ESC TODAY
Timely Information and Resources for Region 11 Schools
September 14, 2016
ESC TODAY is published twice a month on the first and third Wednesdays throughout the school year.
ESC Region 11 STEAM Carnival coming in October
STEAM Carnival is a two- to three-hour field trip for students in grades 4-8.
Coming soon - more details about how your students can participate in this epic learning opportunity.
Student Showcase Projects for STEAM Carnival
ESC Region 11 is seeking student showcase projects for the ESC Region 11 STEAM Carnival in October. Showcase projects should reflect work integrating two or more areas - Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.
Projects can be showcased by individuals, student groups, classes, or programs.
Full guidelines and expectations. Projects should be submitted by Friday, September 23, 2016.
Digital form to submit showcase projects.
Administrators (Campus and District), Human Resources, Charter School Administrators
HR Summit - September 23
Managing human resources gets more complicated every year. At ESC Regions 10 and 11, we know how important it is to stay on top of new HR requirements and best practices, so we’ve assembled a host of great presenters for our Fall 2016 HR Summit. #DFWHRSummit
Check out the entire schedule of general and breakout sessions here.
More information about the keynote speaker, Dan Korem, and his topic "SNAPSHOT: Reading, Treating and Hiring People Right the First Time."
Please click HERE to register.
Administrators, Special Education Teachers
ESC Region 11 is the first education service center in Texas to partner with SuccessEd, a software provider for educators, to provide districts and charter schools with SE 504, a software solution to manage Section 504 programs.
You are invited to join us for our next training and information session on October 5, 9 a.m.- noon.
SE 504 provides online forms and data tracking for compliance and reporting required by Section 504, a federal law that provides for a child with a disability to have equal access to an education, including accommodations and modifications.
Campus Administrators
New from ESC Region 11’s Data Analysis service, Campus-level item assessment banks are now available for purchase. Assessment banks have been available to districts for district-level testing, but many campuses have requested the campus-level item banks. These item banks supply educators with the tools and services necessary to develop and improve the quality of education provided to students.
We offer two types of campus-level item banks:
Available to any Campus for purchase:
- TAG: DMAC Solutions - a web-based program that allows educators to create assessments in order to monitor student progress. Creating local assessments gives administrators and teachers the ability to monitor student progress and to make data-driven instructional decisions based on specific strengths and weaknesses. TAG was developed by ESC Region 7.
For our Focus and Priority Schools only:
- The STAR One™ Texas-Aligned Item Bank is a high-quality, software-based resource that can be used to develop rigorous, aligned benchmark tests - an integral component of comprehensive curriculum and educational processes. STAR One™ was developed by ESC Region 1 to help elementary and secondary school students and educators.
For more information please contact, Elizabeth Schrader, (817) 740-7504.
Charter Schools
Stay Informed
To get automatic updates for Region 11 charter schools, please subscribe to our listserv. Subscription information is located at the top of the charter schools home page.
Charter Roundtable
September 29 - 1 p.m.
The Charter Roundtable is a network meeting for Region 11 charter school personnel. For more information, contact Keela McGraw, (817) 740-7526.
TEA Newsletter for Charter Schools
Distance Learning - Connect2Texas is a Primary Resource
Connect2Texas providers offer access to countless primary resources via video conferencing technology. These resources include historical documents, photographs, paintings, sculptures, maps, drawings, live animals, ancient artifacts, and much more. Not to mention the various experts, eyewitnesses, scientists, meteorologists, conservationists, museum curators, astronomers, musicians, authors, historians, archivists, zoo keepers, and artists! Video conferencing gives the concept of primary resources a whole new face. The world is our resource, so don't let it pass you by.
Find out about upcoming programs, grade levels, curriculum alignment, cost, and how to register.
Instructional Math Coaches, Teachers (3rd & 4th Grade)
Looking for practical ideas for your Mathematics Interactive Notebook? Join this innovative online course to get notebook inspiration that aligns to your grade’s TEKS!
The course will provide materials with mathematical concepts that you can use to design journal entries for your class. Once a month, participants will have an opportunity to video chat with peers about implementation tips and techniques.
More information:
Registration for 3rd-grade staff
Registration for 4th-grade staff
Twitter Chat Party
Continue the Math conversation. Join the Twitter Chat #ESC11Math on the first Tuesday of every month at 8 p.m.
Math Teachers, Math Coaches
Join us for STAARting with the TEKS: Math for the Digital Age Academies as part of ESC Region 11’s Mathematics Initiative. Through problem-based activities and a blended learning environment, teachers will experience the rigor of the revised Math TEKS as well as the 21st-century skills students need. During two face-to-face sessions, participants will spotlight and deconstruct a Student Expectation, analyze potential learning gaps between grade levels, understand the learning progression of the spotlighted SE, and design tasks related to the spotlighted SE using two parallel technologies. This same process will be followed as participants complete two online modules through Canvas in between the two face-to-face sessions.
For more information, contact Alison Lentz, (817) 740-3636.
Teachers, Specialists, Administrators
New Cohort begins September 27
Five-part educational series on the Syfr method
Teachers are seeking ways to collaborate with others and refine classroom practices so that more students are successful, fewer students need interventions, students can make connections, and creativity again finds a place in learning. Educators implementing the Syfr method have consistently seen up to an 80 percent improvement in classroom assessment scores.
To support educators in this challenge, Richard Erdmann and Christine Drew, authors of The Art of Learning, are beginning a cohort in September to study and apply research on the brain and learning. Educators are encouraged to participate as a team.
Download the flier for more information on this extended learning experience titled What Do We Do with a Brain that is Wired to Forget? and Answers to Four Other Big Questions about Learning.
Register today on the ESC 11 website.
Join Our Social Community
Stay connected to ESC Region 11 through our Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts; blogs; and email contact lists/listservs. Join the ESC Region 11 pages, and/or find the specific group that meets your needs. Browse through the list and click on the one you are interested in joining.
Click on this QR code to go to our Facebook page, then "Like" our page.
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ESC Region 11
Email: communications@esc11.net
Website: esc11.net
Location: 1451 Cherry Lane, White Settlement, TX 76108, United States
Phone: (817)740-3600
Facebook: facebook.com/ESCRegion11
Twitter: @ESCRegion11