TEA News
Reviewers Needed
Safal Partners, in partnership with the TEA, is seeking Texas educators with expertise in Spanish Prekindergarten, Spanish Foundational Literacy and Spanish Language Arts and Reading (grades K-5 only) to participate in the Texas Resource Review by becoming a reviewer of instructional materials.
Those selected will receive continuing professional education (CPE) hours and a stipend of at least $2,500.
Application deadline: Oct. 23.
more info
Physical Activity Mandates
Contrary to popular assumptions, physical activity requirements for elementary and middle school students haven’t been waived, Barney Fudge, the TEA’s representative to the Texas School Health Advisory Committee (TSHAC) told the committee during its September meeting. (webcast-Click Item 7)
Fudge said he has been fielding about a dozen phone calls a day on this issue.
Fudge, who is the TEA’s statewide coordinator for health education, said that although the TEA has not, to date, issued any specific guidance, the requirement for physical activity must be met, whether as a part of virtual or face-to-face instruction.
Another misconception, Fudge said, is that the requirement to administer the physical fitness assessment to students in grades three and higher has been waived for the current (2020-21) school year.
Although it is true that the requirement to administer the FitnessGram assessment was waived, via the governor’s coronavirus disaster declaration for the 2019-20 school year, no such waiver has been granted for the current school year.
Fudge said that the TEA is working on a timeline for a web-based version for the physical fitness assessment.
Fudge suggested that districts in the meantime can enter their students’ physical fitness data in a text file format into the Physical Fitness Assessment Initiative (PFAI), which requires a TEA login.