Taylor I.S.D.
Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Newsletter
May 2013
Summer Time FREE Learning Opportunities!
Check out these fantastic FREE online learning opportunities brought to you through Region 13!
- Connecting with the ELPS: Building Vocabulary #FA1224830
- Connecting with the ELPS: Checking for Understanding #FA1224833
- Connecting with the ELPS: Listening-One Strand of the ELPS #FA1224831
- Connecting with the ELPS: The Magic of Writing for ELLS #FA1224832
- Effective, Strategic, and Successful Decisions for SPED ELLS #FA1224197
You can register for these free courses by-
Step 1: Log onto your e-campus account through https://ecampus.esc13.net/.
Step 2: Type in and search for the Workshop ID for the course(s) that you are
interested in on the top of the page.
Step 3: Follow the workshop wizard to register and confirm your free workshop
registration.
Step 4: Launch the workshop when you're ready to learn online!
Happy Summer & Learning,
~Linda
Change Can Be A Good Thing!
The transition from our private vendor into the hands of TEA will allow dashboard users to see many of their feature requests fulfilled.
Thank you to all of the Student GPS Power Users for 2012-13. I am looking forward to the number of end-users increasing when TEA implements new features on the dashboards.
Until then,
Happy Navigating!
~Nicole Purser
Slideshow and Video Tips & Tricks
- Microsoft Office 2010 (PC)- Click File>Save As and change the Save as Type feature to Windows Media Video (.wmv) to make your presentation a movie.
- Keynote- Click File>Export>Quicktime movie after recording animations and narrations to make your presentation a movie.
- YouTube- Don't just upload videos to YouTube. You can now edit them online. They also have a slideshow creator.
- Other Online Tools- Prezi and Animoto.
- Batch Resize Images- Try this http://www.picresize.com/batch.php
- Editing Photos- SumoPaint and FotoFlexer
Ruminations
As we move toward the end of one school year, and begin planning for the next, I wanted to share a few words from one of my favorite teachers/authors.
"I continue to advocate the power of reflection - for teachers, for students, for all humans. As I have posted before, reflection is when we assess, and realize what we know, and thus, when sustainable growth occurs. Unfortunately, in such a fast paced world, rarely do we take time - or allow our students time - to just think. We live like we are playing video games: if we are blown up, we just start over immediately without really considering what led to the disaster. I use my students’ reflections to inform instruction, and sometimes, to give myself a kick in the pants or a pat on the back. How else will I know if activities are worth doing, if students are learning and growing?"
from Melanie Mayer, author of Two Roads Diverged and I Took Both, and high school English Language Arts teacher.
I hope we all give ourselves, and our students, the time to reflect on the academic learning, and the general life-lessons, that we can take away from this year. I know I certainly have learned many great lessons from fabulous teachers that I will continue to carry with me.
Happy musings!
~Johna
Summertime Reading---for Teachers
Titles for all grades:
*Comprehension Connections: Bridges to Strategic Reading by Tanny McGregor
*Bringing Words to Life, Second Edition: Robust Vocabulary Instruction by Isabel L. Beck
*Rigor Made Easy: Getting Started by Barbara Blackburn
*Rigor is Not a Four-Letter Word by Barbara Blackburn
*Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov
*Driven by Data: A Practical Guide to Improve Instruction by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo
Titles specifically for elementary:
*Growing Readers by Kathy Collins
*Teaching for Deep Comprehension by Linda J. Dorn
*Reading with Meaning, 2nd ed. by Debbie Miller
*Teach with Intention by Debbie Miller
*Making the Most of Small Groups: Differentiation for All by Debbie Diller
*Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work by Debbie Diller
*Practice with Purpose: Literary Work Stations for Grades 3-6 by Debbie Diller
I hope everyone has a great summer! Happy Reading! ~Lucie
STAAR News: The Implementation of the New Mathematics TEKS into STAAR
- adoption of the new TEKS, April 2012
- development of STAAR items to address the new TEKS, 2014
- implementation of the new TEKS in the 2014 - 2015 school year
- field test new STAAR items in the 2014 - 2015 school year
- assessment of the new STAAR items in the 2015 - 2016 school year
Timeline for STAAR EOC
- adoption of the new TEKS, April 2012
- development of STAAR items to address the new TEKS, 2015
- implementation of the new TEKS in the 2015 - 2016 school year
- field test new STAAR items in the 2015 - 2016 school year
- assessment of the new STAAR items in the 2016 - 2017 school year
Alignment of STAAR with New Mathematics TEKS
Prior to the implementation year,
- test questions that assess the skills and concepts from the current TEKS that are NOT included in the new TEKS will be deleted from the test banks
- test questions that assess the skills and concepts from the new TEKS will be developed so that they can be field-tested beginning in the implementation year and potentially included on future assessments
Alignment of STAAR with the New Mathematics TEKS
During the implementation year, STAAR will include
- test questions that assess skills and concepts are in both the current and the new TEKS
- field-test questions that assess the new skills and concepts added to the TEKS
For any given school year, STAAR mathematics assessments will always be in alignment with the TEKS implemented for that particular school year.
Taylor ISD CIA
Email: kkolinek@taylorisd.org
Website: http://cia.taylorisd.schoolfusion.us/
Location: 3101 North Main Street, Taylor, Texas
Phone: 512-365-6361
Twitter: @taylorisdnews