Mar 14, 2014
Jun 11, 2013
Texas teachers honored at Texas Indy Car race
Two Oklahoma teachers who used their bodies to
shield kindergarteners when their school took a direct hit from a
tornado were honored at the IndyCar race in Texas on Saturday night.
Jennifer Simonds and Anna "Sam" Canaday work at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., which was hit by an EF5 tornado May 20.
Before teaming with Canaday on an enthusiastic command for drivers to start their engines at Texas Motor Speedway, Simonds said the teachers don't see themselves as heroes.
"I'm very thankful I'm alive and I'm thankful to do things like this," said Simonds, who had never before been to or even seen a race. "But I don't see myself as a hero."
Read The Entire Article Here
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/motor/indycar/2013/06/08/oklahoma-teachers-tornado-honored-texas-motor-speedway/2404273/
Jennifer Simonds and Anna "Sam" Canaday work at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., which was hit by an EF5 tornado May 20.
Before teaming with Canaday on an enthusiastic command for drivers to start their engines at Texas Motor Speedway, Simonds said the teachers don't see themselves as heroes.
"I'm very thankful I'm alive and I'm thankful to do things like this," said Simonds, who had never before been to or even seen a race. "But I don't see myself as a hero."
Read The Entire Article Here
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/motor/indycar/2013/06/08/oklahoma-teachers-tornado-honored-texas-motor-speedway/2404273/
Governor Signs HB 5--Reducing End-of-Course Testing, Revising Graduation Standards
Governor Signs HB 5--Reducing End-of-Course Testing, Revising Graduation Standards
Gov. Rick Perry today formally signed HB 5 by Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock (R-Killeen), the bill to reduce the number of required end-of-course STAAR tests to five from 15. The bill also creates new options for meeting graduation requirements, with emphasis on career interests.
Gov. Perry rejected calls for a veto of HB 5 from some in the business community and the testing industry who claimed the bill would lower academic standards. Perry said at today’s bill-signing ceremony that the legislation “will ensure the rigor in the classroom and our curriculum will be maintained.” Perry insisted that under this bill “Texas refuses to dilute our academic standards.”
From Texas AFT’s standpoint, HB 5 is a good bill that could have been better. It does not fundamentally alter the high-stakes nature of achievement testing under the Texas accountability system for public schools. The main cause of the excessive emphasis on state achievement-test results is the system of punitive sanctions that apply to schools with as few as two years of test scores below state standards. That test-driven system of sanctions is not changed appreciably by HB 5.
Unfortunately, HB 5 omits language Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) had inserted in the Senate version that would have barred uses of state achievement tests for purposes for which they are not demonstrably valid and reliable. This provision could have been a bulwark against the continued misuse of test results for punitive, high-stakes ratings of school districts, schools, students, and educators.
HB 5 does a better job on the issue of excessive testing and time devoted to testing in high school. It limits state end-of-course tests to Algebra I, Biology, English I, English II, and U.S. History. The English I and English II tests will assess both reading and writing. Districts will have the option of administering post-secondary readiness tests for diagnostic purposes in Algebra II and English III, but passing these exams will not be required for graduation, and the exams will not count in state accountability ratings.
The bill removes the requirement that a student’s performance on end-of-course exams must count for 15 percent of the student’s final grade in each course tested. In addition, under an amendment to HB 5 by Rep. Mike Villarreal (D-San Antonio), no more than two district-required benchmark tests can be administered to prepare a student for the corresponding state achievement test.
The state accountability system under HB 5 will use a new A-to-F grading system for school districts but will retain the existing ratings of exemplary, recognized, academically acceptable, and academically unacceptable for campuses. HB 5 somewhat counterbalances the simplistic use of the A-to-F labels for districts by adding new accountability ratings for community and student engagement and for financial performance. Ratings in these two new categories will be reported alongside academic ratings, and the academic ratings must use indicators based on other factors in addition to standardized state assessments. However, the extent of reliance on standardized state tests still is left up to the commissioner of education, and Commissioner Michael Williams already has come out with a new set of academic-performance measures that rely chiefly on state test scores to gauge proficiency, growth, college and career readiness, and the closing of achievement gaps.
HB 5 eliminates the Minimum Recommended, and Advanced High School graduation programs, creating a new Foundation High School Program in their place. The bill creates endorsements on a student’s diploma for completing certain courses reflecting career interests: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; business and industry; public services; arts and humanities; and multidisciplinary studies. The bill requires students to identify an endorsement they intend to pursue when they start ninth grade. Four years of math are required to qualify for automatic admission to state universities. A student could choose to graduate under the 22-credit Foundation plan, without any additional work to earn an endorsement, after full notice of the consequences and with parental approval. The 22-credit plan includes four years of English, three of math, three of science, three of social studies, two of foreign language one of fine arts, one of physical education, and five electives. All graduating students would be eligible for state college financial aid.
Upcoming Hotline messages will explore additional features of this 109-page bill. Suffice it to say for now that Commissioner Williams and the staff at the Texas Education Agency will have their hands full for some while implementing the many changes in policy required by HB 5.
May 15, 2013
What if Finland’s great teachers taught in U.S. schools?
By Valerie Strauss,
Read the entire article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/05/15/what-if-finlands-great-teachers-taught-in-u-s-schools-not-what-you-think/Finland’s Pasi Sahlberg is one of the world’s leading experts on school reform and the author of the best-selling “Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn About Educational Change in Finland?” In this piece he writes about whether the emphasis that American school reformers put on “teacher effectiveness” is really the best approach to improving student achievement.
He is director general of Finland’s Centre for International Mobility and Cooperation and has served the Finnish government in various positions and worked for the World Bank in Washington D.C. He has also been an adviser for numerous governments internationally about education policies and reforms, and is an adjunct professor of education at the University of Helsinki and University of Oulu. He can be reached at pasi.sahlberg@cimo.fi.
By Pasi Sahlberg
Read the entire article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/05/15/what-if-finlands-great-teachers-taught-in-u-s-schools-not-what-you-think/
May 4, 2013
Wanted: A few (thousand) educators and parents to defend our schools
Apr 29, 2013
Teacher’s STAAR perspective
One Teacher’s STAAR perspective
http://letterstotheeditorblog.dallasnews.com/2013/04/a-day-of-staar-testing-through-a-third-grade-teachers-eyes.html/April 24, 2013
Tomorrow when my
students take the first STAAR test of their young lives, they will be
exactly measured and judged against all other 3rd graders in the state.
There are no special boxes to check off for them that say: raised by
single parent with 3 jobs or slept on the floor or we didn't get dinner.
Equally so, there aren't special boxes for other students that say:
college educated parents or had a healthy meal or slept in a clean,
comfy bed or both parents kissed me goodnight and told me they're proud
of me.
The state will never see how some of our kids came to us not knowing how to read (yes, even at 3rd grade) or knowing the difference between odd and even numbers yet they will leave us in 35 school days having made huge gains, some by as many as 2 grade levels.
To the state, they are still behind. To the state, many will be considered failures should we not meet our new state blanketed "Meets AYP" standard.
To the state, they're just another number. Another quota.
To me and my team, they're kids who need an extra hug, who need words of encouragement and who need some sense of stability. They need people believing in them. They need to know they have hope when their parents say there's none. They need something good in their life when so much seems astray. We give that to them the absolute best way we can the 7 hours they're with us.
It's my calling. It's my heart. It's my life.
I do not bark at them. I do not scream. Right now as I sit back and watch, I see them smiling and completing test review games while listening to beach music. They're relaxed. They're explain their thinking. They're reasoning. They're teaching others.
They do not feel even the slightest sense of stress, fear or frustration from me because I hide it well. They do not realize their bubbling A over C on a question impacts my "grade" and "effectiveness" as a teacher. In my heart I know I'll be remembered by each of them and their parents have faith I've done more than everything imaginable for their child. That keeps me hopeful.
Regardless of how my 22 little scholars perform, I have hope and faith that they will rise above "projections" and doubters and do the very best of THEIR ability and be proud of themselves. As long as they give me 110%. Not 10%.
I've done my job. Now it's time for them to do theirs.
In the midst of all other life's struggles and demands, tomorrow they will show you, State of Texas, they CAN...
...and then they'll go back to being a kid again. Pretending to be pirates out at sea or princesses riding ponies and living happily ever after.
After all, they're only 9.
Tomorrow when my students take the first STAAR test of their young lives, they will be exactly measured and judged against all other 3rd graders in the state. There are no special boxes to check off for them that say: raised by single parent with 3 jobs or slept on the floor or we didn't get dinner. Equally so, there aren't special boxes for other students that say: college educated parents or had a healthy meal or slept in a clean, comfy bed or both parents kissed me goodnight and told me they're proud of me.The state will never see how some of our kids came to us not knowing how to read (yes, even at 3rd grade) or knowing the difference between odd and even numbers yet they will leave us in 35 school days having made huge gains, some by as many as 2 grade levels.
To the state, they are still behind. To the state, many will be considered failures should we not meet our new state blanketed "Meets AYP" standard.
To the state, they're just another number. Another quota.
To me and my team, they're kids who need an extra hug, who need words of encouragement and who need some sense of stability. They need people believing in them. They need to know they have hope when their parents say there's none. They need something good in their life when so much seems astray. We give that to them the absolute best way we can the 7 hours they're with us.
It's my calling. It's my heart. It's my life.
I do not bark at them. I do not scream. Right now as I sit back and watch, I see them smiling and completing test review games while listening to beach music. They're relaxed. They're explain their thinking. They're reasoning. They're teaching others.
They do not feel even the slightest sense of stress, fear or frustration from me because I hide it well. They do not realize their bubbling A over C on a question impacts my "grade" and "effectiveness" as a teacher. In my heart I know I'll be remembered by each of them and their parents have faith I've done more than everything imaginable for their child. That keeps me hopeful.
Regardless of how my 22 little scholars perform, I have hope and faith that they will rise above "projections" and doubters and do the very best of THEIR ability and be proud of themselves. As long as they give me 110%. Not 10%.
I've done my job. Now it's time for them to do theirs.
In the midst of all other life's struggles and demands, tomorrow they will show you, State of Texas, they CAN...
...and then they'll go back to being a kid again. Pretending to be pirates out at sea or princesses riding ponies and living happily ever after.
After all, they're only 9.
The state will never see how some of our kids came to us not knowing how to read (yes, even at 3rd grade) or knowing the difference between odd and even numbers yet they will leave us in 35 school days having made huge gains, some by as many as 2 grade levels.
Apr 21, 2013
TRS Benefits Could See Major Cuts
Texas Teacher Retirement System Benefits Could See Major Cuts
Send Your Legislators a Message—We Need a Fair Deal on TRS Benefits, Not Another Raw Deal: A bill to cut already-earned TRS benefits for hundreds of thousands of school employees could come up for a Senate vote any day now. Please take the opportunity NOW to write again to your senator and representative to oppose the committee substitutes for SB 1458 and HB 1884 and to urge the legislature to:
--reject the take-away of already-earned pension benefits from current employees;
--increase the state’s contribution rate to TRS, as recommended by TRS actuaries, to 6.9 percent in fiscal 2014 and 7.4 percent in fiscal 2015;
--require any increase in the employee contribution rate to be gradual and to be matched by increases in the state contribution rate; and
--provide an immediate benefit enhancement such as a 13th check for all retirees, not just for a small minority as proposed in SB 1458 and HB 1884.
Send Your Legislators a Message—We Need a Fair Deal on TRS Benefits, Not Another Raw Deal: A bill to cut already-earned TRS benefits for hundreds of thousands of school employees could come up for a Senate vote any day now. Please take the opportunity NOW to write again to your senator and representative to oppose the committee substitutes for SB 1458 and HB 1884 and to urge the legislature to:
--reject the take-away of already-earned pension benefits from current employees;
--increase the state’s contribution rate to TRS, as recommended by TRS actuaries, to 6.9 percent in fiscal 2014 and 7.4 percent in fiscal 2015;
--require any increase in the employee contribution rate to be gradual and to be matched by increases in the state contribution rate; and
--provide an immediate benefit enhancement such as a 13th check for all retirees, not just for a small minority as proposed in SB 1458 and HB 1884.
House Democrats Urge Use of Rainy Day Fund to Restore Aid for Public Education
Texas Education Legislation 2013
House Democrats Send Message to Speaker Urging Use of Rainy Day Fund to Restore Aid for Public Education:
Every one of the 55 Democrats in the Texas House has signed on to a letter to Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) declaring support for the use of the Rainy Day Fund to restore state funding for public education. The letter notes that legislation authorizing use of the reserve fund for water and transportation projects is expected to come up soon on the House floor. The Democrats unanimously assert: “We are committed to supporting a comprehensive plan providing for the use of the Rainy Day Fund to support public education, water and transportation. To do less is unacceptable.”
With Fig-Leaf Amendments Attached, Voucher Bills Head to Senate Floor
With Fig-Leaf Amendments Attached, Voucher Bills Head to Senate Floor: On April 11, 2013 a bare five-member majority of the Senate Education Committee approved two voucher bills with fig-leaf amendments attached that fail to camouflage what these bills would do—divert public funds to private schools unaccountable to taxpayers. SB 23 by Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston) is a tax-credit voucher bill that would reward companies with a tax break for funneling money to private schools in the form of “scholarships.” The main “fig leaf” for SB 23 took the form of an amendment by Sen. Eddie Lucio (D-Brownsville) limiting voucher eligibility to students both at risk of dropping out and with family income up to double the maximum level for reduced-price school lunches (e.g., up to $87,136 for a family of four).
Mar 17, 2013
Texas Tax Breaks Cost Schools, Benefit Select Few
Some tax breaks have become par for the course
March 17, 2013
Twenty years ago, the Sunday front page of the Houston
Chronicle reported that in Harris County "a dozen posh country clubs are
receiving a special tax break that allows the exclusive clubs to avoid
paying almost $1.6 million in property taxes each year."Chief among them was the River Oaks Country Club, whose well-tended golf course is the playground of Houston's elite. Nestled next to downtown, that property was taxed at a fraction of its market value.
Mar 15, 2013
Long Term Substitutes: Beware of False Promises
This is the story of a long term substitute in a Houston area school district, and it is not an isolated event. The purpose of this post is to bring to light misinformation brought on by district administration that directly affects the teachers and students that work and learn there.*
Flood of Education Bills at Texas Legislature
Flood of Bills as Legislature Hits Bill Filing Deadline Several School Voucher Bills Among Them
The
60th day of the legislative session came and went on Friday with a tidal wave
of last minute legislative proposals being filed. According to the Dallas
Morning News, more than 2,300 bills were filed during the last week, with
763 filed on Friday.
Regrettably,
a number of harmful school voucher bills were among them, including:
Tax
Credit Voucher Bills
- SB 23/SB1410 by Senator Patrick (R-Houston)/Senator Paxton (R-McKinney)
- SB 1015 by Senator Paxton (R-McKinney)
- HB 3245 by Rep. Callegari (R-Houston)
While
they vary slightly in their particulars and the labels attached to them, these
tax credit voucher bills all share a common theme—they use a corporate tax
credit against taxes owed to the State of Texas to divert state dollars to
private schools through a private non-profit corporation that picks students to
receive “scholarships” to attend private schools. Private schools get a
government subsidy using taxpayer dollars, corporations get a tax break, a
small handful of students are benefited, and the 5 million students in Texas
public schools get nothing.
Mar 12, 2013
Matt Damon Speaks before Save Our Schools March
"I
had incredible teachers. And as I look at my life today, the things I
value most about myself — my imagination, my love of acting, my passion
for writing, my love of learning, my curiosity — all of these things
came from how I was parented and taught.
Feb 24, 2013
Bad News for Texas Teachers
More bad news for Texas teachers
Friday, February 22, 2013
Read the entire article here
A few recent studies paint a mostly dismal picture for teachers in Texas and across the nation.
According to a recent National Education Association study, Texas’ per-pupil spending has fallen to about $8,500 — about $2,000 below the national average. (New York spends $17,746 per student.)
Nearly 5 million children attend public school in Texas — the second highest population in the country — but Texas has the largest instructional staff with 366,204 K-12 public school employees. Of those, 324,243 are teachers, data from the union said. That means there’s one teacher for every 14.7 students in Texas, compared to California’s abysmal ratio of 24:1...
Friday, February 22, 2013
Read the entire article here
A few recent studies paint a mostly dismal picture for teachers in Texas and across the nation.
According to a recent National Education Association study, Texas’ per-pupil spending has fallen to about $8,500 — about $2,000 below the national average. (New York spends $17,746 per student.)
Nearly 5 million children attend public school in Texas — the second highest population in the country — but Texas has the largest instructional staff with 366,204 K-12 public school employees. Of those, 324,243 are teachers, data from the union said. That means there’s one teacher for every 14.7 students in Texas, compared to California’s abysmal ratio of 24:1...
Feb 22, 2013
Left Off of the Party Invitation List
Feb 4, 2013
Central Texas Teachers are Armed - Do You Feel Safer?
How often do you think teachers lose their keys, forget a few grades, get angry at students? After all the recent national criticism of teachers' competency to do their jobs, now those same criticizers want to arm them? What will be next?
Feb 3, 2013
Schools Suffer - Corporations Win Big in Texas
Standardized tests cost $1.2 billion since 2000
Investigation from KXAN
Feb 1, 2013
State Representatives & Senators Contact Information
State Representatives & Senators;
U.S. Representatives & Senators for Fort Bend County, Texas
Texas budget writers anticipate losing court case over school funding
Top Texas budget writers anticipate losing court case over school funding
Austin Bureau
31 January 2013 11:10 PM
AUSTIN — The Legislature’s top budget writers indicated Thursday that they are pessimistic about the state’s chances of winning in a lawsuit brought by hundreds of school districts, though they said they haven’t seen harm to public schools from budget cuts enacted two years ago. Sen. Tommy Williams and Rep. Jim Pitts said that the state should set aside money in the budget — or leave money unspent — in case the Texas Supreme Court rules against the state late this year or next year. The districts’ suit argues that state school aid formulas are unconstitutionally unequal and their funding inadequate. “We’re looking at … an epic battle on this in 2014,” said Williams, R-The Woodlands.
Austin Bureau
31 January 2013 11:10 PM
AUSTIN — The Legislature’s top budget writers indicated Thursday that they are pessimistic about the state’s chances of winning in a lawsuit brought by hundreds of school districts, though they said they haven’t seen harm to public schools from budget cuts enacted two years ago. Sen. Tommy Williams and Rep. Jim Pitts said that the state should set aside money in the budget — or leave money unspent — in case the Texas Supreme Court rules against the state late this year or next year. The districts’ suit argues that state school aid formulas are unconstitutionally unequal and their funding inadequate. “We’re looking at … an epic battle on this in 2014,” said Williams, R-The Woodlands.
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