea.texas.gov
This Week in Performance Reporting
Preliminary 2024 Accountability Manual Public Comment Period Now Open
On Thursday, February 15, 2024, the notification To the Administrator Addressed (TAA) was announced reflecting the release of the Preliminary 2024 Accountability Manual. The Preliminary 2024 Accountability Manual, Chapters 1-12 are available on the 2024 Accountability Manual webpage. The proposed rule to adopt the manual is now on the Texas Register as of February 23, 2024. The 30-day window for public comments is now open. A public hearing is scheduled for March 5th. Additional information can be found on the Proposed Commissioner of Education Rules website.
2023 Leaver Records Data Validation Compliance Reviews
The Performance-Based Monitoring (PBM) Data Validation System, developed in response to state and federal statutes, analyzes leaver records annually to look for potential data anomalies as required in TEC §39.308. The 2023 Leaver Records Data Validation Manual outlined eight indicators. Districts may retrieve a copy of their Local Education Agency’s (LEA) PBM 2023 Leaver Records Data Validation (LRDV) report to determine if your LEA triggered any 2023 indicators by logging into the Texas Education Agency Login (TEAL) portal to access the Accountability application.
An LEA will have a 2023 Leaver Records Data Reporting Compliance Review form to complete for each indicator triggered. Forms focus on compliance with the Texas Education Data Standards, and indicators one through five will contain prepopulated student-level data to validate. Identified LEAs are expected to (1) validate and document that their data are correct and address any identified potential program implementation concerns found during the process and (2) improve local data collection and submission procedures if the LEA’s identification occurred because of incorrect data.
The Data Reporting Compliance Unit (DRCU) made LRDV compliance review forms available to LEAs for download from the Intervention, Stage, and Activity Manager (ISAM) application accessible through TEAL on February 20, 2024.
PEIMS and Accountability FAQ
What is the deadline to update student information in TIDE?
The finalized “accepted” PEIMS Fall 2023 data will be used on March 11, 2024, to update missing student information in TIDE for students who are already registered in TIDE. Please note that districts can also use TIDE to update some student information, such as student demographic and program enrollment, after March 11, 2024. Please see the District and Campus Coordinator Resources (DCCR) 2023-2024 Calendar of Events for details and deadlines for each TIDE administration event.
The “Final Date to Enter Student Information for Accountability Reporting” is listed in the Administration Events section of the DCCR Calendar of Events link above. Each TIDE administration event has a separate deadline for updates to student information. Changes made after the deadline will not be updated in accountability reports.
In collaboration with the Instructional Materials and Implementation Division please note the following information:
Instructional Materials Review and Adoption (IMRA)
TEA is seeking educators and subject-matter experts across Texas to serve as instructional materials reviewers for the new IMRA review process.
Selected reviewers will earn extra income while making a statewide impact. Reviewers will work in small teams to conduct quality reviews and collaborate with other educators to produce ratings and reports for assigned reading language arts, phonics, and mathematics products. If you or your colleagues want to participate in the IMRA review process, please apply today! To learn more about the IMRA process, visit our website.
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December 15
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Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR); Texas Performance Reporting System (TPRS)
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December 19
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2023 Federal Report Cards Posted; Preliminary 2024 Accelerated Tester List
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January 24
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2023 TAPR Data Downloads Released (public web)
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February 15
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Preliminary 2024 Accountability Manual Release
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Spring 2024
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Military DD Form 4 Collection
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March 2024
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Final 2024 Accelerated Tester List
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March 2024
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AEA registration window
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March 2024
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CCMR Tracker Release
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Delayed
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2023 School Report Card
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Delayed
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2023 A–F Refresh Parent Resources; Explanatory Materials; Videos Released
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Delayed
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2023 Accountability Ratings Published (TEAL); Accountability Appeals Registration Window Opens
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Delayed
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2022 What If Ratings Public Publication; 2023 Accountability Ratings Published (TXschools.gov)
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Delayed
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Preliminary 2023 Public Education Grant (PEG) List Posted
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Delayed
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2023 Appeals Resolved; Final 2023 Ratings Posted
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Delayed
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Results Driven Accountability (RDA) Integration Taskforce Meeting
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Emergent Bilingual Support Division Webinars
2023-2024 Emergent Bilingual Support Division Zoom Meetings
Education Service Centers, School District staff, and Open-Enrollment Charter School staff are invited to attend!
Please contact your local ESC panelist with questions before the EB Support Division Webinars.
Topic: EB Division Webinar
Date: Friday, March 1, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Resources: 3/1/24 Registration
Topic: EB Division Webinar
Date: Friday, April 5, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Resources: 4/5/24 Registration
Topic: EB Division Webinar
Date: Friday, May 17, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Resources: 5/17/24 Registration
Topic: EB Division Webinar
Date: Friday, June 7, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Resources: 6/7/24 Registration
Please send any questions to Englishlearnersupport@tea.texas.gov
News from the Special Populations Team
Texas SPED Support houses a wealth of resources to meet the needs of administrators and educators who support students with disabilities. Wondering how Texas SPED Support can help you? Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Do you have questions about the requirements for child find or IEP development? Go to the topic “State Guidance” and find answers in TEA’s Technical Assistance guides on Child Find and Evaluation and Individualized Education Program Development.
- Do you want to make team meetings more meaningful? Try taking an online course, such as Literacy for All, together. There are a ton of other great options in the Learning Library to meet all your needs.
- Do you need a quick refresher on implementing a specific strategy in your classroom? Or maybe you want to share a new strategy each week at staff meetings? Search for “Strategies in Action” and find videos with real classroom examples. You can also go to the Resources tab and choose “Video” as the Type and you’ll find a ton of other great videos ranging from 1 minute to 1 hour.
- Do you need a tool or a template and don’t have time to make your own? Go to the Resources tab and choose “Tool/Template” as the Type. You’ll find things like the TIER Progress Monitoring Tool, UDL Lesson Plan Form Template, Administrator Interview Resource, and more!
- Do you need help with a very specific situation and can’t find the answer in any of the Texas SPED Support resources? Go to the Contacts tab and find an expert in your region to reach out to.
News from the Department of Grant Compliance and Administration
Competitive Grant Opportunity Published on the TEA Grant Opportunities Page
TEA is announcing the availability of grant funds for the 2024-2026 Texas Strategic Staffing Grant for Sustainable, Paid Teacher Residency Program grant program. Request for Application (RFA) #701-24-119 is authorized by the GAA, Article III, Rider 39, 88th Texas Legislature. The RFA is available on the TEA Grant Opportunities Page.
Eligibility
Independent school districts and charters are eligible for funding. All applicants must also produce a letter verifying partnership with a Texas vetted teacher residency program to be considered eligible for this grant award.
Grant Period
- June 1, 2024 through April 30, 2026.
- This is expected to be a one-time grant for the grant period listed above.
Funding
- A total of approximately $1,920,000 is available for this grant program.
- It is anticipated that approximately 24 grants will be awarded
- Grant awards are expected to range from $70,000 to $80,000.
Description
The Texas Strategic Staffing for Sustainable, Paid Teacher Residency Programs Grant is a two-year grant to districts and charters, designed to provide direct technical assistance and other supports to districts/charters and educator preparation program (EPP) partnerships to design and implement paid, year-long High-Quality, Sustainable Teacher Residencies across SY 2023-2024 and SY 2024-2025. Strategic Staffing supports will be provided by Education Service Centers through the Texas Strategic Staffing (TSS) technical assistance service. Districts/charters and EPPs will make informed decisions to develop paid teacher residencies that leverage reallocation and reinvestment of local funds to support teacher residents’ wages while they engage in other instructional responsibilities such as: substitute teaching, paraprofessional roles, tutoring, and more.
In addition to in-kind technical assistance service from an Education Service Center (ESC) technical assistance provider, each district/charter will receive funding to compensate and co-fund the salary for the district/charter employee who will project manage and lead the work in the district/charter across the two years of the grant in SY 2024-2025 and SY 2025-2026.
Application Deadline
Applications must be received by the Texas Education Agency by 11:59 p.m. (Central Time), April 2, 2024, to be considered for funding.
News from the Curriculum Standards Team
Senate Bill (SB) 1506, 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023, amended Texas Education Code (TEC) §38.032 requiring TEA to post on the agency’s website a form to be used to submit a seizure management and treatment plan that includes specific information and the signatures of the student’s parent or guardian and the physician responsible for the seizure treatment.
This change in law only applies to a seizure management and treatment plan submitted to a school district or open-enrollment charter school on or after January 1, 2024.
Please note that the required form originally posted has been revised in collaboration with the Epilepsy Foundation based on feedback received from numerous stakeholders from around the state. We greatly appreciate everyone’s input and feedback in streamlining the required form.
The final version of the required form to be used for submitting this information can be found under the Announcements section of the Healthy and Safe School Environment of the Coordinated School Health Model webpage.
A Spanish version of the form will be available in the coming weeks, and a notification will be sent when the form is posted.
For questions related to the form, please contact healthandsafety@tea.texas.gov.
To provide guidance regarding common questions related to fine arts, TEA’s enrichment team will be providing a set of interactive engagement sessions. These sessions are designed for fine arts and physical education (PE) educators, administrators, and counselors. This first set of sessions will provide information about many fine arts topics that relate to PE, including:
- fine arts activities (such as marching band or drill team);
- earning PE credit through fine arts courses; and
- middle school physical activity requirements.
The following two options are available for attending this first set of fine arts engagement sessions. (Both sessions repeat the same content.)
Registration information for future engagement sessions will be posted on the TEA fine arts webpage.
The Texas Education Code, Sections 38.101 and 38.103, requires that each school district and charter school annually assess the fitness level of all public school students in grades 3–12 enrolled in physical education course or any physical education substitute course or activity. School districts and open-enrollment charter schools are required to submit the results of the physical fitness assessment to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) each school year. For the 2023-2024 school year, districts and charter schools may submit their data through one of three options, FitnessGram®, the Physical Fitness Assessment Initiative (PFAI) application, or other vendor collection tool.
For additional information about the three options, please see the August 17, 2023, To the Administrator Addressed (TAA) Letter pertaining to the annual physical fitness assessment.
Please note that for any of the options selected, the deadline to submit fitness assessment results for the 2023-2024 school year is on or before 5:00 pm (CDT) on June 14, 2024.
For FitnessGram Users
FitnessGram users may start submitting data in the FitnessGram tool now through June 14, 2024.
For information about FitnessGram, please visit https://help.fitnessgram.net/texas/ for instructions and registration information. The last day to register for a FitnessGram site license for 2023–2024 is on or before 5:00 pm (CDT) on June 7, 2024.
For technical assistance questions, please call 1-866-211-2718 or email support@fitnessgram.net. You may also visit https://help.fitnessgram.net/texas/.
For PFAI Users
For districts that have chosen to use the physical fitness assessment initiative application (PFAI) or other vendor collection tool (that is not FitnessGram), the PFAI system opened for data submission January 2024.
To submit data, districts are required to have a TEA Login (TEAL) account with access to the PFAI application. Please plan at least two weeks to obtain a TEAL account prior to submitting fitness data. Information and resources, which include a PFAI Quick Start Guide, PFAI File Information and Upload Help Template, PFAI Data Template Spreadsheet, and PFAI Data Submission FAQs, have been posted to the Physical Fitness Assessment Initiative web page to assist districts with a successful data submission.
Questions related to the PFAI application may be directed to TEA by telephone at (512) 463-9581 or by email at pfaiprogramsupport@tea.texas.gov.
Off-campus physical activity approval requests for activities that may satisfy the state physical education graduation requirement must be submitted by the last school day in January of the current academic year. For the 2023-2024 school year, the approval deadline, January 31, 2024, has passed.
Off-campus physical activity approval requests for the 2024-2025 school year will be accepted beginning May 1, 2024, and must be submitted by the approval deadline January 31, 2025.
There are no substitutions, exemptions, or waivers for physical education in middle school. The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) are the state curriculum standards that identify what every student must know and be able to do by the end of each grade level and course in the required curriculum.
The 19 TAC §74.3(a)(1) establishes physical education is part of the required curriculum in middle school. School districts and charter schools are required to teach the grade level specific TEKS for physical education all three years at each grade level (6th, 7th, and 8th) and ensure that students are proficient in those TEKS. The TEKS for middle school physical education can be found by visiting 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 116, Subchapter B.
The Texas Education Agency’s Texas School Mental Health Program is hosting their 2024 Mental and Behavioral Health Webinar Series the second Thursday of each month from January to June from 11:00am – 12:30pm (CDT) via Zoom webinar. Topics for the webinar series include:
- school mental health
- substance abuse prevention
- school discipline
- early mental health interventions
- approaches to whole child student support
- and building community partnerships to increase capacity
To register for each webinar, please visit the series event page.
TEA is seeking educators and subject-matter experts across Texas to serve as instructional materials reviewers for the new IMRA review process.
Selected reviewers will earn extra income while making a statewide impact. Reviewers will work in small teams to conduct quality reviews and collaborate with other educators to produce ratings and reports for assigned reading language arts, phonics, and mathematics products.
If you or your colleagues want to participate in the IMRA review process, please apply today! To learn more about the IMRA process, visit our website.
Each year the Texas Education Agency (TEA) invites Texas educators to provide feedback on the development of state assessments (STAAR, STAAR Alternate 2, and TELPAS) through educator committees across all assessed grades and content areas. Developing high-quality, aligned questions relies on the expertise and experience of Texas educators. Participants collaborate with other educators from across the state to review, edit, and approve each potential question for state assessments. TEA is specifically looking for educators from your region!
The commitment is generally two to three days in Austin with all travel, accommodations, and substitute coverage paid for by TEA. All participants will earn Continuing Professional Education credits. If you are interested or know other educators who would like to participate in a committee, fill out the application form here: https://www.texasassessment.gov/educator-committees.html.
Past To the Administrator Addressed Correspondence
The following new Texas Education Agency Correspondence has been posted at the TEA website:
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Arlington Classics Academy |
ACA is receives the Education Champion Award in the 40th Annual Governor's Volunteer Awards.
Arlington Classics Academy (Arlington): Education Champion Award
Arlington Classics Academy has embedded volunteerism and fostered empathy and responsibility in its community culture for 25 years. The Griffin Goodfellows program, a core initiative, engages students in diverse community service projects, volunteer activities, and fundraisers. Collaborations with Mission Arlington and the Salvation Army's Red Kettle Mayoral Challenge result in significant contributions, with students collecting more than 27,000 canned food items and donating an average of $624 annually. The program goes beyond traditional philanthropy, including initiatives like Rucks for Trucks, Toys for Tots, and support for organizations such as Patriot Paws. Approximately 100 students receive the Griffin Goodfellow Award annually, fostering a sense of accomplishment and shaping socially responsible, empathetic leaders for over two decades.
The full press release is here: https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/first-lady-abbott-onestar-foundation-announce-40th-annual-governors-volunteer-awards-recipients?fbclid=IwAR0t04kLtLuDY_we813GerGCXuj437qkLEQmmWQn82Ajh1yyOfxeIl01isM
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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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