STAAR-A: Do You Need More Info?

Do you have questions or need additional information about the STAAR-A exam?  Then you will want to register for the Question & Answer, session #046448, scheduled for November 17, 2014.  You can register to attend in person or via distance learning.

During this TETN session, presenters will answer commonly asked questions about STAAR-A, including where to find information, how to determine and document student eligibility, and what accommodations are embedded into the online assessment versus what accommodations may be allowed or approved.

TEA has requested all questions be submitted to the ESCs by the end of day November 10, 2014.  We will send all questions to TEA prior to this TETN.  If you have questions you would like considered during the session, please email all questions to sburnett@esc7.net

Learn to Learn with Alan November

Learn to Learn, with ALAN NOVEMBER, is a unique Academy for District and Campus Teams.

Registration and more information is available at the TASA website CLICK HERE!

This is a two day academy and the registration fee covers both days – December 2, 2014 and March 3, 2015 and will be at Region 7 ESC in Kilgore. 

 If you have any questions, please contact Donna Stanley, dstanley@esc7.net at Region 7 or call the Texas Association of School Administrators at 800-725-8272.

Bullying Prevention Resources

As part of National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month, the U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued guidance to schools reminding them that bullying is wrong and must not be tolerated – including against America’s 6.5 million students with disabilities.

The Department issues guidance in the form of a letter to educators detailing public schools’ responsibilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of Americans with Disabilities Act regarding the bullying of students with disabilities.

If a student with a disability is being bullied, federal law requires schools to take immediate and appropriate action to investigate the issue and, as necessary, take steps to stop the bullying and prevent it from recurring.

Help is available for those who are either targets of disability bullying or know of someone who might be, such as:

• A fact sheet for parents on schools’ obligations under federal law to address bullying. The fact sheet is also available in Spanish.
• Visiting the federal Web site, www.stopbullying.gov, which provides useful information on bullying prevention and remedies.
• Asking to meet with the student’s team that designs his or her individualized education program – the IEP or Section 504 teams.
• Asking to meet with the principal or school district’s special education coordinators to have the school address bullying concerns.
• Seeking help from OCR. The office investigates complaints of disability discrimination at schools. To learn more about federal civil rights laws or how to file a complaint, contact OCR at 800-421-3481 (TDD: 800-877-8339), or ocr@ed.gov. OCR’s Web site is www.ed.gov/ocr. To fill out a complaint form online, go to, http://www.ed.gov/ocr/complaintintro.html.

To view OCR's guidance detailing public schools’ responsibilities regarding the bullying of students with disabilities in Spanish, click here.

Today’s guidance builds upon anti-bullying guidance the Department has issued in recent years concerning schools’ legal obligations to fix the problem, including:

• A 2013 dear colleague letter and enclosure by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) clarifying that when bullying of a student with a disability results in the student not receiving meaningful educational benefit under IDEA, the school must remedy the problem, regardless of whether the bullying was based on the student’s disability.
• A 2010 dear colleague letter by OCR which elaborated on potential violations when bullying and harassment is based on race, color, national origin, sex, or disability.
• A 2000 dear colleague letter by the OCR and OSERS, which explained that bullying based on disability may violate civil rights laws enforced by OCR as well as interfere with a student’s receipt of special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

The latest letter makes clear that the protections for students with disabilities who are bullied on any basis extend to the roughly three quarters of a million students who are not eligible for IDEA services but are entitled to services under the broader Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. That law bars discrimination on the basis of disability in all programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.

Please share this information widely with your members, affiliates, and networks.

Help Us Help You: A Quick Survey to Target Behavior Supports for Students

A QUICK SURVEY - TO TARGET BEHAVIOR NEEDS FOR STUDENTS

Principals and School Leaders:

Please help us gather ideas and determine professional development and service needs in the area of classroom management and behavior. Susan Cox, Region 7 Special Education Specialist and Vickie Echols, Leadership Development, plan to use this information to develop training and assistance for Region 7 schools. 

Feel free to send this survey to your staff for their insights, and we ask that all responses are delivered by Friday, Nov. 14, 2014 .

We appreciate your help as we seek to TARGET an effective plan for in-service needs for the next school year.

CLICK HERE FOR THE SHORT SURVEY

How to Know What They Know!

It's not too late to register.

Click Here to Register

This session will equip teachers and admins with tech tools that take

formative assessment to the next level.

Nov. 7th 9-4 Workshop @Region7ESC

Contact Andy Adams for information @KilgoreTech / aadams@esc7.net

Register - Click Here.

JOIN US for TEPSA’s Twitter Chat Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 7pm (Central)!

JOIN US for TEPSA’s Twitter Chat Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 7pm (Central)! 

Help us spread the word with your friends and followers.

Topic: Social Media for School Branding

Description: Discuss via tweetchat ways to use social media to promote your school and connect with your community.

Primary Hashtag: #prinmonth

Secondary Hashtags: #tepsa14, #cpchat, #edchat, #naesp15 #ce14 (connected educators)

List of handles: @tepsatalk, @naesp

Do you need more information about Twitter Chats? 

TWITTER CHAT MADE EASY: A HOW TO GUIDE

Congratulations to Region 7 Teacher of the Year: Whitney Crews

For Shanna Peeples and Whitney Crews, teaching found them, in spite of attempts from others to lure them into some other profession.  These two educators were both honored with the state's top teaching award for providing their students with a sense of hope, a love for learning, and endless possibilities for their future.  They were honor at a special ceremony and luncheon at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, sponsored by the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA).

Crews, a sixth-grade English language arts teacher at E.J. Moss Intermediate in Lindale ISD was named the 2015 Elementary Teacher of the Year.

Last Week Was a Blast of Learning at Region7ESC!

If you've visited Region 7 building lately, you will notice that the parking lot is getting a blast of a make-over.  But that's not the kind of blast I felt last week!  Wow, it was such a joy coming to work, because I had the honor of working with many of the finest leaders in education.  Each day brought a new view of best practices, and so I needed to write a reflection piece today to say just how proud I am to work with the educators of Region 7.

New Administrator Academy: "Connected Leadership"

Andy Adams, Co-Teacher and Digital Learning Specialist for R7ESC,  and I worked with 80 leaders - Mentors and New Admins in a jam packed day of learning on Tuesday.  As a quick look at the day, Andy created this short video with an app called: Replay.  Click here to see these leaders in action.  They used all kinds of tools to support their learning.

Get FITT: Digital Learning Conference

The Region7ESC Digital Learning team partnered with the Texas Computer Education Association to provide leaders with a variety of sessions and featured keynote by Carl Hooker, from Eanes ISD. The final attendance count was over 150 learners, and the feedback was fabulous! If you are on Twitter, check out the hashtag #fitt7 to see photos and resources shared.

Networking for Campus Leaders
Elementary, Middle and High School principals met together on Thursday for the first networking session of the school year.  Campus leaders talked about coaching, differentiation, personnel and how to inspire and improve instruction.  The group suggested that we try an Edcamp style meeting when we come together again, which will be Friday, Nov. 20th.  Plan to join the half-day of sharing best practices, stories, successes, challenges and more.

Learning By Doing with Teacher Leaders
Pre-K Teachers, who lead our youngest learners, met together in a station rotation session on Friday and gained greater insights from the Region 7 Curriculum team.  Be sure to catch the Essential 7 Blog for background info about the specialists who provide training, updates on future sessions and best practices for instruction, curriculum and assessment.