Tactical SAT Strategies Offered through Distance Learning

Region 7 ESC is offering students an opportunity to take the Tactical SAT Strategies Course through distance learning - free of charge.  Click the flier below to enlarge it and view details.  Help us spread the word. The course begins Jan. 13, 2015.

If you are interested in hosting this course, contact Leesa Green, 903-988-6715, lgreen@esc7.net, by Jan. 2, 2015.    

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Share Messages in Addition to the TEA School Report Card: Communicate Your Unique Brand

Tatum ISD shares about service learning project.

Today’s school branding goes a step further than merely a slogan and bumper sticker, effective branding identifies a school’s unique stand out features. As stated in the Gallup Business Journal, a brand promises what the student experience will be like in the school culture.

Many school leaders fail to build a strategy for how to tell the story of their school campus, which can muddy the message. The message is only effective if the entire faculty and leadership commit as one voice to the promise of what makes their school stand out.

School leaders must communicate their brand in a way that resonates emotionally with students, staff and families in their community. When people feel a message, they are more likely to remember it and respond. For example, a school that places a high value on community service might share examples through photos and videos of the projects and experiences that demonstrate how students are building character through community service to tell its story.

This week, the state issued 2013–2014 School Report Cards, which are now available on the Texas Education Agency’s website at the link below.
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/src/2014/campus.srch.html

The purpose of the state's School Report Card is to inform parents and guardians about school performance and characteristics, but this is only a small portion of what schools accomplish. The campus must send a copy of the School Report Card to the parent or guardian of each of its students within six weeks of the date of the TEA letter. The campus may provide the School Report Card in the same manner in which it normally transmits official communications to parents and guardians, such as including it in an electronic newsletter, a weekly folder sent home with each student, providing it at a teacher-parent conference, or enclosing it with the student report card.

In addition to this information, leaders must also produce and distribute their own distinctive communications, which captures the essence of what makes your school stand out as an important and integral part of the larger community.  The information provided in the report card is very important, but it cannot be all that is shared - schools are made up of more than a set of numbers and graphs.

Displaying Students' Work on Campus with a Digital Display

Displaying results of student work in dynamic visual forms helps build excitement, culture and a welcoming feel for any campus.  Many campuses have chosen to display messages with digital screens - so why not also include student work?

In an article published by Principal Melinda Miller of Willard East Elementary on The Principal Blog, several key points can provide a really effective way to display students' work digitally. 

Melinda shares the following ideas:

Sharing Work in a Slide Show with a USB:
*Convert the work into photo files (.jpg) and create an Image slide show on USB! Ba-Bam! This has worked best so far.

Workflow:
*If just displaying pictures, I put on USB and plug into TV, DONE.
*Teachers share their own Google presentations or share student Google presentations.
*I download and save as pictures, put pictures on USB, DONE. I don't have to worry about connection issues all day. 

These additional ideas are excellent as solutions for video projects.

Kelly Fitzgerald ~ EdTech Nut: Google Apps for Education - A Solution to Your Video Needs

What's your TV display workflow?  Share below.

This Year Every Math Teachers Feels Like a New Teacher!

"This year we are all like new teachers with the new math TEKS."

How are your teachers feeling about the new Math TEKS?

Region 7 ESC is ready to support teachers with coaching and a strong network for building capacity through collaboration with other math teachers in the Region.

Specialized sessions are designed to include hands-on interactive activities and conversations which guide everyone through the process of how to break down TEKS.  

Teachers work together and learn deeply - how to apply the best practices for teaching new TEKS for Math Instruction.  

For more information, contact:

Jane Tarr

Math Specialist

Region 7 Education Service Center

jtarr@esc7.net

Phone: (903) 988-6794