Happy New Year From Texas Middle School Association!!!The 35th Annual Conference and Exhibit of the Texas Middle School Association "Team TMSA... Catch The Excitement!"March 4-6, 2010 Arlington Convention Center and Arlington Sheraton Hotel Arlington, Texas Register today!
|
State's curriculum standards earn 'A' in national report
A national report released today confirms that Texas does a superior job in crafting its own curriculum standards, which were created with input from thousands of Texans.
Texas, along with Alaska, has refused to join an effort this year to create national standards.
Education Week today released its annual Quality Counts report, which this year focuses on the national standards debate and examines the quality of work states have done independently preparing their own standards.
Texas earned a grade of 'A' on standards, assessment and accountability, and ranked sixth in the country. The state earned a grade of 100 for both its standards and school accountability systems, and received a score of 86.7 for its student tests.
The report noted that 11 states said they had used the Texas standards when crafting their own standards.
"Today's Quality Counts report verifies what Texas leaders have been saying. Our standards are strong. They are models for other states. The Texas standards were crafted after receiving input from thousands of citizens while the national standards are being written without input from local educators, school boards or parents," said Texas Commissioner of Education Robert Scott.
Texas also ranked sixth and earned a grade of 'B' for a category called transitions and alignments, which examines early-childhood education, college readiness and economy and workforce.
National Middle School Association Seeks Executive Director
National Middle School Association (NMSA) is seeking an individual with vision, energy, and skills to lead and sustain our dynamic educational non-profit organization. Since its inception in 1973, National Middle School Association has been a voice for those committed to the education and well-being of young adolescents. With 25,000 members, NMSA represents more than 150,000 middle grades educators and 58 affiliate organizations in the United States and around the world.
Click for the rest of the story
U.S. Education Department orders tests for some first-year Texas teachers
Several thousand first-year elementary school teachers will have to take competency exams as early as this spring, the U.S. Department of Education has ordered after rejecting Texas' appeal to waive the requirement.
The agency told state Education Commissioner Robert Scott that first-year teachers in elementary and some middle schools who didn't take a "generalist" exam on core subjects are not in compliance with federal standards and must be tested.
Federal officials did exempt teachers who specialize in music, art and similar courses from the generalist exam. That waiver may cover thousands of first-year fine arts teachers.
Click for the rest of the story
SBOE gives final approval to graduation plan changes
The State Board of Education on Friday gave final approval to changes in the state's graduation plans, including reversing a plan to phase out the Integrated Physics and Chemistry (IPC) course for the Recommended High School Program. Members approved dozens of amendments to the draft social studies Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills curriculum standards and will continue that review process in March.
The members extensively reviewed and amended the TEKS for kindergarten through eighth grade social studies classes, as well as amending the 11th grade U.S. History since Reconstruction course. They will review and possibly amend the other high school courses and then approve all the social studies TEKS for first reading and filing authorization at the March 10-12 meeting. This vote will initiate the official 30-day public comment period.
Click for the rest of the story
Final Adequate Yearly Progress results
Final Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) evaluations released by the Texas Education Agency today show that 81 percent of schools and 81 percent of districts met or exceeded the 2009 federal Adequate Yearly Progress standards.
Following the release of preliminary AYP results in August, the agency received a total of 123 appeals. Of the 38 district appeals submitted, eight appeals were granted that resulted in the district's AYP status changing from Missed AYP to Meets AYP. Of the 85 campus appeals submitted, 40 appeals were granted that changed the school's status.
Federal AYP evaluations are based on: participation and passing rates on the reading and mathematics Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) tests for grades 3-8 and 10; graduation rates for high schools and districts; and attendance rates for elementary and middle schools.
TMSA's Conference Planning Committee Seeking Volunteers
Are you in Regions 10 or 11? Would you like to experience the excitement of assisting in the planning of the conference?
Join the Local Planning Committee and see first-hand how exciting it is to put on a conference of this magnitude. We would love to have you assist us in making the 2010 Annual Conference and Exhibit the best one yet!
Simply download the Volunteer Form and return it via email.
Start the New Year Off Right! Shop Our TMSA
Online Store
Start 2010 off with some great new titles for your professional library by visiting the TMSA Online Store.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nominations Are Open For Our 2009-2010 Awards!
|
Elmer Watson Award Winning School
TMSA will recognize and honor outstanding middle schools from across the state of Texas as Elmer Watson Award Winning Schools for 2009-2010 during the Annual Conference and Exhibit, March 4-6, 2010 at the Arlington Convention Center in Arlington, Texas.
Criteria to be considered for nomination is based on the recommendations for transforming middle schools published in Turning Points 2000, a report of the Carnegie Corporation, and Spotlight on the Middle, the report of the Texas Education Agency. We invite you to nominate your school for this prestigious award.
Click for full list of criteria and to download the application form.
Outstanding Teacher Award
TMSA will recognize and honor outstanding middle school teachers from across the state of Texas as outstanding middle level teachers for 2009-2010 during the Annual Conference and Exhibit, March 4-6, 2010 at the Arlington Convention Center in Arlington, Texas..
You are encouraged to nominate a teacher for the TMSA Outstanding Teacher Award to be presented during the conference. Nominees should exemplify the beliefs of the middle school movement. They should be child-centered, nurturing and compassionate, willing to explore and experiment, willing to take risks, and collaborative in their day-to-day activities. They should be a positive role model for other middle level teachers. In order to be eligible for the award, nominees must be located in a school that has an institutional membership in TMSA or must be individual members of TMSA.
Click for full list of criteria and to download the application form.
Register Online for our Annual Conference!
You can now register directly online for our Annual Conference and Exhibit! Register quickly and securely with one click-of the button. We accept all major credit cards and Purchase Orders.
Follow TMSA Online
|
 |
|
|
