TEA recently announced the establishment of the SBEC Educator Training Clearinghouse, which is the culmination of Senate Bill 1267 passed during the 2021 legislative session. The comprehensive bill is aimed at streamlining educator training requirements as well as increasing the opportunity for educators to self-select meaningful and relevant professional development.

After taking a leading role in the workgroup that laid the foundation for SB 1267, TCTA worked closely with TEA and other stakeholders in developing the first iteration of the clearinghouse.

Since SB 1267 requires that the Clearinghouse Advisory Committee engage in a continuous review of educator training requirements with reports to the Texas Legislature, TCTA anticipates continued involvement in this effort to prevent training requirements from building up in order to protect educator time and make professional development requirements more targeted and meaningful for educators. Click here to read more.

The House Public Education Committee met this week for two long days of invited and public testimony on a variety of topics, ranging from House Bill 3 (former school finance legislation) implementation and HB 4545 (tutoring and supplemental instruction legislation) to curriculum and instructional materials and parent engagement.

Monday’s hearing was a continuation of a hearing in May that was cancelled midway due to the mass shooting in Uvalde CISD. The hearing focused primarily on how previously passed legislation was being implemented and whether improvements needed to be made. TCTA previously submitted written testimony regarding reading academies and the need for both flexibility to complete academy requirements and for teachers to be paid for their completion.

The second day of hearings broached broader subjects such as K-12 alignment with higher education and the workforce as well as curriculum and instructional materials.

Education Commissioner Mike Morath testified that due to changes made by previous legislators, teachers have become both curriculum/content developers and content deliverers. He stressed that this change means that teachers have had to develop completely new skill sets that are not necessarily taught in education preparation programs, and that take up more time and add to the teacher workload.

The parent engagement portion of the meeting included comprehensive discussions of private school vouchers, and two of the invited speakers were national advocates for vouchers. This hearing is but the beginning of the voucher conversation we expect to take shape in the 2023 legislative session, which begins in January.

TCTA was invited to testify this week before the Texas Commission on Virtual Education on the topics of educator preparation, professional development and support for teachers in the classroom environment.

TCTA’s Holly Eaton focused on the need to ensure that any professional development related to the virtual environment is not a mandate from the state, that it be completely voluntary on the part of the teacher to participate, and that teachers who do participate should receive a stipend for doing so.

TCTA made several recommendations about needed supports for teachers in the virtual environment including:

The State Board of Education plans a special public hearing on Monday, Aug. 1, in Austin to hear input on proposed revisions to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies in elementary, middle and high school. In addition to in-person testimony, educators can send feedback to SBOE members on the TEKS revisions by emailing sboesupport@tea.texas.gov. Monday's hearing will be livestreamed. You can watch it here beginning at 8 a.m. CDT.

Tuesdays with TCTA returns at 6 p.m. Aug. 9. Staff attorneys will discuss TEA’s upcoming changes to the K-3 Reading Academies, reserving time to answer members’ questions about this and other back-to-school topics. Click here to register for this free 30-minute, members-only webinar and submit your questions.

SAVE THE DATES! We are also planning Tuesdays with TCTA webinars at

6 p.m. Aug. 23 and Sept. 6 to answer members' questions about back-to-school issues. Registration for these sessions will open soon. Click here for more information, including recordings of previous sessions.

Beginning with the spring 2023 summative administrations, STAAR tests will include non-multiple-choice questions that reflect the types of questions asked by educators in classrooms.

The new question types were developed with input from teachers, students, and a wide range of educational stakeholders and assessment experts. TEA field tested these new question types to verify their ability to accurately and reliably measure students’ understanding of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. Click here to watch a video from TEA about what teachers have to say about the new STAAR test.

Teachers and parents can see preliminary blueprints that show how each test will be organized with the addition of new question types. During the summer, or when students return to school in the fall, they can practice using the new question types in the online testing platform.

TEA also recently released information about optional assessment resources for the 2022-23 school year, including STAAR interim tests and beginning-of-year assessments.

A teacher accused of inappropriate conduct with students requested a hearing after the school district's board of trustees voted to suspend the teacher without pay in lieu of termination on March 5, 2019. His leave without pay became effective that same day.

At his hearing on May 7, 2019, the teacher did not deny that he engaged in inappropriate conduct. Instead, he argued that the suspension without pay should not have become effective on the day that the board acted (March 5), but rather should take effect after his hearing (May 7).

On an appeal to the commissioner of education, the commissioner ruled against the district, holding that the district must continue to pay the teacher until he had an opportunity for a hearing. Click here to read more.

The Summer 2022 issue of The Classroom Teacher was mailed to members last week. In this issue:

The Texas Resource Review, which provides Texas educators with free access to comprehensive and user-friendly information about the quality of instructional materials, is seeking feedback from teachers on its K-8 and high school science rubrics. Submit comments by Aug. 26 using this form.

Those interested in providing feedback on the science rubrics as part of a focus group should complete this application. Sessions begin Aug. 10.

TRS is reminding participants to take care of their mental health using the resources available through TRS-ActiveCare.

Along with coverage for outpatient and inpatient treatment, TRS-ActiveCare also includes several fully covered benefits including Learn to Live, on-on-one coaching, Well onTarget and personal health guides for no additional costs to participants. Click here to learn more.

Local affiliate officers and campus faculty representatives who were not able to join us for summer training workshops can watch replays of the July 18 and July 27 virtual sessions online now. Click here to watch.

Membership recruitment kits were mailed to FRs over the past couple of weeks. If you want to be a campus FR during the 2022-23 school year and have not received a package yet, click here to learn more and fill out our form or call the Membership Department at 888-879-8282.

Aug. 5-7 is the state's tax-free weekend. Most school supplies, backpacks, clothing and footwear priced under $100 will be tax free.

“With inflation driving prices higher on just about everything, this sales tax holiday provides Texas families some small relief managing the costs associated with kids heading back to the classroom,” Comptroller Glenn Hegar said in a statement.

The Comptroller’s office estimates that shoppers will save $112 million in state and local sales tax Aug. 5-7. Click here for a complete list of eligible items.

The State Board of Education recently honored 15 students for their acts of kindness. Each recipient of the 2022 Student Heroes Award has displayed a servant's heart and compassion for their peers, classmates and communities.

“While these students don’t perform any of these acts for recognition, it is only appropriate that we shed a light on their selflessness and desire to do good in the world,” SBOE chair Keven Ellis said.