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David Dunn, TCSA Executive Director, testifies before the House Public Education Committee last Tuesday evening.
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Senator Patrick poses with parents from The Rhodes School (top: Angeil Washington, bottom: Natalie Leffall) who testified during the hearing on Tuesday. |
Amended charter school bill advances
My San Antonio
By Lindsay Kastner
March 26, 2013
"It's still the most ambitious effort to strengthen the charter school law in Texas since the charter school law was passed in 1995," David Dunn, executive director of the Texas Charter Schools Association, said after the vote. Read the article.
Texas House Passes Public Education Requirements Bill
KUT NEWS
By Veronica Zaragovia; March 27, 2013
After roughly 9 hours of debate, Texas House lawmakers passed a bill that would change the requirements high students must meet in order to graduate.The bill would reduce the number of STAAR exams given to high school students from 15 to 5. It would also allow them to choose a path to college or one to a vocational career. Read the Article.
Other Advocacy News
State Senate panel set to vote on school reforms Houston Chronicle
People can seek school fixes sooner under legislative bill Reporter News
SAVE THE DATE: May 8, 2013
Rally for Public Charter Schools
Texas State Capitol, Austin
The policies that impact charter schools will be deliberated on during this legislative session. Hearing directly from charter school leaders, parents and teachers is one of the best ways for state legislators to understand how vital charter schools are to providing a great public education for Texas students. Join us as we stand together in support of Texas public charter schools! To confirm your participation, contact Jennifer Limas-Mota, TCSA Director of Grassroots Advocacy. Download the Flyer.
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 Business Week, Dallas (FREE) May 22-24, 2013
This intensive three day charter finance workshop is developed and delivered by seasoned charter finance leaders. This year's version of Business Week is designed to accelerate the learning of novice charter business officers and employees with a mix of foundational charter finance knowledge and interactive real world guided examples. REGISTER
 Charter Start Beginner, Dallas (FREE) May 3, 2013
Ideal for persons seeking general information about the Texas Charter School movement and for persons preparing a Generation 19 application to the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE). REGISTER
  TCSA 3rd Annual Spring Charter School Statewide Finance Bootcamp, Austin ($325 Member; $425 Non-Member) April 10-12, 2013 What will Charter School Finance look like after 2013?Commissioner Hours Credit: Totaling 14 possible hours
Join us in Austin, TX for three days of insights and breaking updates around the most critical developments in finance matters impacting charter schools.REGISTER
 TCSA Statewide Charter School Legal Summit, Dallas ($250 Member; $350 Non-Member) May 20-21, 2013
Commissioner Hours Credit: Totaling 9 possible hours
This 2 day training hits on the hot topics that have a huge impact on your charter schools operational compliance. REGISTER
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Need help reviewing your charter renewal application before the April 5, 2013 deadline?
TCSA offers renewal application support - from answering basic questions to reviewing your completed application. Because the reporting deadline is approaching, review assistance is provided in the order each request is received. Call 512.584.8272 or email to make your appointment today. Read more.FREE Application Review
Basic questions and application reviews are offered for FREE through the Texas Charter School Technical Assistance Network (the Network). The deadline for submission of your documents to TCSA for development is 5pm TODAY, Friday, March 29, 2013. Read more. Network Webinar: Preparing Your Charter Renewal Is your charter contract expiration date approaching?
Join us for these FREE webinars to receive reliable insights to developing and submitting your renewal application to TEA.
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New data available next week in the Quality Framework Data Pack-Student Growth Percentile (SGP) and Similar Students Measure (SSM)!REGISTER for this FREE TCSA webinar and learn more about the exclusive TCSA Quality Framework Data Pack charts and graphs for SGP and SSM.
What are SGP and SSM? SGP helps charter leaders understand how their students are progressing, regardless of whether students are well below-or above-expected grade level or beyond minimum state test performance. SSM shows charter leaders whether or not their students are performing where they should be, by comparing performance with other campuses that serve a similar student population.
What will participants learn? In this webinar, you will learn: how to access SGP and SSM reports in the Quality Framework portal; how SGP and SSM are calculated; where to find and how to use the TCSA Data Pack; and, how to request a Quality Framework user account.
Who should participate?
Superintendents, executive directors, principals, compliance officers, grant officers--anyone on the charter school staff who leads, implements, or participates in charter or campus comprehensive needs assessments and uses data for reporting or planning purposes.
Questions? Email the Quality Initiatives Team.
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  Blazing the Trail to Quality and InnovationThe annual Charter School Conference is the only statewide gathering of the entire Texas charter school community. More than 1,300 charter school advocates including teachers, administrators, board members, policy makers, and vendors will gather for training, networking, and sharing best practices for charter effectiveness and compliance. A special TCSA members only low rate of $325 (for 1-4 school members) or $275 (for 5+ school members) is available until April 19. These are the only discounted rates that will be published. Registration at the regular (non-discounted) rates will open in September. In lieu of one day of student instruction, send your staff to the Texas Charter Schools Conference for professional development. This is permitted by section 25.081 of the Texas Education Code so long as your calendar is approved by your charter school board and the charter school notifies TEA's Waiver Unit.
Leadership Charter:
New Mexico School Leadership Institute
June 17-21, 2013; Albuquerque, New Mexico
Leadership Charter is an intensive professional development institute for experienced charter school leaders to learn with and from each other by exploring topics critical for student success today. Join us to explore: Improving Student Outcomes, Quality Instruction, Mission-Driven Leadership, and Charter School Advocacy. Registration is limited! Maximum of 25 participants.
Registration closes May 10. Read More.
 NASC National Conference June 26 - 28, 2013; Houston, Texas
YES Prep is excited to launch our inaugural conference on curriculum, assessment, and instruction this summer. Over the past few years, YES Prep has developed a curricular structure around teacher leadership and collaboration and we've created an extensive library of high-quality curricular resources that all of our teachers implement. YES Prep wants to share all this with you and your organization! We encourage you to bring a team of curricular leaders and teachers in Math and English from your organization to benefit the most from the resources and sessions offered in this conference. Read More.
National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI) August 4 - 8, 2013; San Antonio, Texas
The First Annual Training Institute sponsored by the National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI) will take place August 4th-9th in San Antonio, Texas. The Institute will offer a one-stop training event designed to help teachers, paraprofessionals, building coordinators and administrators master tools for implementing Direct Instruction (DI) successfully for all students. Apply Here.
 2nd Annual Texas Charter School Coaches Conference August 19 - 20, 2013; Austin, Texas This conference will be a valuable experience to your schools' extracurricular directors in both athletics and academics as well as any and all of your athletic and academic competition coaches. It will also benefit any counselors and faculty that work with students on character and community development. Register Here.
 
The Google Science Fair
is an online science competition open to students ages 13-18 from around the globe. We're looking for ideas that will change the world. Enter Here.
 Harmony Public Schools develops STEM resource for public
Harmony Public Schools has developed a website, www.stemtx.org, where any one in the STEM field can register and become involved. Please review this site and encourage your colleagues to register as well. When you register you are able to upload any volunteer requirements for any STEM program(s) that may be planned. This is not only for Harmony; it is for everyone in the state of Texas to register and take advantage of. This is a great opportunity to link STEM programs and schools over the long term.
 Nominate businesses that support employee volunteerism in public schools Applications are now being accepted by the State Board of Education (SBOE) for the 2013 Employers for Education Excellence (EEE) Award. Texas employers who encourage and support employee participation in school activities are eligible to be nominated for the 2013 award. Read the press release.
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  Texas Senate confirms nomination of Education Commissioner Michael L. Williams March 27,2013 AUSTIN - The Texas Senate today voted unanimously to formally confirm the nomination of Michael L. Williams as the state's Commissioner of Education. Named to the position by Governor Rick Perry in September 2012, Commissioner Williams' appointment required Senate confirmation. Read Press Release. Charter School Will Teach Students 3 LanguagesNBCDFW Channel 5 By Tammy Mutasa; March 24,2013 A charter school opening in Garland will emphasize international cultures and languages. The International Leadership of Texas' curriculum will require students to master three languages -- English, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. "As a Spanish-speaking parent, that's really important to me, but a third skill would open the doors and broaden their horizons," parent Deyanira Lopez said. Read the Article.
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ARD/PEIMS COORDINATOR Trinity Charter School (Casa Garcia) Austin, Texas Application Deadline: Posted until Filled
Starting Date: Immediately
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2012-2013 Annual Fingerprinting Certification and Statement of Compliance
Read the letter.
2013-2014 Optional Flexible School Day Program
Read the letter.
2013-2014 Optional Flexible Year Program
Read the letter.
Changes to the Office of School Finance
Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting and Requirements
Read the letter.
The 2013-2014 NCLB Data Request Form for Federal Funding (SC5010) has been made available in eGrants as of March 1, 2013. The submission deadline is April 30, 2013. For instructions.
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The 2012 Student Assessment Data Validation Manual
Now available.
The 2012 Student Assessment Data Validation district reports are scheduled to be posted to the secure TEASE Accountability application on Friday, February 22, 2013.
Technical Assistance:
Performance-Based Monitoring (PBM) contacts are available at each education service center (ESC) to provide technical assistance to school districts. Latest updates to the ESC PBM contacts can be found here, using the Search RESCs function.
For questions about interventions, including ISAM inquiries, please contact: Program Monitoring and Interventions by calling 512.463.5226 or via email.
For questions about the manual or the indicators described in the manual, please contact: Performance-Based Monitoring by calling 512.936.6426 or via email.
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Change to Automobile Mileage Reimbursement Rate
Applicable to State and Federal Grants from the Texas Education Agency
The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts has changed the automobile mileage reimbursement rate. On January 1, 2013, the rate increased from 55.5 to 56.5 cents per mile. Travel and lodging reimbursement rates have not changed. The standard rates, effective until August 31, 2013, are up to $77 per night for lodging and up to $46 per day for meals, unless a higher rate for the travel destination is specified. Read more.
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