My name is Jessica Torres and I serve as the ESC Region 12 Social Studies content specialist as well as the Continuous Improvement Liaison. The purpose of the newsletter is to provide resources specific to social studies content, general instructional tools, resources, updates, and professional development opportunities that are beneficial to all.

Many of you are wrapping up the school year, a tough one, no doubt. So I just want to take a moment and say thank you. Thank you for showing up, even when it seemed like the hardest thing to do. Thank you for working tirelessly to ensure our students have greater opportunities than we did. Thank you for doing your best.

As always, if you ever need assistance or have a question, please do not hesitate to contact me via email (jtorres@esc12.net) or social media (@owl_b_torresedu).

• Written feedback on workgroup drafts posted on the TEA website following completion of each draft

• Oral testimony at a public hearing during a July 2022 SBOE meeting

• Oral testimony at a public hearing during the September 2022 SBOE meeting

• Written feedback during official public comment period between the September and November 2022

https://tea.texas.gov/academics/curriculum-standards/teks-review/social-studies-teks-review-work-group-drafts

Senate Bill (SB) 1063, 87th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2021, requires that the SBOE adopt a combined personal financial literacy and economics course that will satisfy the graduation requirement in economics. The SBOE gave preliminary approval to Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for the proposed new course, §113.76, Personal Financial Literacy and Economics.

This proposed amendment would update the list of high school courses for social studies and physical education that are required to be offered to students. To ensure students have the option of satisfying the economics graduation requirement with the new proposed Personal Financial Literacy and Economics course, the SBOE gave preliminary approval to add the new course to the list of social studies courses.

The official public comment period for both items is now open. To view the proposals and submit public comments, visit

http://tea.texas.gov/About_TEA/Laws_and_Rules/SBOE_Rules_(TAC)/Proposed_State_Board_of_Education_Rules/.

Public comments are shared with SBOE members each week during the public comment period. Specific, actionable feedback submitted early in the 30-day timeframe provides SBOE members with more information and time to consider the comment. The SBOE is scheduled to consider both proposals for second reading and final adoption at its June 14-17, 2022 meeting.

Public Comment Period: May 6, 2022–June 10, 2022

Earliest Possible Date of Adoption: June 2022 SBOE meeting

Shout out to @heymrsbond, Chanea Bond, for this fabulous idea posted on Twitter.

"I assigned this final project to students about the book we read and the work I'm receiving is INCREDIBLE. Students are bringing their own knowledge and understanding to the text while performing research. I love curation. One of the best parts about this assignment is that I now have hundreds of resources I never would have thought of to help future students make connections." Check it out here >> https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aqbRaRDfl2_NOKJUH5SRnMnVDClNf-Gv6Pla9Fh7gJY/edit#slide=id.g35f391192_00

Here's another great end of the year, Twitter idea, this one from @mrbemisshistory. Historical Theme Park Maps. Check out the requirements here >> https://t.co/Q91dzqApVM

How could you adapt this to Texas History, World Cultures or your specific history needs?

Presidential Libraries can be found across the country, from Massachusetts to California. At Presidential Libraries you will find:

• museums featuring interactive exhibits
• interesting and fun public programs
• important educational events
• vast archives available for scholarly research

Did you know that Presidential Libraries also often have amazing digital resources? Here are three spotlights!

This book is going to be a must have when it is released! Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and His Glorious Book. Release date October 4, 2022. Add it to your wishlists now! Check out the preview information at Harper Collins. https://www.harpercollins.com/products/going-places-victor-hugo-green-and-his-glorious-book-tonya-bolden?variant=40001550614562

TEA is seeking classroom teachers, instructional coaches, campus and district content specialists, and campus administrators to serve on a variety of assessment-related committees. The involvement of Texas education professionals supports TEA in designing and building the best quality assessments. TEA is accepting applications for Texas educators to serve in a variety of ways:

• Educator passage review – each potential passage for the RLA test is reviewed and approved by a committee of Texas educators
• Educator item review – each potential question for a state test is reviewed and approved by a committee of Texas educators
• Constructed response range finding – educators are convened to set the scoring boundaries for student essays based on the rubric
• Subject-area advisory groups – groups of educators are convened to provide feedback on subject-area-specific topics
• STAAR redesign focus groups – groups of educators are convened to provide input on components of the STAAR redesign that are under consideration

To apply to participate in these committees, educators should complete the Educator Committee Application Form at https://www.txetests.com/edc/.

I am so excited to be part of the #sschat moderator team! I would love to have you join us for a great conversation via Twitter each Monday evening. Need help getting started with Twitter chats, reach out to me and I'll walk you through the steps. All of the Twitter chats are archived for future reference using Wakelet. Check them out here ->> https://sschat.org/archives/

Check them out here:

Volume 1 (2018-2019) Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3 Issue 4 Issue 5 Issue 6 Issue 7 Issue 8 Issue 9 Issue 10

Volume 2 (2019-2020) Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3 Issue 4 Issue 5 Issue 6 Issue 7 Issue 8 Issue 9 Issue 10 Issue 11 Issue 12 Issue 13

Volume 3 (2020-2021) Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3 Issue 4 Issue 5 Issue 6 Issue 7 Issue 8 Issue 9 Issue 10 Issue 11 Issue 12

Volume 4 (2021-2022) Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3 Issue 4 Issue 5 Issue 6 Issue 7 Issue 8 Issue 9

Special Editions: Celebrate Black History - Celebrate Women's History - 9/11 Remembered - Holocaust Remembrance Week - Memorial Day - Constitution Day - Juneteenth

Assistant Director for Continuous Improvement

Social Studies Content Specialist

ESC Region 12

o: 254-297-1284

Email: jtorres@esc12.net
Website: https://www.esc12.net/page/ge_socialstudies
Location: ESC Region 12, West Loop 340, Waco, TX, USA
Phone: 254-366-3856
Twitter: @owl_b_torresedu