Texas Creates Online Hub for Teacher Training

Through a new portal, Texas teachers and students will have one place to access resources, network with educators across the state and extend their learning opportunities.

Before school lets out for the summer, the Texas Education Agency will launch new material both for face-to-face training and for the online training components of Project Share, said Anita Givens, associate commissioner of standards and programs.
 

Learn about skills, assessment changes

Over the past few years, the Lone Star State has been updating its essential knowledge and skills, as well as moving to a new assessment program.

The Legislature gave the education agency the directive and resources to start bringing teachers up to speed on the changes, but in such a large state, it couldn't reach everyone face-to-face. That's why the majority of educators will access professional development courses online through Project Share.

“We recognized that our teachers need extensive opportunities for professional development to learn what has changed in the curriculum and then also what is changing about the assessment program,” Givens said. 

Train regularly

The state will continue to do some on-site and blended instruction, but wants teachers to receive training online on a regular basis, Givens said.

Starting this week, Education Service Centers throughout Texas will teach educators how to access the portal and incorporate the resources they find there into lesson plans. At Education Service Center Region 13 in Austin, about 300 educators will attend each training session over the summer, said Marilyn Peebles, coordinator of advanced academic programs at the center. The agency is creating new math professional development and providing technical assistance for school districts in its area.

Once the participants complete the training, they'll be state-certified as master trainers. At on-site math academies this summer, they'll show teachers in their districts what they've learned.

The portal allows trainers and teachers to extend learning opportunities beyond in-person events, Peebles said.

“Prior to this, most of the professional development has just been face to face," she said, "and if there is any follow up, it’s the responsibility of the school district and the campus administrators." And with this, I really do believe that they’ll be more teachers involved in that follow up, that they’ll be an ongoing conversation with those teachers, and that that’s going to impact professional development in the future.”

In San Antonio, Education Service Center Region 20 is developing face-to-face training on the English Language Proficiency Standards and providing follow-up support, as well as putting modules and online courses into the portal, said Ed Vara, component director at the center. The portal gives people options so they're not stuck with just going to an event at a specific date and time.

And Project Share also changes the training approach from an event to a process.

“It really takes a much bigger picture at professional development than just the event,” he said.

3 ways to train online

1. Read an article and answer questions
    
2. Start a chat about a topic
    
3. Take an additional course

Connect a community of learners

Every teacher will be able to access the resources and courses on the digital platform. But the teachers who take face-to-face training courses will receive an invitation to a content- and grade-specific learning community on Project Share, Peebles said.

For example, fifth- and sixth-grade math teachers will have one learning community, seventh- and eighth-grade math teachers will have another learning community and Algebra I teachers will have a different learning community.

Once the communities are fully deployed, educators can make connections with others who teach in their grade or at their school, Vara said. 

“It’s a way to share and network across school districts, across campuses and across the state, for that matter.”

Provide a central education location

This will be the first time that the education agency has one place to go to access blogs, forums, wikis and training, Vara said.

And this fall, the portal will really be a one-stop shop. The platform supports e-textbooks, digital content from The New York Times Knowledge Network Content Repository, e-portfolios for students and online courses, which will be tested and rolled out when school starts back up.

“We’re trying to get all the stars aligned," Givens said, "but it’s a really big galaxy, so it’s going to take a while.”