Advanced Academics & GT Updates

In this month of Thanksgiving, we invite you to consider how not only gratitude, but also unconditional positive regard can transform attitudes for both teachers and students. We all need care and a sense of worth. Let's dedicate November to focusing on an at least one indivdiual who needs, before this semester is over, to be seen as "a whole and complete and worthy person."

Every year, we at the Region 10 ESC collect data through our Educator Needs Survey that allows school staff at all levels across the Region to provide feedback and input for upcoming professional learning opportunities. Please take a moment to complete the following survey and share the link with your fellow instructional staff to complete as well (including teachers, counselors, librarians, instructional coaches, campus and distrcit administrators, etc.).

Link: https://region10.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eJQaPSnH8e3wCwe

Region 10's advanced academics services are part of the Instructional Practices Package and align with CCMR as well as secondary core content areas to support ALL students.

Let’s shift from thinking that there are advanced students to our seeking “advanced” moments for all students.

• Targeting TSIA2 Recording
• SAT/ACT & TEKS Recording
  

• CLEP - Oct. 31 Session Recording
• CLEP - Oct. 31 Slide Deck
• CLEP - College Board Site
• CLEP Free Promotional Materials
• Sign Up for CLEP Notes
• Modern States - free course participation can earn students free CLEP vouchers

Region 10 will be hosting via Zoom the TEA Advanced Academics Office Hour: Dual Credit MOU Review for Statewide Dual Credit Goals, TEC and TAC

• When: Dec 7, 2023 - 1:00 PM Central Time
• Register in advance for the Dec. 7 TEA Advanced Academics Office Hour

TEA sent correspondence on Oct. 31 about the final 2023 accountability manual.

• The paths to being TSI met for A-F accountability have remained the same: TSIA2, SAT, ACT, and college prep courses.

Please note the following about ACT scores:

• The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has adopted new ACT college-readiness scores for TSI exemptions for any ACT administered on or after February 15, 2023. A combined score of 40 on the English and Reading (E+R) tests shall be exempt for both reading and writing or ELAR sections of the TSI Assessment. A score of 22 on the mathematics test shall be exempt for the mathematics section of the TSI Assessment. There is no composite score. These scores will likely be reflected for 2023 annual graduates in the 2024 accountability manual.
• Table 6.3 in Appendix H of the final 2023 accountability manual is showing that the TSI-met criteria for CCMR in A-F accountability is aligned to older ACT college-readiness scores. A composite score of 23 with a minimum of 19 on the English test shall be exempt for both the reading and writing sections of the TSI Assessment, and/or 19 on the mathematics test shall be exempt for the mathematics section of the TSI Assessment. The 2023 accountability manual evaluates 2022 annual graduates who would have ACT scores prior to Feb. 15, 2023.

The College Prep English course and the College Prep Mathematics course remains an option for students to become TSI met under A-F accountability.

Under TEC §28.014, each school district is required to partner with at least one institution of higher education to develop and provide college preparatory courses in English language arts and mathematics to students with specific college ready needs.

The purpose of the HB 5 College Preparatory courses

• is to provide students, most specifically seniors, an opportunity to demonstrate college readiness in English and/or math.

• is to be successful without the need for remedial or developmental coursework in college.

The College Prep courses may be delivered through a locally-developed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between an institution of higher education and a school district or the courses may be delivered through the statewide Texas College Bridge program.

Announced at the Region 10 Curriculum Directors Meeting on Nov. 3, Region 10 is exploring future possibilities with Texas College Bridge as the grant funding that has been in place since 2020 will come to an end Summer of 2024. This Texas College Bridge poll is being conducted as one step toward future possibilities.

We understand that there are many questions, including about costs, and we will share updated information about Texas College Bridge as we have it.

TEA released a "To the Administrator Addressed" corresponsence on Oct. 26 regarding the University of Texas at Austin Automatic Admission Policy. The University has determined that it will automatically admit all eligible summer/fall 2025 and spring 2026 freshman applicants who rank within the top 6% of their high school graduating classes. Senate Bill 175, passed by the 81st Texas Legislature, allows The University of Texas at Austin to limit automatic admission to 75 percent of the university’s enrollment capacity designated for first-time resident undergraduate students.

Region 10's gifted and talented program is a separate cooperative focused on the individual academic and emotional needs of identified GT students. You can explore all GT offerings on the GT Events Calendar.

Some in the mental health and educational fields refer to executive functioning skills as those things we need to master in order to "adult" well. They include things like planning into the future, prioritizing, time management, organization, focus, task initiation, motivation, follow-through, self-regulation, introspection, and working memory. These skills typically develop starting in adolescence and into a person's mid-twenties.

We might notice students with executive function challenges struggle with multi-step assignments, forgetting to turn in homework, issues self-advocating, emotional outbursts, and procrastination. These issues can be further exacerbated by inherited differences and twice-exceptionalities like ADHD and autism.

Educators often notice that some of their gifted students seem to especially struggle in this area, and may wonder why the smartest, most advanced students can't seem to handle these responsibilities and "life skills".

Asynchronous development could be one factor in why some gifted students may seem to be behind in the development of their executive functioning skills.

Another reason for this type of struggle's prevalence amongst gifted students could be because the GT students haven't needed to use these skills (studying, organization, time management, etc) before and therefore are not ready to rise the the challenge of increased independence and responsibility in school.

Recent research sheds light into another possible explanation for why executive function challenges feature prominently in GT classes and with GT students. In neurotypical children, the brain begins "pruning" excess information around the age of 8, which then allows for further development of the prefrontal-cortex (the center of many of our executive functioning skills). According to this study, gifted students have a delayed, longer "sponge" phase of brain development (where they soak up new information) , lasting well into their 12th year, which puts them several years behind their age-peers in the development of the part of their brain responsible for executive functioning.

Click here for more information on how to support our GT students with executive functioning delays.

Anyone can be creative. That's the message Creative Confidence drives home by showing that creativity is an innate ability that requires courage to uncover. It's not so much a case of learning how to be creative, but rather learning how to release creativity by overcoming fears and doubts, something that all GT students - and their teachers - can benefit from in life.

Asynchronous course:

November 1- Nov 30

December 1- Dec 31

Districts can take our Training of Trainer courses for the in-person GT Foundations Parts 1 & 2. GT teachers and/ or district GT professionals can attend the two day training and have access to all of Region 10's slides and materials to then lead the courses for their own teachers back in their districts! These sessions are for those who will be presenting GT Foundations for their campus/ district.

February 13 & 14

May 14 & 15

TEA hosts virtual informational sessions, with question and answer time, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. You can register here for both the morning (9:00 am CST) and afternoon (1:00 pm CST) meetings. Find more information about the upcoming sessions and recorded past sessions on their website.

• September 2023 (Digital SAT, TCB, TEA Performance Reporting, & Fall GT Offerings)
• October 2023 (Coordinator Meeting Slide Deck)