Agreements reached on major bills, but nothing is final yet

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FROM THE CAPITOL

Agreements reached on session's major bills, but nothing is final as lawmakers continue work

Legislators will work through the weekend to finalize key bills before the regular session ends Monday.

Thursday, the state’s top three leaders held a news conference to tout their agreement on HB 3 , but no actual bill language has been made available yet. TCTA will send another email this weekend with more information about how teacher salaries will be addressed once we are able to review the official version of the agreed-upon bill. The House and Senate are expected to vote on HB 3 over the weekend.

Click here to find all of the latest education news from the Capitol.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Parents sue district over special education services

A second-grader was diagnosed with ADHD and Developmental Coordination Disorder and received accommodations through Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Shortly before the student started fourth grade, the parents requested that the student be evaluated for special education services. The district initially determined the child qualified for special ed, but at a second ARD hearing reversed its decision. The parents sued, and a district court and an appellate court both found that the student should receive special education services.

Click here for more information.

OTHER NEWS

Districts to use statewide test to identify EL students

Beginning with the 2019-20 school year, all Texas public school districts will use a single, statewide assessment to identify English language learners.

TEA selected the Pre-LAS and LAS tests developed by Data Recognition Corporation for use, eliminating districts' ability to select from a list of tests.

Click here for more information.

Share your lessons with other Texas teachers

TEA is encouraging teachers to share lessons through the Texas Gateway online portal. Two free online courses offer educators a basic overview of the lesson study process and how to submit lessons for publication in the portal.

Texas Lesson Study Facilitator Training is worth 8 continuing professional education credits and is a prerequisite for Texas Lesson Study Facilitator: Gateway Development and Lesson Submission . Both courses are self-paced and part of TEA's free CPE hours in the Texas Gateway portal.

If you need even more CPE this summer, check out TCTA's videos in the members-only portal . Log in and start earning hours today.

CALENDAR

May 27 is Memorial Day (TCTA Headquarters will be closed).
May 31 is the deadline to apply for TEA's summer teaching institutes.
June 1 is the deadline to complete TEA's FIT survey.
June 14 is Flag Day.
June 16 is Father's Day.
June 21 is the first day of summer.
June 29 is the deadline for applications for the Math & Science Scholars Loan Repayment Program.

TEXAS CLASSROOM TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

PO BOX 1489 AUSTIN, TX 78767 | 888-879-8282 | TCTA.ORG