ESTAR, MSTAR Announcements

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Greetings, Educational Technology Bulletin Members.

Topics included in this bulletin:

• ESTAR/MSTAR Winter Administration Window
• ESTAR Diagnostic Assessments Pilot
• Social Studies Professional Development Course

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ESTAR/MSTAR Winter Administration Window

The winter administration window for the ESTAR/MSTAR Universal Screeners and MSTAR Diagnostic Assessments is now open for all students in grades 2-4 (ESTAR) and 5-8 (MSTAR). The assessments can be accessed through the Project Share Gateway at www.projectsharetexas.org or directly at http://mstar.epsilen.com.

ESTAR Diagnostic Assessments Pilot

The Elementary Students in Texas: Algebra Ready (ESTAR) Diagnostic Assessments (DA) are scheduled to be released statewide in 2015. Before the roll-out, schools serving students in grades 2-5 are invited to take part in the ESTAR DA pilot. The pilot window opened in fall 2014 and remains open. TEA is still in need of pilot participants. Participating students in grades 2-5 are asked to complete 24-36 questions in an online format. Most students require one class period to complete an assessment, but they may complete it in multiple sessions. Please contact Region 10 Education Service Center at universalscreener@region10.org to participate.

Social Studies Professional Development Course

An online professional development course designed primarily for secondary social studies teachers is now available. The course, Facing History and Ourselves: An Introduction to the Holocaust and Human Behavior, is managed by the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission. Teachers may join the course at http://www.epsilen.com/crs/14290145. While the course is aligned to Social Studies TEKS, other content area teachers are invited to participate. CPE credit is 6 hours. For assistance, contact projectshare@tea.texas.gov.

 

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Thank you for your commitment to serving Texas students.

Educational Technology Staff, IMET Division, 512-463-9601

Blair Claussen – Blair.Claussen@tea.texas.gov
Program Specialist, Educational Technology