4/19/05c.comer Chris Castillo Comer Director of Science TEA Science Update Statewide SESnet Meeting...

4/19/05 c.comer

Chris Castillo Comer

Director of Science

TEA Science Update

Statewide SESnet MeetingUniversity of Texas

April 19, 2005

Welcome!

Goals for the DayIntroductionsThe History of SESnet

• Agenda Items…• Important Logistical information…

STATEWIDE SESnet Meeting

Assessment Update

• Elementary TAKS• Middle School Information Booklets!• Online Tutorials for Online TAKS• Scale score • Personalized Study Guides

Spring 2005 Update!Spring 2005 Update!

Judging Student Performance

• Have schools look at the range of students’ performances based on their scale scores.• Do more students have a scale score

closer to 2100 (threshold for passing) than to 2400 (commended performance)?Remember that for all tests (except

for 2005 Exit Level), the scale scores are set at 2100 for passing and 2400 for Commended. In 2006 all tests will have these scale scores.

Middle School TAKS

• Field Test: Monday, April 18, 2005 • First assessed: Thursday, 4/20/06• Bridges learning from 5th grade to 10th grade

science TAKS assessments• Includes Student Expectations from

Grades 6, 7, & 8

Middle School TAKS Field Test• All students will participate• Purpose: to gather data about items. • Districts will not receive feedback• A small sub-set of the state will be administered

the On-Line Pilot which will include innovative items.

NEW! TAKS Information BookletsMiddle School

• “Hard Copy” will be printed • Scheduled for August ’05 Delivery to Schools• Web version scheduled for July 15th • Highlights:

• 5-6 items per objective• Guidance on Equipment TEKS 4 (A)

‘05 Personalized Study Guides

• Latest shipment was sent to

schools on January 7, 2005• The personalized version is online now.

• Students can log on and type in their CSR to see their personalized study guides

• The assessment items are based on released tests and student are ‘walked through’ the thinking process for reading the stem and considering the distracters.

http://www.yourstudyguide.com/Texas/

FAQ    FAQ     How can I get a copy of the downloadable study guide? What is Adobe® Reader®? the downloadable study guide? How can I get a copy of the TAKS Study Guide that was developed in 2003? How can I get further help?

Trends:

Research: What it tells us…

Guided Inquiry

Teacher Enhancement

What Works

Four years of Science?

Earth Science?

All Teacher Enhancement should:• BE TEKS RELATED:

To the depth and complexity of the TEKS• PROVIDE TAKS SUPPORT

Improves student achievement as evidenced on the TAKS

• TARGET the TOUGH TEKS

Most powerful when fitted to individual teacher and school needs…

Hang in there, you’re almost through

that science lab, only 20 minutes till lunchtime!

The Education Service Centers Implement pit crews for science teachers.

Your Job IsVital!

You do make a difference!

Your efforts:• Keep Teachers

informed• Nurture Leaders• Mentor teachers• Improve

practice• Prevent teacher

burn-out!

Linking Science and Literacy:SCIENCE LITERACY

PREDICT Forecast what will happen; i.e.: weather

Anticipate what others will do

EVIDENCE Experimental data, replication

Citations from the text

STORY Big Ideas, scaffolding of concepts

Narrative

HABITS OF MIND Cognitive connections Behavior; self

THEORY Well articulated best fit of evidence; observable and identifiable

Thoughts, hunch, one’s own feelings about something

A Model of Student Cognitive Processes (Glynn and Muth)

Perception of Science Phenomena

Working Memory

Learning Science

Science Knowledge

Science Process skills

Reading Skills

Writing Skills

Long Term Memory

Metacognition

Speaking/ Listening

Construction Construction

New Resources on TEA Website www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment

• 2005 District and Campus Coordinator Manual

• 2005 TELPAS District and Campus Coordinator Manual

• 2003-2004 Technical Digest• 2004-2005 SSI Grade Placement Committee

Manual• SSI Parent Brochures

Master Science Teacher News

• TEC 21.413 says the Master Science Teacher (MST) stipends will be paid for the first time at the end of the 2005-2006 school year. 

• We should anticipate about 263 MST’s in the first year • Commissioner’s Rules are under review.• SBEC has approved one program, with several more applying

soon.

Lonna SandersonElementary PAEMST

Awardee

Science Meetings of note:• Texas Regional NAEP Framework Meeting

Austin Omni Hotel; April 25, 2005• TUSC Meeting

Austin Omni Hotel; May 10, 2005• TSELA Summer Meeting

Austin Airport Hilton; June 7, 2005• CAST: Houston, TX

October 25-30, 2005• NSTA: Anaheim, CA

April, 2006

More people in the United States earn

their living by doing astrology than by doing astronomy.

Vital Connections, p. 38

Today’s Reality

Who To Contact:• TEA Science Staff:

• Chris Castillo-ComerDirector of Sciencechris.comer@tea.state.tx.us

• Irene Pickhardt Assistant Directorirene.pickhardt@tea.state.tx.us

512-463-9581