Networking: Nov. 20th in Edcamp Style

Do any of these questions ever cross your mind?

• How does the one-to-one device initiative work on other campuses?
• What will it take to get all educators on my campus motivated to provide engaging lessons?
• When can we find more time for collaboration?
• Where do I find resources about bilingual education, gamification, coaching?
• What is the best way to reach out to angry parents?
• What's an Edcamp?

If so, you might want to attend the  

Edcamp for Education Leaders

3-solid-hours of learning about just what you want to know.

This session is designed as a networking time for any educator who serves or aspires to serve as a leader in education. 

WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 20th, 9:00-12:00noon

WHERE: Region 7ESC Cedar A

WHO: All R7 educators, Campus Leaders Who Value Networking and Connections, Principals, Directors, Teachers, Dept. Chairs - all are welcome for no fee.

 Register Here

Why an Edcamp?
-we are learners first, educators second.
-we care about kids.
-we embrace a growth mindset, and we want to model this for our students and teachers.
-we know adults need social learning.
-we believe educators are the best change agents for schools.
-we are empowered.

You should attend this networking session, called an Edcamp if you believe educators are the best change agents for schools.

The growth of Edcamp has been, astounding, but while it is amazing to see a network of educators interested in taking charge of their personal learning, the growth is also indicative of the need to “disrupt” the current system of professional development.  Open registration for all provides for partnerships and collaboration that rarely exists in traditional professional development. 

The session starts with a blank schedule board, which allows for relevant topics and ideas to surface for the day’s conversation. The law of two feet gives educators the power to determine what meets their learning needs for the day.  This is not a sitting and getting information for credits type of session.  

Come if you are just curious about how to use edcamps as a vehicle for more meaningful professional development on your campus or in your district.

Educators must be change agents. Edcamps are a vehicle for that change. It’s intrinsic.  

The Edcamp Model – The Book

A New Publication from the Edcamp Foundation

by Kristen Swanson

Calling all Edcampers!

The Edcamp Foundation has some very exciting news! The Edcamp Model is now available for pre-order for 10 dollars.

Here’s what you can expect from the text:

• A practical “how-to” guide for organizing both regional Edcamps and Edcamps at your school
• Some documentation on the impact that Edcamp has had on teacher and student learning
• Research that can help convince a school leader to have an Edcamp

Read more at this blog: http://edcamp.org 

How Do We Know They’re Learning?

Help us please spread the word that Marcia Tate is in Region 7 ESC on

The session, How Do We Know They’re Learning? is a NEW workshop.

Session #:042379
Session Title: Assessment: How Do We Know They're Learning?
Location:  Region 7 ESC
New Date:  December 4, 2014
Time:  9:00am-4:00pm

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND – Marcia Tate - with her very popular Assessment session. With assessment outcomes being pivotal in school accountability, you won’t want to miss out on this one here at Region 7. 

This session is FREE to many of our Title I/II contracted member districts, with a nominal fee of $100 for all others. See the attached flyer for more information.

Register

Dr. Marcia Tate is an acclaimed international presenter who uses highly-engaging brain-based strategies to teach participants how to incorporate the same strategies in their classrooms. Her sessions are well-attended and well-received. In fact, Region 7 ESC hosted her for three sessions during last school year, and most of the participants’ remarks included, “Best ever!”

Most importantly, participants will come away with numerous strategies and activities they can readily implement in their classrooms – in all grades/courses!

Leading Pre-K-3 Learning Communities and TEA Compliance for Kindergarten Reading Data

As the federal role expands to support increased state investments in school-based

prekindergarten programs, the National Association for Elementary School Principals has released an updated, principal competency guide: Leading Pre-K-3 Learning Communities: Competencies for Effective Principal Practice.

Developed by a panel of leading practitioners, this standards document defines new competencies, and outlines a practical approach to high-quality early childhood education that is critical to laying a strong foundation for learning for young children from age three to grade three, or Pre-K-3.

The digital edition of this publication is free for a limited time — until November 15, 2014.

Leading Pre-K-3 Learning Communities encompasses what principals believe:

• Learning starts early
• Supporting children to be prepared when they start school is essential to helping them get on the right track
• Developing appropriate skills, knowledge and dispositions is fundamental to children’s future success
• Getting children on grade level by the time they leave third grade, particularly in reading and math, is essential to ensuring they graduate from high school ready for college, careers and life

This groundbreaking work sets forth a strategy to help principals develop and expand their instructional leadership with a child-centered focus and acquire the practical skills necessary to address the academic, social, emotional and physical development needs of all young children.

Read more and download the publication.

Texas Education Agency Update: Early Childhood Data System

Compliance with Kindergarten Reading Assessment Data Submission
The Early Childhood Data System (ECDS) is the state reporting feature in the Texas Student Data System (TSDS) used to collect early childhood data to inform school districts, communities, and early childhood programs about the effectiveness of pre-kindergarten programs in preparing children for success in kindergarten under Texas Education Code (TEC) §29.161. ECDS is available through December 15, 2014 to collect the required beginning of year kindergarten assessment scores.

RTI: Response to Intervention Sessions Available Starting in January

Building capacity for a Response to Intervention is the focus of the state-wide RTI Project Team, which has received funding from TEA and will support school districts again during 2014-2015.

With a goal to build statewide capacity for implementation of response, the project team will reach out to Education Service Centers across Texas and conduct RTI institutes. This year, the institutes will offer one and a half-day training, which will allow for campus teams to plan and interact. The institutes will be open to school districts and employees of each ESC. The dates and locations are listed below.

Make plans to carry a campus teams from your district to any of the four one -and a half day institutes listed below.  

RTI Institute at Regional Education Service Center 12

Address: 2101 Texas 340 Loop, Waco, TX 76712
Phone:(254) 297-1212
Audience: ESC Regions 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12

January 20, 2015 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. and
January 21, 2015 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

There is no fee to attend.  

REGISTER FOR REGION 12

This day and a half workshop is for campus teams of educators and school leaders from districts in ESC Regions 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12 and other Texas stakeholders. We will use the RTI Framework for Success to build connections between colleagues, address frequently asked questions and common implementation issues related to the areas of instruction, intervention, and assessment.

The session is presented by the Building RTI Capacity project team from the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk at The University of Texas at Austin,

Visit ESC 12’s registration page at Register Here! to register for the Region 12 January institute, session #43064.

Accountability 2014: Some of the Same, A LOT of the New

The new school year accountability system for Texas public schools brought some of the same expectations, but also brought a lot of new for instructional leaders to learn and be able to explain to others.

Consider the following workshop, which is designed to explore and explain the 2014 Accountability system in Texas. It will review the impact and meaning of each of the 4 Performance Indexes with special attention on the 2014 changes.

Leaders will explore how to connect accountability performance and assessment data to instructional leadership that will support them in making informed decisions that impact student performance.

WHAT: Accountability 2014: Some of the Same, A LOT of the New

WHEN: Dec. 8, 2014, 8:30 - 3:30pm

WHERE: Kilgore Region 7 ESC, Cedar

SESSION: # 046228

REGISTRATION LINK

For more info on the workshop, contact Leesa Green, lgreen@esc7.net

Click image to enlarge.

One major change is the addition of the new index system.

The questions below are among many others on the TEA FAQ page.

Q: What is the purpose of Index 1: Student Achievement?
A: The purpose of this index is to provide a snapshot of performance across subjects, on both general and alternative assessments, at the satisfactory performance standard. In 2014, Index 1 is based on the STAAR results at the phase-in 1 Level II passing standard.

Q: What is the purpose of Index 2: Student Progress?
A: The purpose of this index is to provide a measure of student progress by subject and student group independent of overall student achievement levels. In 2014 growth is evaluated by subject (reading and mathematics, where available) and student group (All Students, African American, American Indian, Asian, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, White, Two or More Races, Special Education, and ELLs).

Q: What is the target for Index 3?
A: Index 3 targets cannot be set until performance on STAAR is known for every school and district. At that time, the 5th percentile is determined by school type and district. Targets are set for Index 3 for each of the following: elementary schools; middle/jr high schools; high schools/K-12; and districts. A separate target is set for AEA schools and districts.

Q: What is the purpose of Index 4: Post-Secondary Readiness?
A: The purpose of Index 4 is to emphasize the importance that students be prepared for success in college, the workforce, job training programs, or the military. For high schools, this means achieving a high graduation rate and high performance on other postsecondary readiness measure. For elementary and middle schools this means preparing students for the rigors of high school.

These are many more questions and answers available for you to read at the 2014 Accountability System frequently asked questions on the TEA site.

Documentation and Supervision: What You Need to Know

Authors Dr. Frank R. Kemerer and Dr. John A. Crain use their authoritative "Texas Documentation Handbook: Appraisal, Non-Renewal, Termination" to train principals, superintendents, human resources administrators, attorneys and other administrators to collect and use documentation effectively to improve teacher performance and prepare for non-renewal and termination.

This essential training for the beginning campus supervisor as well as the experienced district administrator includes topics:

• Legal Framework for Documentation 
• Principles of Effective Documentation 
• Teacher Supervision Issues 
• Collecting Classroom Data 
• Writing Effective Memoranda 

Plans Linking Teacher Behavior to Student Performance

The registration fee of $245 includes the new 5th edition Documentation Handbook, template CD, continental breakfast and lunch. Special discounted registration rates are available for districts registering 40 or more attendees. View schedule.
Register online today at the TASPA website.

Contact Annabel Pena at apena@taspa.org or 512.494.9353 if you have any questions or if you wish to register multiple administrators.

Documentation Workshop ESC Region 7 

12/8/2014

When:	Monday, December 8, 2014 8:30 AM -4:15 PM
Where:	Map this event » ESC Region 7 1909 North Longview Street Kilgore, Texas  77562 United States
Presenter:	Dr. John Crain and Dr. Frank Kemerer, authors of "Texas Documentation Handbook"
Contact:	Annabel Pena apena@taspa.org Phone: 512.494.9353

Registration Information
Online registration is available until: 12/8/2014
Register Today