TEA News

Principal evaluations
The TEA announced (May 15) changes to the Texas Principal Evaluation and Support System (T-PESS) that can be optionally used for the 2020-21 school year and must be used for the 2021-22 school year. A handbook outlining the changes is expected to be posted in June.

Online Assessments Survey
The TEA announced the launch (during the week of May 18) of a survey mandated by 2019’s HB3906 to help determine if the state is ready to move to online student testing.

Although the survey will be emailed by the Texas A&M Education Research Center to superintendents and other central office staff (and to principals) only one survey response is required per district. The survey will remain online for about four weeks.

Facilities funding
The TEA is accepting New Instructional Facility Allotment (NIFA) applications until July 15.

TEA Rule News
Click here for more info about the following:

Adopted:
  • School finance — Implementing HB3’s Formula Transition Grant provisions. Effective May 17.

Proposed (with comment deadlines):
  • Student assessments — Requiring that students in grades 3-8 and who are on track to complete high school end-of-course (EOC) requirements before entering high school must take either the ACT or SAT at least once in high school for federal accountability purposes (with the state paying exam fees for students taking the ACT or SAT between January of their 11th grade year through graduation). (June 22)

  • Facilities standards — Replacing the current minimum school facility construction/renovation mandates with updated requirements, including by adding 2019’s SB11 mandates that school buildings provide a safe and secure environment.

    The provisions will apply to school facilities constructed or renovated on or after Sept. 1, 2020. (June 29)

  • Teacher appraisals — Making several revisions to the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS), including changes required by HB3 to create a local option teacher designation system. (June 15)

  • Charters — Ensuring that open-enrollment charter school funding reserved for special-ed is not reduced due to HB3 provisions. (June 8)

  • Service centers — Restoring (because it had been left out of HB3) the annual state-funded salary supplements to education service center (ESC) employees — who are not administrators and are not eligible for the minimum salary schedule — of $500 for full-time and $250 for part-time staff. (June 8)