Message from Joe

August / September, 2008:

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It is my pleasure to welcome all Austin ISD social studies teachers to the 2008-09 academic year. I would especially like to welcome all social studies teachers new to Austin ISD. I hope all of you have had a safe and relaxing summer break. The Austin ISD Social Studies Curriculum Department looks forward to working with all of you as we set off for new adventures this school year!

I would like to commend all of our campuses for their success on the 2008 Social Studies TAKS assessment. Social studies scores in Grades 8, 10, and 11 all showed significant increases, and achievement gaps between groups of students have decreased. Special congratulations to social studies teachers at Burnet, Martin, Mendez, and Pearce Middle Schools for moving out of the “Academically Unacceptable” list in social studies. To all of our schools, keep up the great work in social studies!

As we go into the new school year, keep in mind that the overall student performance on the 2009 Social Studies TAKS exam has increased to 70%. In other words, 70% of all students and of all student subgroups must meet mastery in order for a school to be academically acceptable in social studies. Remember to access TAKS resources on our website as you work with students throughout the school year. These can be found on both the middle school and high school grade's pages. In addition, T.E.A. has now posted, and teachers should review, the 2008 Released TAKS Student Expectations.

We are in for an exciting semester as the 2008 Presidential Election swings into full gear this fall. If you have not yet done so, go to the Resourcessection of the Social Studies website to access a wide variety of electronic resources for all grade levels on our Election Connection page.

Also, the week of September 15-19 is Celebrate Freedom Week. Mandated by House Bill 1776, Celebrate Freedom Week addresses student recitation of passages from the Declaration of Independence and observances related to citizenship. TEKS Review Process
to begin soon for
Social Studies

For educators and community members interested in participating in the Social Studies TEKS Review Process, the State Board of Education (SBOE) approved a TEKS Review Process at the July meeting. Social studies educators, parents and members from the business and industry communities are encouraged to apply.
Please periodically check the T.E.A. Curriculum website for postings regarding further info. and to locate the application.Federal legislation also mandates that September 17 be observed as Constitution Day. Celebrate Freedom Week and Constitution Day lessons can be found in the Instructional Planning Guides for each grade level as well as in the Resource section.School districts that receive Title I federal funding are required to document how individual campuses specifically observe Constitution Day. Department chairs will find the necessary form that needsto be completed in the Department Chair Document Library section of our website. Each campus - elementary, middle, and high school, must complete this form and return it to me no later than October 1, 2008.

Also, make sure to take time to read through the Professional Development opportunities in social studies found on our website.This will be updated on a regular basis. We are really excited about the History Alive! Levels One and Two sessions for secondary teachers and the Social Studies Alive! session for elementary teachers that will be offered in September and October. Teachers interested in participating should contact me directly since attendance is limited on a first come-first serve basis.

Our department is excited about two new additions to our team. I would like towelcome Jessica Jolliffe, formerly an 8th grade teacher at Bailey Middle School, and Arika Ramirez-Cuevas, formerly at Houston Elementary, to the Social Studies Department. Jessica will be supporting middle schools, and Arika has joined us as one of our team’s secretaries.

Best wishes to a successful start to the 08-09 year! Do not hesitate to contact our department if we can be of service to your campus. Each of us in the Social Studies Curriculum team looks forward to working with all of you throughout the year.

Joe