June 2024 Newsletter
Division Updates
New Prekindergarten Social Media Campaign
TEA is currently promoting prekindergarten enrollment through its social media channels! Follow us on social media to share these posts on your own channels. Promote your own prekindergarten programs by using the new resources that can be found on the Prekindergarten Enrollment Social Media Resources page. This campaign will run through August as school districts and charter schools prepare for the upcoming school year. Check it out on the social media channels below:
https://www.facebook.com/TexasEducationAgency/
https://x.com/teainfo
https://www.instagram.com/texaseducationagency/
Prekindergarten Registration and Enrollment Reminders
As students and families return for school year 2024-2025, please remember these key points for prekindergarten eligibility, registration, and enrollment.
- Once determined eligible, a student remains eligible for the remainder of the current school year in the district in which her or she resides or is otherwise entitled to attend for Foundation School Program (FSP) benefits.
- Our goal is to ensure that all eligible prekindergarten students have access to the program and therefore it is important that it is communicated to families of ineligible students that they may return to register their child at any time during the year should there be any changes in their eligibility status such as income.
For additional information and support for prekindergarten, please reference the Student Attendance Accounting Handbook (SAAH), section 7, the Early Childhood Education Division webpages, and our specific page for Prekindergarten Registration and Enrollment.
Upcoming Webinars and Office Hours
Start school year 2024-2025 off with information in your pocket! Join us for these upcoming sessions from your Early Childhood Programs team.
Prekindergarten 3 Office Hour
July 16, 2024, 10:00am-11:00am, CST.
Register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAldequqD0qGdXt4JRvDOKXPE0V4d8wsazD
High-Quality Prekindergarten Webinar
July 23, 2024, 10:00am-11:00am, CST.
Register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwrc-mtqjwiHdMyGcFKKdcouLKXYd89Iyly
High-Quality Prekindergarten- Teacher Qualification Webinar
August 6, 2024, 3:00pm-4:00pm, CST.
Register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwudOigqjMqHdMULUu-qJ3Ej1to6hpsBG4e
Prekindergarten Registration and Enrollment Webinar
August 14, 2024, 10:00am-11:30am, CST.
Register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIoc-qvrj8oE9HktKalYQkp-DI_QSPpvYhE
Early Childhood Assessment Updates
Adopting Commissioner-Approved Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instruments
As local educational agencies prepare for the upcoming school year, those implementing high-quality prekindergarten programs should ensure they have adopted from the updated 2024-2025 through 2026-2027 Commissioner's List of Approved Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instruments when planning for the 2024-25 school year.
The following progress monitoring instruments, in alphabetical order, are on the new Commissioner’s List of Approved Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instruments to be used in the 2024-25 school year:
- Circle Progress Monitoring System by Children’s Learning Institute (CLI)
- COR Advantage by HighScope Educational Research Foundation
- CPALLS+STEM by Circle Progress Monitoring administered through TANGO Software (formerly on the list as CIRCLE Assessment by Liberty Source)
- Frog Street Assessment – Criterion Referenced Assessment by Frog Street
- GOLD® by Teaching Strategies, LLC
- LION for Prekindergarten by Liberty Source
- READY, SET, K! by E3 Alliance
The Commissioner’s list, with detailed information about each instrument, can be found linked on the Educator Resources page of the TEA website or on the Data Tool Selection Guidance webpage.
Adopting Commissioner-Approved Reading Instruments for Grades K–2
Kindergarten: In accordance with TEC §28.006(c-2), LEAs must use either the Texas Kindergarten Entry Assessment (TX-KEA) or mCLASS Texas Edition as the required beginning-of-year kindergarten reading instrument. The authorization period for mCLASS Texas Edition as a free, Commissioner-approved alternative reading instrument for kindergarten is through August 2025 (TEC §28.006(b-1)).
Grades 1 and 2: In accordance with TEC§28.006(c), LEAs must collect data regarding student reading proficiency using an approved instrument (either from the Commissioner's List or selected by a district-level committee as authorized under TEC §28.006 (b) for all students in grades 1 and 2.
There are two free, Commissioner-approved reading instruments for grades 1 and 2: mCLASS Texas and TPRI/Tejas Lee. The authorization period for mCLASS Texas as a free, Commissioner-selected reading instrument for first and second grade is through August 2025 (TEC §28.006(b-1)).
Learn more about each of the instruments approved by the Commissioner for grades K–2 on the Data Tool Selection Guidance page.
Family Engagement
Our Summer Open Office Hours are underway! Join the HQPK Family Engagement team for an opportunity to ask questions about Family Engagement plans, TEA engagement resources, and get feedback on updates to your LEA's Family Engagement plan for SY24-25!
Register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcvfuCprDgiGNQgr3cu-Vd24WAYsP4CG5NK
If you missed the first Office Hour, we have two more scheduled. Please join us on August 7th or October 2nd at 9am.
As a reminder, SY 24-25 HQPK Family Engagement Plans should be posted to district websites by November 1st, 2024.
Teacher Qualifications- HQPK
The high-quality prekindergarten (HQPK) teacher qualification component aims to elevate the prekindergarten teaching profession in Texas by ensuring that teachers have the qualifications needed to effectively support the developmental growth and achievement of Texas’ youngest learners. This component focuses on appropriately certified teachers who have an additional qualification that is early-childhood specific. The Early Childhood Division will be hosting a webinar to include:
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NEW INFORMATION: Updates enacted by House Bill (HB) 2729, 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023 that impact the HQPK-teacher qualification requirement and Early Childhood Data Systems (ECDS) 2024-25 coding requirements.
- Key information about teacher qualification components including certification, professional development options, and Texas educator programs.
High-Quality Prekindergarten - Teacher Qualifications Webinar
Audience: Early Childhood Administrators, Teachers, and PEIMS personnel
Date: Aug 6, 2024
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., CST
Registration Link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwudOigqjMqHdMULUu-qJ3Ej1to6hpsBG4e
Professional Development Summer 2024 Opportunities
The Texas Education Agency actively supports early childhood educators in meeting high-quality prekindergarten components, including options to meet professional development hours. To access a comprehensive list of vetted TEA professional development options, visit the ECE Resources page and use the links under the “Professional Development” section. In addition, you can find more information on the TECPDS website about webinars, professional development trainings, and resources to support early childhood educators in Texas.
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