Exemptions help more campuses gain top accountability ratings from state
09:14 AM CDT on Saturday, July 31, 2010
The number of Texas public schools that earned "exemplary" or "recognized" under the state accountability ratings jumped dramatically in 2010. But most of the improvement was due to exemptions that allowed campuses to claim credit for students who had failed TAKS tests.
The accountability ratings were released Friday by the Texas Education Agency. The rising tide of statewide improvement was reflected in ratings for many schools and districts in North Texas.
Dallas ISD has 63 schools with the top rating of exemplary, up from 46 last year. The number of schools with the lowest rating,
Melissa educators take tech to the max for students
09:27 PM CDT on Friday, July 30, 2010
Karen Rose used to be a techno-weenie, anxious about using computers and confounded by PowerPoint.
During her final presentation in an education technology class at the University of Oklahoma, she deleted a key computer file. The professor showed mercy.
"She told me, 'I'll give you credit for the presentation as long as you promise you won't give up on technology,' " Rose recalled.
To say she hung in there is an understatement.
Rose – a third-grade teacher at McKillop Elementary in Melissa – recently went to Denver to collect the International Society for Technology in Education's award for outstanding teacher of 2010.
The group, representing 80 professional associations and more than 100,000 teachers, cited the many ways Rose uses technology in her classroom, including guiding students to create digital portfolios.
Her students do videos, podcasts, PowerPoints, animation and other
