News and updates about YOUR online curriculum, the TEKS Resource System |  Holiday 2017
In This Issue
Social Media Links!
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ELA/R Twitter

Math Twitter

Science Twitter

Social Studies Twitter

Bilingual Twitter


Statewide Websites

TCMPC Site

A Note from the TEKS Resource System Director, Ann Graves

Season's Greetings! I know each of you are looking forward to this much needed winter break. As we close the first semester, think about all you do to help the children of Texas. The TEKS Resource System recognizes your tasks are many and the dedication and hours you put forth make a difference! Our goal is to continue to provide the best curriculum management system which supports you in planning and providing the best education for your students.
Our wish to you is time to relax with family and friends, refresh your spirit, and renew your gift of teaching. Enjoy and welcome to 2018!

Happy Holidays,
Ann Graves
Director, TEKS Resource System
Who's Who on the TEKS Resource System Content Development Team
Meet the TEKS Resource System Content Development team members who support Science.

From left to right are Lisa Owens , Science Content Coordinator,  Holly Reno, Technical Support Specialist, and Andrew Wiebusch, Science Content Specialist.  Thank you all for the incredible work you each do to support the TEKS Resource System and the teachers and students in Texas.
Jay McTighe Works with TEKS Resource System Teams
Experienced educator and noted author, Jay McTighe, came to ESC Region 13 in Austin on December 1st to work with the TEKS Resource System State Team, content development team members, and ESC specialists from across the state. Jay provided content support and curriculum guidance to individual content teams as members work to revise and develop curriculum documents to support the needs of Texas teachers and students. His input and support have been invaluable as the TEKS Resource System continues to support and adjust to today's learners and our Texas expectations for student readiness both now and for students' future college and careers.

See pictures below from Jay's time at Region 13:
State Conference Video
Click the image or link below for a Video from the 
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It's not too early to begin making plans to attend the 2018 State TEKS Resource System Conference. The keynote will be Kim Thomas, the 2016 Illinois Teacher of the Year. Save the date! 


Ideas to support "Deep Dives" in the TEKS Resource System
Do you have a good working knowledge of the documents, assessments, and resources in the TEKS Resource System? Click the "Learn More" button below for some ideas to help facilitate deep dives into the online system. Try one of the ideas by yourself or with your team, or add your own idea to one of the slides in this collaborative Google Slide Presentation. 


Content Updates:

ELAR/SLAR Update
Current Language Arts Content
  • We have updated our STAAR Stem Resources (ELAR only) with the 2017 STAAR released items. These are now live in the Resource section.
  • As always, we continually monitor feedback and make changes and adjustments to our content as needed.

NEW Language Arts Content
  • In Language Arts, we are continuing to work with our contractors on new curriculum components. We recently finished training everyone on IFDs. They have begun work on units in the first six weeks.
  • We have our preliminary YAG structure for K-8.
    • All grade levels have an introductory unit to begin the school year.
    • K-2 begins with units focused on specific comprehension skills followed by units on specific genres.
    • 3-5 begins with units focused on different aspects of author's craft (purpose, organization, and language) followed by a deeper dive into specific genres.
    • Middle school is focusing their units on genre with research embedded throughout the year.
When will you get to provide feedback on the work?
  • Summer 2018- K-8 curriculum components will be published in draft form as PDFs in the Resource section. Teachers can submit feedback through the button on the bottom of the page.
  • 2018-2019- ESCs will conduct focus groups where selected teachers will review the components and provide specific feedback.

 

Here are the ELAR/SLAR educators and specialists in action, creating and preparing documents for implementation of the K-8 ELA/R TEKS in 2019-2020 and HS ELA/R TEKS in 2020-2021.




Math Update
Did you know Mathematics has ...
  • Performance Assessment Rubrics (K-8, Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, MMA, Precal) designed as a coherent set of criteria for student work that includes descriptions of levels of performance quality based on the criteria, and criteria that are used to evaluate evidence of student learning. Performance Assessment Rubrics assess student performance but not student products.These rubrics can be found by Search All Components, Assessment, Performance Assessment Rubrics and as a link in each IFD above each Performance Assessment.
  • Performance Assessment Checklists (Kindergarten (Unit 01 PA 05, Unit 03 PA 05, Unit 06 PA 05, Unit 08 PA 05, Unit 15 PA 05) and Grade 1 (Unit 07 PA 03, Unit 09 PA 02)) designed as a specific list of characteristics used to record whether a particular attribute is present or absent (e.g., reciting numbers, etc.), and criteria that are used to judge a set of criteria based on presence or absence of the criteria. Checklists lack descriptions of performance quality. These checklists can be found by Search All Components, Assessment, Performance Assessment Rubrics and as a link in each IFD above each Performance Assessment.
  • Vertical Quick Guides (K-8, with some connection to Algebra I) designed to provide a quick view of where a concept begins, how the concept grows across each grade level, and how it leads into the next grade level(s). These are located in the Resource section for each grade level, Kinder - Algebra I, and as a link in each IFD under System Resources. Uploaded 08/2017.
  • STAAR Blueprint and Item Percentages (K-8, Algebra I) designed to provide a quick view of which standards have been assessed, which standards have not been assessed, how often the standards have been assessed, state-wide percentages for each item by year, and which items show high performance, low performance, consistency in performance, and lack of consistency in performance. These are located in the Resource section for each grade level, Grade 3 - Algebra I, and as a link in each IFD under System Resources. Uploaded 08/2017.
  • STAAR Analysis now includes the 2017 STAAR released items. Check out the plausible rationales of possible student thinking for each answer choice and the note section for each item that describes the mathematics understanding students need for each question. These are located in the Resource section for each grade level, Grade 3 - Algebra I, and as a link in each IFD under System Resources. Uploaded November, 2017.
  • TEA Mathematics TEKS Supporting Information Documents (with TEKS Resource System Comments) (K-8, Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, MMA, Precal) designed to indicate what TEA revised or added in the note section for each standard by highlighting in yellow all changes from the last released TEA Mathematics TEKS Supporting Information documents. If the highlighted information was not already included in the TEKS Resource System Mathematics components, a comment box was added to indicate what was added and where it was added. These are located in the Resource section for each grade level, Kinder - HS, and as a link in each IFD under System Resources. Uploaded November, 2017.
  • Updated and enhanced curriculum and assessment components for 1st and 2nd 9 weeks after study of newly released TEA Mathematics TEKS Supporting Information documents, completion of STAAR Analysis, consideration of District feedback, and recent TEA conversations. 3rd 9 weeks will be completed by the end of December, 2017 and 4th 9 weeks will be completed by the end of January, 2018.
  • Added 61 new Assessment Items and 55 new Formative Spiral Items since September, 2017

Beginning January, 2018 Mathematics will ...
  • Continue development and begin review of the Formative Spiral Items for Geometry, which will be available for the 2018-19 school year.
  • Start the review of the Assessment Item bank for gaps by standard breakouts, variety, and number of items. If you are interested in applying as a Mathematics assessment writer, check out the contractor opportunity http://www4.esc13.net/hr/opportunities-at-region-13/?category=Contractor
  • Start the review of Overarching Understandings and Questions and Unit Understanding and Questions. More information to follow in the next newsletter. 

Science Update
Current Science Content
  • The 2017 STAAR Analysis for Grades 5, 8, and Biology have been published in the Resource section.
  • The STAAR Blueprint and Item Percentages Resource (2013-2017) for Grades 5, 8, and Biology have been published in the Resource section and linked in the IFDs.
  • We will begin entering K-1 Formative Spiral assessment items in December with ongoing development for Grades 2-5. In order to access these items, please make sure the Formative Spiral assessment item bank is turned on in your permissions.
  • We will continue to be responsive to feedback and revise content as needed.

NEW 2018-2019 Science Content Development
  • Did you know that all new 2018-2019 curriculum documents will be temporarily housed in the Resource section within a folder labeled "Grade X Streamlined 2018-2019 Curriculum Documents" for each grade or course?
    • Here is a video to show you how to access the 2018-2019 Science Curriculum Documents in the online system.
    • Currently, we have uploaded 2018-2019 YAGs (6 and 9 wks), TVDs (6 and 9 wks), and TCDs/VADs for K-12.
    • We will be adding TVDs by unit for 6 and 9 weeks.
    • We have developed TCDs for grades K-8 in addition to the VADs for K-2, 3-5, and 6-8.
  • Streamlined Science TEKS Side by Sides can be found in the Resource section of each course or grade level. 
  • A Considerations for Streamlining document is available by clicking on NEW! Streamlined Science TEKS Side by Sides (August 9, 2017) in the News Updates section of our home page. The purpose of this document is to guide thinking through the process of streamlining.
  • The language of the streamlined Science TEKS is currently available in mark-up on the TEA site at the following links https://goo.gl/RXX3A9 or https://goo.gl/RAAS4c. A clean version of them is available within the Texas Register September 22, 2017 Issue (pages 227-250) at the following link https://goo.gl/gkLX1m.
  • The New 2018-2019 Science TEKS have been entered into the TEKS Resource System site and are clearly labeled "New 2018-2019". They are available to view under the standards tab.
  • We have revised our concept trees, overarching understandings, and essential questions.
  • We are currently working on 2018-2019 IFDs by grade level or course. We will upload IFDs as we complete one grade level or course at a time. 
    • All grade levels and courses will have a short introductory unit to begin the school year. These units will not be assigned a number.
    • There will not be any assessment items associated with introduction units.
  • We are offering the following course versions for high school.
    • Biology Systems Macro to Micro
    • Biology Systems Micro to Macro
    • Biology Sequential
    • IPC Chemistry First
    • IPC Physics First
  • Our current Biology Concept-Based is going away for 2018-2019. However, the units have been absorbed into the Biology Systems courses with a different sequence.
  • Updates to assessment items to align with streamlining will occur beginning in June 2018.
  • We plan to add several new resources including a backward design document, a vertical vocabulary list, and a vertical science equipment list.
NEW HS Science/CTE Course Development
  • We plan to offer Anatomy and Physiology and Forensic Science courses for the 2018-2019 school year.
  • We are planning to develop Aquatic Science, Astronomy, and Earth Space Science in the future.
  • All new HS courses for science credit are searchable under High School Courses and Science, including CTE courses for science credit.
A Look into the Future
  • The state's proposed time line is to complete a full review cycle of the Science TEKS in 2019-2020, adopt revised TEKS 2020-2021, and implement revised TEKS in 2022-2023.
  • More information is available on the TEA site at the following link https://goo.gl/Y3jvB1.
  • As you go through the next couple of years, please begin thinking about what you would like to keep, delete, or revise. Document your ideas and be prepared to be a voice in the state science community when the time comes in 2019.
Social Studies Update
Current Social Studies Content
  • A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) in Social Studies has been added to the resources. This resource was created to answer questions we often encounter in feedback or have received from the field at conferences and in discussion with partners. Responses are categorized as "general", "assessment issues", "printing issues", "technology issues", "curriculum/resource issues."
  • Social Studies Literacy Skills Spiral Items have been added in the assessment creator. This work is intended to address feedback we received at conference regarding the need for students to write more and to provide processing skills based assessment items. Currently there is a single item per unit for World History and US History. This addition is developing relatively slowly in that each item requires one or several primary/secondary sources that assess student analysis and argumentation within the context of the unit content. These items are found by building a test in assessment creator and choosing "Formative Spiral Items" as the item type. Additionally, in resources we have added an Info Sheet which provides an explanation of the spiral assessment items along with suggestions for extension classroom activities that can be done with the items. 
  • STAAR Blueprint and Item Percentages Resource has been added. This spreadsheet demonstrates how often a student expectation has been assessed in the past and additionally contains data on the percentage correct for the item. 
Looking ahead
  • STAAR Analysis is wrapping up. 8th grade is going through proofing while 11th grade is still being analyzed. Our goal is to have both posted by the holiday break.
  • Work is moving ahead on Performance Tasks which are intended to provide a project based type of unit assessment. Draft Performance Tasks have been develop a for World Cultures (6th), Texas History (7th), and US History (8th) based on the model McTighe provided in an earlier professional development. Currently teacher focus groups are reviewing the Performance Tasks. We expect to have these as a supplemental assessment resource in the future. 
  • Social Studies streamlining is to begin in the new year. Information about streamlining is available via the following links.