Number of Texas Students Taking Advanced Placement Grows

Commissioner of Education Michael Williams announced Friday, April 17, 2015, that the number of Texas graduates taking at least one Advanced Placement Program^® (AP^®) Exam during high school continued to grow, according to the Class of 2014 figures from the College Board.

 Number/Percentage of Graduates Who Took an AP Exam During High School

YEAR	TEXAS		NATION
2014	107,586	39.1%	35.7%
2013	101,707	36.0%	33.2%
2009	77,063	29.2%	26.3%
2004	53,542	21.9%	19.8%

The College Board’s AP cohort data for the Class of 2014 also showed that Texas is the only state that achieved equitable participation for low-income students. Equitable participation is defined as the percentage of K-12 students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (51.1 percent) in the state equaling the number of AP exam takers (51.0 percent). And while no state achieved equitable success (percentage of AP exam takers scoring a three or higher during high school), Texas students came the closest.

April is Autism Awareness Month!

Nearly half of children with autism will wander, or elope, from safe environments. And more than one-third of children who wander are considered nonverbal. Finding and safely recovering a missing child with autism presents unique and difficult challenges for families, law enforcement, first responders and search teams. 

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has special search protocols and checklists to help first responders.  View a short video.

Children with autism go missing under a variety of circumstances. They may seek out small or enclosed spaces. They may wander toward places of special interest to them. Or they may try to escape overwhelming stimuli such as sights, sounds, surroundings or activities of others.

More info: NCMEC is here at: http://www.missingkids.com/home

Announcing: iPadpaloozaEastTx July 15th at Lindale High School

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Region 7 Digital Learning proudly presents:

iPadpaloozaEastTX

July 15 at Lindale High School! 

Carl Hooker, founder of iPadpalooza - @mrhooker - is the keynote and featured speaker.

We invite you and your staff to submit proposals for presentations at the event. 

REGISTER ONLINE NOW -> SESSION #049012

DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE FLYER TO SHARE

Follow us on Twitter at #iPadEastTX, and contact Donna Stanley at 903-988-6962 with questions. Learn more!

Make Plans for August 18th or 20th: R7ESC Back to School Conference 2015

Back to School Conferences

SAVE THE DATE

For more information, contact 

Beverly Beran
Assistant Director, Special Education
Phone: (903) 988-6910
Region 7 Education Service Center

Texas House Bill 4 Paves the Way for Pre-K Support

The House of Representatives passed the bill, which is modeled after Gov. Greg Abbott’s Pre-K plan,

with a final vote of 128-17-2.

House Bill 4, poised to become the main Pre-K legislation of the session along with Senate Bill 801, would distribute grants — up to $1,500 per student — to help school districts and charters bolster their preschool-related offerings as long as they can prove they are meeting state standards regarding teacher certification, curriculum and “parental engagement” and agree to be reviewed by the Texas Education Agency.

Gov. Abbott issued a statement that said the vote was an “important first step toward transforming the foundation of our state’s early education system for generations to come.”

The Austin Statesman reports the legislation does not require districts to offer full-day programs, although schools could technically use the grant money to do so. 

Free Event Supporting Arts Integration: Adrian Belic, Documentary Filmmaker

Pine Tree High School in partnership with LeTourneau University invites you to an Evening with Documentary Filmmaker Adrian Belic.  

Please help us spread the word about this free event to view his films: The Happy Movie and Not Impossible Now: Project Daniel, and to meet the artist.

SHOWS BEGINS AT 7:00PM, april 22, 2015

FREE ADMISSION: Belcher Center

on the LeTourneau University campus in Longview, Texas.

A unique cross-cultural upbringing sparked Adrian's curiosity about the way people view each other and the world around them.   Listening late into the night to captivating stories from remarkable people both in the States and overseas drew him into the art of storytelling.

Born in America of Czechoslovakian and Yugoslavian parents, Adrian grew up in Chicago, but spent many summers behind the “Iron Curtain” in Eastern Europe with family and friends.   He began making films in elementary school with his childhood friend Christopher Nolan (writer / director Memento, (2001), Insomnia (2002)) and his brother Roko Belic.

Multi-Million Dollar Youth Fitness Campaign Comes To Texas

Chairman of the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils Jake Steinfeld announced recently the launch of a multi-million dollar physical fitness campaign in conjunction with the State of Texas and Governor Greg Abbott. 

The campaign, which encourages elementary and middle school educators to implement innovative ideas in fitness and nutrition for students, officially launched its online nomination process to run through mid-June. 

Following the nomination process, the National Foundation will select three "National Champion Schools" and reward each institution with a $100,000 Live PositivelyTM Fitness Center for their efforts.

"I am deeply committed to working to build a strong educational foundation for our children, and ensuring our students are healthy is an important component of their ability to learn and grow," said Governor Abbott. "Engaging private sector support is essential to achieving this goal, and I am honored Texas has been chosen by the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils to take part in its National Champion Schools campaign. Jake Steinfeld has been a leader in the fight for healthy futures for our children, and Texas is ready to join that fight."

The National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils program is set to be implemented in all 50 states over the next several years, with each fitness center financed through public-private partnerships and at no cost to taxpayers.