Millsap ISD to Continue Transformation to 21st-Century Learning Environment
Millsap ISD, a Consortium Associates district, will continue its transformation to provide a 21st-century learning environment under new superintendent Deann Lee, who previously served as assistant superintendent in the district. “One of the biggest goals we will...
Klein ISD “Future Ready 21” Teachers Prep for 1-to-1 Program
Klein ISD in Region 4, a Texas High Performance Schools Consortium district, has implemented the Future Ready 21 project, which will provide every Klein ISD student in grades 3-8 with an electronic device over the next five years. Kindergartners through second graders...
900+ Educators Gather for “Revolutionizing Learning” Conference
More than 900 Texas educators gathered July 27-28, 2016, for the second annual Revolutionizing Learning Conference held by the Community Schools Transformation Alliance (CSTA), a regional consortia of school districts committed to school transformation started by...
THPSC Mentioned in EdTech Magazine
The Texas High Performance Schools Consortium, a group of school districts leading Mission: School Transformation, was mentioned in a recent EdTech magazine article on the "9 Steps to a Future-Ready Education." The article notes the Consortium's focus on assessing...
Commission on Next-Gen Assessment/Accountability Votes on Final Recommendations
The Texas Commission on Next-Generation Assessments and Accountability (TCNGAA) held its seventh and final meeting July 27, 2016, with 10 of its 15 appointed members in attendance. Preparation of the Report Prior to the meeting TEA composed a draft report of...
USDE Releases Proposed Regulations to Encourage Better and Fairer Tests, Reduce Burden of Testing
On July 6, 2016, the U.S. Department of Education released two Notices of Proposed Rulemaking. Together, they implement provisions of Title I of ESSA that seek to ensure states administer high-quality assessments that are worth taking and provide meaningful data about...
Clear Creek ISD Graduate Gives Thanks for Learner-Centered Education
The following editorial is from the June 23, 2016, issue of Pioneering!, the magazine of Education Reimagined, a nationwide initiative of the Convergence Center for Policy Resolution. It was written by Kushal Kadakia, a graduate of Clear Creek ISD, which is a member...
Three Texas High Schools Win Career and Technical Education Makeover Challenge
On June 17, 2016, the U.S. Department of Education announced the 10 winners in the $200,000 Career and Technical Education (CTE) Makeover Challenge, which called for high schools to create models for transforming classrooms or available spaces in high schools into...
Weatherford ISD Superintendent Speaks Out on Need for Changes in Testing
Due to the many problems districts faced with the spring 2016 STAAR administration, the Weatherford Democrat recently interviewed Dr. Jeffrey Hanks, superintendent of Weatherford ISD, a member of TASA's School Transformation Network, on his views on the statewide...
Lancaster ISD Launches Village 2020 Partnership with City
Lancaster ISD in Region 10, a Texas High Performance Schools Consortium district, has launched a partnership with city officials to implement a multi-faceted plan called Village 2020 to improve opportunities for future generations. The plan includes goals in 12...
Aledo ISD School Board Member Highlights Pros of Community-Based Accountability
In an editorial on the impending implementation of HB 2804, which requires A-F ratings for Texas public school districts, Bobby J. Rigues, Aledo ISD trustee, Leadership TASB 09 Master Trustee, and creator of the Make Education a Priority Initiative, wrote in a June...
ESCs/Districts May Apply by July 11 for Writing Assessment Pilot Program
A June 10, 2016, letter to administrators from the Texas Education Agency announced that TEA is accepting applications until July 11, 2016, from education service centers (ESCs) and their partnering school districts that wish to participate in the writing pilot...
Amarillo ISD Connects Students with Post-Secondary Education
In 2014-15, Amarillo ISD's Caprock High School took an innovative approach to getting students excited about college by working with each senior student until 100 percent of the Class of 2015 had applied to a post-secondary education program. In 2015-16, Caprock and...
TASA Shares Report on STAAR Concerns with Commissioner, Legislative Staff
On Tuesday, May 10, 2016, TASA sent a letter to Commissioner of Education Mike Morath to outline specific problems and issues districts across Texas encountered during recent administrations of the STAAR. TASA also shared this information with key legislative staff....
Amarillo ISD Announces Profile of a Graduate
Amarillo ISD, a Consortium Associate district, is launching its Profile of a Graduate initiative, a collaboration between district leadership and the community aimed at developing graduates who are ready for the rapidly changing 21st century and the local workforce....
Personalized Learning: Why & How It’s Transforming Texas Education
The following article is from the spring 2016 issue of INSIGHT, the professional journal of the Texas Association of School Administrators. It was written by Tom Vander Ark, CEO of Getting Smart, a learning design firm, and partner in Learn Capital, an education...
20 Things Educators Should Do Now to Advance Next-Generation Learning
The following article is from the spring 2016 issue of INSIGHT, the professional journal of the Texas Association of School Administrators: Twenty years into the “anybody can learn anything anywhere” era, we’re inventing new ways to grow human beings. The opportunity...
The “North Star” of Innovation
The following is the Executive Director's Message from the spring 2016 issue of INSIGHT, the professional journal of the Texas Association of School Administrators: The convergence of state and national initiatives to transform the learning environment for America’s...
HB 5 Graduation Paths Will Prepare Students for Success
The following opinion piece was written by HD Chambers, superintendent of Alief ISD, and Joe Arnold, senior government affairs manager for BASF Corp. and chair of the workforce development committees of the Texas Association of Manufacturers and Texas Chemical...
Consortium Steering Co-Chair Asks Big Picture Questions in Light of STAAR Problems
In her letter to the commissioner of education about the STAAR administration problems students and districts experienced during the last week of March 2016, TASA President Karen Rue, superintendent of Northwest ISD and co-chair of the Texas High Performance Schools...
TASA Conference Focuses on Vision-Driven Instruction & Leadership
The 2016 TASA Spring Leadership Conference, MISSION: School Transformation – Vision-Driven Instruction and Leadership, was held March 23-24 in Round Rock. Designed for TASA School Transformation Network subscribers but open to all Texas school leaders — at both the...
Vision in Practice Blog Offers Insight, Examples of Transformation in the Classroom
In January 2016, the Vision in Practice blog was created — by Texas educators for Texas educators — to provide insight into classrooms, campuses, and districts that are transforming teaching and learning to meet the needs of students in the 21st century. Spearheading...
Consortium Provides Recommendations on Assessment / Accountability to State Commission
The Commission on Next-Generation Assessments and Accountability, created in 2015 by HB 2804 to “develop and make recommendations for new systems of student assessment and public school accountability,” met for the second time February 23, 2016. During one of three...
Video: 2016 Texas Superintendent of the Year Tells SBOE We Must Give Up the “Testing Game”
2016 Texas Superintendent of the Year Mary Ann Whiteker of Hudson ISD was invited to address the State Board of Education at its meeting January 29, 2016. Whiteker spoke of the Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas document created by the Public...
UIL to Host First-Ever Robotics Championships for Texas High Schools
In December 2015, the University Interscholastic League announced that it will host the first-ever UIL robotics pilot program to begin during the 2015-16 academic school year. The UIL Robotics State Championship will have two divisions, UIL Robotics: FIRST® Division...
Let’s Count Our Gains and Gather Strength from Our Supporters
The following is the President's Message from the winter 2015 issue of INSIGHT, the professional journal of the Texas Association of School Administrators: At times, it seems like public education is being set up to look bad … that others are questioning our values,...
Midway ISD Joins Makerspace Movement to Create Engaging Learning Environments
Midway ISD in Region 12, a Consortium Associate, or one of 80-plus school districts that partners with the Texas High Performance Schools Consortium and shares a mission of preparing future-ready students, has joined the “makerspace” movement, turning school libraries...
Roscoe Collegiate ISD Celebrates Opening of 21st Century Learning Facility
On October 26, 2015, Roscoe Collegiate ISD celebrated the grand opening of its new STEM Agricultural Research Center. Keynoting the event was Texas House Public Education Committee Chair Jimmie Don Aycock, who commented that the district’s P-20 model is accomplishing...
Friendswood ISD Opens High-Tech Library
In 2015, Friendswood ISD opened a new, high-tech library at Cline Elementary that features a green screen room for students to create videos, a 3D printer, a space for students to present wirelessly with iPads, and microscopes connected to a monitor, allowing students...
Education Reimagined Releases Learner-Centered Vision for U.S. Education
In September 2015, an exciting effort to reimagine education that began two years before went public when Education Reimagined released A Transformational Vision for Education in the U.S. The signatories to the vision include Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael...
Harlingen CISD Early College High School Ranked Among Top Schools in Nation
In September 2015, Newsweek ranked Early College High School in Harlingen CISD as one of the top high schools in the nation in its “Beating the Odds 2015” list, coming in at number 84 on the list of 500 public high schools across the United States for their...
A Decade of Progress Toward TASA’s Vision
The following is the Executive Director's Message from the summer 2015 issue of INSIGHT, the professional journal of the Texas Association of School Administrators: By the time the Texas Legislature convenes in January 2017, 10 years will have passed since the 35...