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(for the regular monthly newsletter Cargill Connection click here) “Help Is On the Way!” by Barbara Cargill State Board of Education, District 8
When it comes to Texas curriculum standards and testing, teachers are frustrated, students are stressed, and parents are confused. Well, I have good news for you. Hang in there, help is on the way! It has long been my opinion that one root cause of teacher dissatisfaction in Texas is the confusion caused by our state’s fuzzy, non-specific, highly repetitive curriculum standards--the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills or TEKS. Adopted in 1997, the TEKS are the student expectations for each grade level subject such as science, math, social studies, etc. Teachers use these standards to develop their classroom curriculums, and it is from the TEKS that the TAKS tests are developed. Even before I took office in 2005, complaints came in from hard-working teachers about the TEKS, especially for English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR). This year when these TEKS came under review, I heard from even more teachers! One teacher wrote that it took her six months to figure out the 2nd grade TEKS because they are so “fuzzy and confusing”. Another highly regarded teacher said she is “amazed that 116 new standards must be taught in 4th grade”, and yet another said that after several district trainings (usually led by high dollar curriculum specialists), she “still did not completely understand what she was expected to teach.” Other concerns include not knowing when mastery is expected and the word for word repetition of many standards for several years in a row. The flight of top talent from the classroom is alarming, and many more contemplate whether it is all worth it. One way to retain these teachers is to listen to what they have been saying for years, “Give us curriculum standards that are clear, concise, and grade-level appropriate.” In response to the concerns of several board members about the ELAR curriculum standards, Chairman Tincy Miller led a study day on June 14th for the State Board of Education to assess the need for major reform. After hearing from three nationally acclaimed curriculum experts, the board became unified behind the effort for significant reform. The experts’ bottom-line advice? Eliminate TEKS that are repetitive or that cannot be measured, and develop a framework of content standards that is specific for each grade level. Now is the time to bring about positive change to the ELAR curriculum standards (with all subjects to follow over time). Fellow board members and I look forward to working alongside the Texas Education Agency staff and Commissioner Neeley to develop clear standards that help our children build on their knowledge from year to year. Although benchmarks will not be relaxed, true learning and achievement will come easier for all. Better “roadmaps for learning” will result in higher academic success for our schoolchildren while bringing improved teacher satisfaction. Clearer standards will guide publishers to prepare basal readers that ensure children learn the skills they need, starting in kindergarten and progressing forward. Learning becomes much more effective and attainable on all counts. This change will be hard but is necessary for progress. It will require complete cooperation between our Commissioner of Education, the State Board of Education, Texas Education Agency staff, textbook publishers, and others with vested interests in our state curriculum standards. The study day was a great beginning for major reform, but the best celebration of all will be the day that our teachers actually have the new and improved TEKS in their hands and can start using clear, concise, measurable, non-repetitive standards with their students! +++ THE CARGILL CONNECTION, June 2006Dear friends and supporters, Hopefully you are enjoying a wonderful summer with family and friends! We have two sons who left for Scout Camp this week, so we look forward to some quality time with our other son, Blake, who is home with us. I want to let you know that my beloved father passed away on June 6th. Dad was 88 years old. He was a true patriot, having served in the Navy in both World War II and in Korea. He was also a man of noble character and impeccable honesty. We miss him dearly but what a comfort it is to know that he is now in the presence of his Lord and Savior. My mother is doing as well as can be expected--she and Dad had been married 63 years. There are many exciting things going on, so here is an update on State Board of Education issues. ON THE JULY 6-7 SBOE MEETING AGENDA:
(The most exciting part of our study day on June 14 happened when three national reading experts gave us their opinions about our state’s English Language Arts and Reading curriculum standards! Please read the article I have written and pasted at the bottom of this newsletter. I have some wonderful things to tell you that will benefit our schoolchildren immensely!) The Committee on Planning (of which I am a member) will meet to discuss many things including: ongoing State Board for Educator Certification activities, teacher certification fees for the 2006-2007 school year, completion check procedures for open-enrollment charter applications, and the application form and timeline for the thirteenth generation of open-enrollment charter schools. To see the complete agenda for more information, please go to the Texas Education Agency website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us. The agenda is posted under “State Board of Education and Commissioner” (on the left). After that screen appears, click on “Meeting Schedule and Agendas” (on the right).
OTHER HAPPENINGS:
FAMILY CORNER:
************************************************************************ Thank you for your interest in public education and in what I am doing for schoolchildren as your State Board of Education member. I am your voice, so please feel free to contact me about education issues at sboe@barbaracargill.com or at 281-297-5948. People seem so surprised to hear from me personally when they call or e-mail. SBOE members do not have a staff, so yes; you will receive a response directly from me! Please continue to pray for the leadership in our state and in our nation as important decisions are made every day that affect all of us and our children. And I would appreciate your prayers for me as I prepare for the next State Board meeting July 6-7. Between now and then, I will be directing the science camp that I founded twelve years ago as an outreach ministry of my church. We have over 1,000 children coming to camp; what a privilege it is to teach these children about the wonders of science! (www.wowsciencecamp.com) I leave you with these verses. They have been very meaningful to my family over the past two weeks. 1 Peter 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you." Best regards,
Barbara Cargill
Pictures at: www.barbaracargill.com/pictures.htm.
Texas Education Agency SBOE Minutes here (Check out things for yourself!)
Coming Events... Come show your support for Barbara Cargill. If you'd be interested in having Barbara come speak to you, let us know at any of the contact numbers and e-mail below. Thanks!
"He only asks thee to yield thyself to Him, that He may work in thee to will and to do by His own mighty power. Thy part is to yield thyself and His part is to work; and never, never will He give thee any command which is not accompanied by ample power to obey it." - Hannah W. Smith |
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