Texas Mathematics Teacher Spring/Summer 2020 - 35

TEA Updates
Spring/Summer 2020
Jo Ann Bilderback, Director of Mathematics, Curriculum Standards and Student Support Division
Mathematics Achievement Academies - Funding for the Mathematics Academies was extended by the 86th Texas
Legislature (2019) for kindergarten - grade 3 for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years. All teachers who provide
classroom instruction in mathematics to students in these grades will be eligible to attend an academy. This includes
special education, bilingual, and ESL teachers. State law requires TEA to grant priority for academy participation to
teachers at campuses with 50% or more educationally disadvantaged students. Check with your regional Education
Service Center (ESC) for available training sessions.
New sessions of the Mathematics Academies are in development and expected to be available in the upcoming
school year.
* Leadership Overview Sessions - These sessions are designed to assist district and campus leaders to understand
how to support the Mathematics Achievement Academies work. These sessions are intended for campus
administrators.
* Extended Follow-up Sessions - These sessions are designed to extend the learning from the original three-day
Mathematics Achievement Academy to help teachers extend the content knowledge throughout other math strands
in the TEKS. These sessions are intended for classroom teachers that have previously attended the original threeday Mathematics Achievement Academy.
* Micro-credentials Training - The micro-credentials trainings are designed to be a deep dive into different content
sections presented in the Mathematics Achievement Academies. Teachers must have previously attended the
original three-day Mathematics Achievement Academy to work on a Math Academy micro-credential.
ESTAR/MSTAR Universal Screeners and Diagnostic Assessments - The ESTAR/MSTAR Universal Screeners are part
of a formative assessment system administered to students in grades 2-8 to support instructional decisions. The content
of the screeners is based on algebra-readiness skills as identified in the Texas Response to Curriculum Focal Points. The
results can help teachers identify if students are at-risk for algebra readiness.
The remaining ESTAR/MSTAR windows for the 2019-2020 school year are as follows:
Universal Screener
April 13 - May 8, 2020

Diagnostic Assessments
April 20 - May 15, 2020

Online training courses for the ESTAR/MSTAR assessment system are available at http://texasmathsupportcenter.org/. For
questions concerning ESTAR/MSTAR, please contact the help desk at mathtx@esc13.net or 1-855-462-8489.
Interim Assessments - The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has created free, optional online interim assessments that
align to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). The STAAR Interim Assessments are a TEA-provided tool
to help educators tailor instructional practice to address students' needs. These assessments are available at no cost to
districts and they are not tied to accountability. Additional information about Interim Assessments can be found at
http://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/IA/.
Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) - PAEMST awards are the highest
honors bestowed by the U.S. Government specifically for K-12 mathematics and science teaching. The Awards were
established by Congress in 1983. Each president since then has recognized up to 108 exemplary teachers each year. The
National Science Foundation administers PAEMST on behalf of The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of
mathematics and science education.
The 2020 competition is open to teachers who teach math or science in grades K-6. Teachers can sign up to apply or
be nominated. The nomination window is open through March 1, 2020. Applications are due by May 1, 2020. In Texas,
eligible teachers who submit a completed application by the deadline will earn 25 hours of CPE credit. To sign up, apply,
or find information about the awards, teachers can visit www.paemst.org. In Texas, questions can be sent to
tx_paemst@tea.texas.gov.
The Texas State Board of Education recognized math and science PAEMST state finalists and national awardees at the
January 2020 meeting.

www.txmathteachers.org

Spring/Summer 2020

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http://www.texasmathsupportcenter.org/ http://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/IA/ http://www.paemst.org http://www.txmathteachers.org

Texas Mathematics Teacher Spring/Summer 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Texas Mathematics Teacher Spring/Summer 2020