Call for Review Panels for K-12 Social Studies and more…..

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Alice

Please listen to the Women On The Wall Radio show posted below with Texas Mom Kara Sands as she shares just how important the Text book Review Panels are in Texas. The far left is working to fundamentally transformation education in America and it is our time to give the gift of American Exceptionalism to our children, the next generation.

The shift is from American Exceptionalism to Globalization.

There is a Call out now for State Review Panel Nominees

The Texas Education Agency is now accepting nominations to the state review panels that will evaluate instructional materials submitted for adoption under Proclamation 2015.

To nominate yourself or someone else to serve on a state review panel, please complete the form posted at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=25769808256&libID=25769808258 and submit it to the TEA on or before Friday, January 24, 2014.

Proclamation 2015 calls for instructional materials in the following areas:

· Social Studies, grades K-12

· Social Studies (Spanish), grades K-5

· Mathematics, grades 9-12

· Fine Arts, grades K-12

State review panels are scheduled to convene in Austin for one week during the summer of 2014 to review materials submitted under Proclamation 2015. The TEA will reserve hotel lodging and reimburse panel members for all travel expenses, as allowable by law.

· Panel members should plan to remain on-site for five days to conduct the evaluation.

· Panel members will be asked to complete an initial review of instructional materials prior to the in-person review.

· Panel members will receive orientation and training both prior to the initial review and at the beginning of the in-person review.

· Panel members might be asked to review additional content following the in-person review.

· Because many of the samples will be delivered electronically, panel members should be comfortable reviewing materials on-screen rather than in print.

· Panel members should also have a working knowledge of Microsoft Excel.

Upon initial contact by a representative of the TEA, state review panel nominees begin a “no-contact” period in which they may not have either direct or indirect contact with any publisher or other person having an interest in the content of instructional materials under evaluation by the panel. The “no contact” period begins with the initial communication from the Texas Education Agency and ends after the State Board of Education (SBOE) adopts the instructional materials. The SBOE is scheduled to adopt Proclamation 2015 materials at its November 2014 meeting.

Nominations are due on or before Friday, January 24, 2014. The nomination form is posted on the TEA website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=25769808256&libID=25769808258.

If you have any questions, please contact review.adoption@tea.state.tx.us

Join the movement Give the Gift of American Exceptionalism to your child or grandchild.

Understand the Challenge and take Action!

Go into your child or grandchild’s classroom and say….. #CanISee WHAT and HOW you are teaching my child in the classroom.

Now is the time to go into your child’s classroom and say……..

Help WomenOnTheWall.org carry out our mission. We are the grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters of American women of all political persuasions, age and race and are the stewards of the home and hearth. We will stop at nothing to defend and protect our families.Your financial support is critical to ensuring that we can carry out our mission of protecting our nation for future generations and to fight for the safety and security of our children and grandchildren. Help us in our efforts by making a contribution of $25, $50, or $100 so we can keep fighting for our conservative values.

Join the Movement to #StopCSCOPE ~ New Way To Fight – HB 945

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Alice

Do you want to help put a big dent in the development of CSCOPE courses in the Texas Virtual School Network?

The obsolete government entity (Harris County Department of Education) that I have been trying to shut down for the past two years is the developer/provider of the CSCOPE courses in the Texas Virtual School Network. Now I know why there are so many educational big shots trying to keep them open.

They are actually the Harris County School Trustees, an entity left over from the days when counties operated our public schools in Texas – before the onset of the ISD. Believe it or not, Harris County still elects County School Trustees over 50 years after our last countywide school closed! I have been fighting to shut them down because they are a duplicate of ESCs – thus a waste of our local tax dollars. I had no idea I was fighting CSCOPE too.

The bill to close them down will be heard on Tuesday April 16th. If you will be in Austin (or know someone who will be) who also wants to take down CSCOPE, you can help by simply signing in at the Capital on Tuesday morning in support of HB 945.

Hearing: Tuesday, April 16, 2013

House Public Education Committee

Texas Capital Extension – Second Floor (E2) – Room E2.036

Upon final adjourn./recess. Before 10:00am

House Bill 945

Purpose: Abolish Office of Harris County School Trustee / County Superintendent

Author: Rep. Debbie Riddle

You must come in person to register your support “For” the bill to have your name in the public record. You do NOT need to speak.

· You must register electronically using a House Witness Registration kiosk or your own IPAD inside the Capital Building the day of the hearing – BEFORE your bill is heard –

Ø Select Hearing: House Public Education Committee

Ø Select Agenda Item: HB 945

Ø Register Your Position: FOR

Ø Select – you do NOT wish to testify

That’s all you have to do. You do not have to attend the hearing. Just a large number of people registering support FOR the bill would be very helpful.

Funny that I have been working on two bills, this one and CSCOPE and had no idea they were related until now.

Colleen Vera

colleen@TexasTrashTalk.com

________________________________________________

Click the photo to sign the Petition and Join the movement to#StopCSCOPE

Women On the Wall takes on the issues that matter. Sharing information and updates on our weekly radio show on Monday mornings at 10 am CST. You will not want to miss this show. We will have up to date information on CSCOPE and guests who are the experts on education and other issues that are effecting our children and grandchildren.

Knowledge is Power and together we can make the difference!!

Follow @AliceLinahan on twitter and Facebook

Voices Empower has partnered the Freedom Trailer Teams to Educate, Inspire and Motivate.

Women On The Wall.org

___________________________________________

Check Out Voices Empower Articles .

“Education Is Serious Business: Green, Yellow, and Red People”

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Alice

By Donna Garner

GREEN, YELLOW, AND RED PEOPLE: CATEGORIES IN EDUCATION

Generally, I believe there are two different types of philosophies of education; and nearly all educators, curriculum, vendors, organizations, and advocacy groups fall into one of these two categories. (3.3.13 — “Traditional vs Progressive— Two Completely Different Philosophies of Education”

Green Yellow and Red CSCOPE People

Next, there are also three different types of individuals involved; and we can see this all across America.

The “green” people are those who go-along to get-along; they go with the status quo and are content to follow whatever teaching fad is in vogue at the present time. These people are not bad people but are easily deceived by those who have ulterior motives (e.g., drive-by media, national educator organizations, left-leaning politicians, CSCOPE, Common Core Standards).

The “yellow” people are those who are driven by greed, money, power, and fame. Many of these people are vendors, lobbyists, or school employees who look past the egregious content of their products so long as they themselves are benefitting. Into this group fall some CSCOPE/TESCCC/ESC employees, Thomas Ratliff, Mike Moses, Pat Jacoby, TASA, TASB, etc.

The “red” people know exactly what they are doing. They have long-term goals to change America, and they realize that the best way to do this is to indoctrinate this and succeeding generations of school children in their classrooms. Into this group fall such people as Obama, Arne Duncan, Linda Darling-Hammond, Bill Ayers, the National Education Organization, and many other left-leaners.

Politicians can come in all different colors – green, yellow, and red. Those who blindly follow are green. Those who seek fame, fortune, and/or control for themselves are yellow. Those whose aim is to change America from a capitalist, free-market Republic into a Socialist, Communist, Marxist country are red.

I do not believe that very many of our Texas Legislators fall into the “red” category, but I do believe many of them do fall into the “green” or “yellow” categories.

TEXAS’ NEW TYPE #1 CURRICULUM STANDARDS (TEKS)

Here are the links to the TEKS as posted on the official Texas Education Agency website for the four core courses adopted by the SBOE starting in May 2008 through May 2012:

ELAR TEKS –http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter110/index.html

SCIENCE TEKS –http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter112/index.html

SOCIAL STUDIES TEKS –http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter113/index.html

MATH TEKS –http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter111/index.html

The TEKS (curriculum standards – not curriculum) tell school districts/educators WHAT to teach. It is left up to the local teachers to decide HOW to teach them.

As you look over the TEKS, you will find that most of them are knowledge-based, academic, grade-level-specific for each grade level or each course; and the standards (i.e., elements) are largely measurable. Those were the parameters set by the elected SBOE back in 2005-2006 before they started adopting the new set of TEKS. These specific parameters were set so that the writing teams would be forced into Type #1.

As you scan through the various subjects and grade levels in the new TEKS, please notice the verbs used at the beginning of the standards. The verbs have deliberately been chosen to bring measurability to the standards such as identify, create, interpret, locate, examine, describe, explain, compare, summarize, master, demonstrate, follow, communicate, incorporate, use, apply, evaluate, organize, etc.

This is the Type #1 philosophy of education – no subjectivity, feelings, opinions, etc. The new Type #1 TEKS emphasize academic knowledge – the right answer – instead of the “process.” This is why school districts that have become totally fixated on constructivist, project-based learning (e.g., CSCOPE districts) are not in alignment with the Type #1 TEKS because the constructivist/project-based activities glorify the process rather than the right answer.

Can you find any of the new TEKS that say discover, give your opinion, what do you think, etc.? These are Type #2 verbiage.

(One of our SBOE members made it a habit each time he visited a school district and viewed a technology demonstration or a science experiment of some kind to go up to a student afterwards and ask him to verbally explain what he just proved. The SBOE member said he hardly ever found a student who could actually explain the concepts underlying the demonstration/experiment.)

Because of the parameters set by the SBOE for the new TEKS before the writing teams even met, the new Type #1 TEKS elements can be measured on the STAAR/End-of-Course tests largely through objective questions and answers. Because of these parameters, the constructivist, project-based philosophy of education as seen in CSCOPE does not align well with these new TEKS and explains why the CSCOPE schools did worse on their STAAR/EOC’s than did the non-CSCOPE schools. This also should help us to understand why we must not lose the “measuring stick” – the STAAR/EOC’s.

If the truth were known, I imagine Pearson really enjoyed producing and then setting up the “answer keys” for the STAAR/EOC tests for Texas because our standards are clear, precise, and measurable. Producing a test for a “road map” (Type #1) is much easier than producing a test for a “wish list” (Type #2).

RESULTS OF TYPE #1

If we want our public school children to learn to read well, we must have Type #1.

If we want them to be able to speak and write English well, then we must have Type #1.

If we want them to be patriotic citizens who revere the Founding Fathers and know and honor the Constitution, then we must have Type #1.

If we want our graduates to be knowledgeable voters who know history and can analyze current events based upon the past and the present, then we must have Type #1.

If we want our public school children to recognize that they and the whole world were created by a Higher Being, then we must have Type #1.

If we want our public school children to know their math facts to automaticity, then we must have Type #1.

If we want our public school children to be able to do well in foreign languages, then we must have Type #1 that teaches the phonetic sound system and grammar/usage in English so that they can apply that to their foreign language learning.

If we want our public school children to read the great pieces of literature that have connected our country to past generations, then we must have Type #1.

If we want our public school children to have the skills and knowledge they need for college and/or the workplace, then we must have Type #1.

If we want to turn out scientists who are well read, logical, analytical, and who can write down their scientific conclusions, then we must have Type #1.

If we want our graduates to be able to write compositions built upon facts and persuasive techniques, then we must have Type #1.

If we want our high-school students to know how to research a topic and then put that information into well-written text, we must have Type #1.

If we want legislators who are well read and who have a deep understanding of world history/American history/U. S. legal system and how those apply to current events, then we must have Type #1.

________________________________________________

Click the photo to sign the Petition and Join the movement to#StopCSCOPE

Knowledge is Power and together we can make the difference!!

The SBOE (State Board of Education) CSCOPE Review Process needs YOU!

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Alice

I need a hero to stop CSCOPE!!

This is a call for Texas Citizens who care about what our children are learning- be on the CSCOPE review teams across Texas.

Interested citizens may submit a nomination form through April 29. The CSCOPE Ad Hoc Committee expects to make committee assignments in May. The review panels would then work June 3-16 to review the material.

Click here to see the CSCOPE review timeline.

State Board of Education – CSCOPE

The State Board of Education has launched its review of CSCOPE, a curriculum which has been a lightning rod for controversy for content that is alleged to erode fundamental American values, devalue Christianity and favor Islam. The State Board of Education will be seeking public participation in the review process, beginning with review team member nominations which open this week.

“We are committed to a vigorous, thorough, transparent and fair review process,” says District 10 SBOE Member Tom Maynard (R-Florence) who is a member of the ad hoc committee appointed by SBOE chair Barbara Cargill to coordinate the CSCOPE review process. Maynard also chairs the board’s Committee on Instruction.

The board will use the same criteria to evaluate CSCOPE content as it does traditional textbooks.

CSCOPE is an online program that assists districts in aligning curriculum with state standards. In question are the more than 1,600 model lesson plans called “exemplar lessons” and the accompanying tests.

The review process will begin with social studies.

“We anticipate the appointment of 14 review teams to tackle the 431 social studies lessons and assessments, which range from kindergarten to 12th grade government,” Maynard says.

“We want a broad cross-section of parents, teachers, content experts and other stakeholders involved in the process, which will begin in early June and finish in late July,” he says.

The Texas Education Agency will open the nomination system for reviewers on Tuesday, April 9. Interested parties can access the nomination form from the State Board of Education page of the Texas Education Agency website. The application deadline is April 29.

Steps in the Nomination and Review Process

Step 1: The public will be notified about the nomination process. Nominees must fill out an application document and submit a current resume. The administrator sends the nominees’ applications and resumes to the SBOE member that represents their district.

Step 2: SBOE members may submit nominations for the review panels to include parents, classroom teachers, curriculum specialists, school administrators, and other stakeholders in Texas education. SBOE members should ensure that nominations represent at least 4 different grade levels. SBOE members should list nominations in priority order. The Ad Hoc committee will make every effort to see that there is fair representation for all board members who submit nominations.

Step 3: The Ad Hoc committee reviews the applications and recommends to the SBOE Chair nominees to each review panel. Each review panel will have 3-9 members based upon the recommendations of the Ad Hoc committee.

Step 4: From each Panel, one Facilitator is selected by the Chair of the Ad Hoc committee. This person serves as the coordinator of the meetings of that particular panel, reports to the Committee as needed and facilitates the report coming from that panel.

Step 5: The Ad Hoc committee charges the review panels to review the instructional content in CSCOPE in accordance with the guidelines set by the SBOE Chair with input from the Ad Hoc committee.

Step 6: Individual reviews, once they are complete, will be sent to the review panel facilitator by a date determined by the Ad Hoc committee. The facilitators will compile a review panel report and send the review panel documents to the administrator.

Step 7: The Ad Hoc committee will receive the reports from the administrator; the reports will also be sent to the SBOE and the CSCOPE governing body. The review panel reports will be posted on line for the public.

Step 8: The CSCOPE governing body will consider the feedback of the review panel members and determine how to use those comments to improve the lesson content offered by CSCOPE.

Step 9: The CSCOPE governing body will report back to the Ad Hoc committee

===========================================

There are two different types of philosophies of education; and nearly all educators, curriculum, vendors, organizations, and advocacy groups fall into one of these two categories. (3.3.13 — “Type #1 and Type #2 — Two Completely Different Philosophies of Education” by Donna Garner

Protect Type 1 Traditional Education in Texas! Get involved.

If we want our public school children to learn to read well, we must have Type #1.

If we want them to be able to speak and write English well, then we must have Type #1.

If we want them to be patriotic citizens who revere the Founding Fathers and know and honor the Constitution, then we must have Type #1.

If we want our graduates to be knowledgeable voters who know history and can analyze current events based upon the past and the present, then we must have Type #1.

If we want our public school children to recognize that they and the whole world were created by a Higher Being, then we must have Type #1.

If we want our public school children to know their math facts to automaticity, then we must have Type #1.

If we want our public school children to be able to do well in foreign languages, then we must have Type #1 that teaches the phonetic sound system and grammar/usage in English so that they can apply that to their foreign language learning.

If we want our public school children to read the great pieces of literature that have connected our country to past generations, then we must have Type #1.

If we want our public school children to have the skills and knowledge they need for college and/or the workplace, then we must have Type #1.

If we want to turn out scientists who are well read, logical, analytical, and who can write down their scientific conclusions, then we must have Type #1.

If we want our graduates to be able to write compositions built upon facts and persuasive techniques, then we must have Type #1.

If we want our high-school students to know how to research a topic and then put that information into well-written text, we must have Type #1.If we want legislators who are well read and who have a deep understanding of world history/American history/U. S. legal system and how those apply to current events, then we must have Type #1.

===================================

Click the photo to sign the Petition and Join the movement to#StopCSCOPE

Knowledge is Power and together we can make the difference!!

TURNCOATS among us?

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Rebecca Forest

TURNCOATS among us?

Part I in a series leading up to the most important vote Texas House members will cast this Legislative Session

As the 83rd Texas Legislative Session looms on the horizon, the Showdown for the Texas House Speaker begins to take form.

The 2011 session gave Texas Tea Party conservatives a glimpse of the past. A time when elected leaders were actually guided by moral clarity and PRINCIPLE – what a concept!

On January 11, 2011, 15 Texas Representatives were guided more by their heart than by their campaign coffers OR their egos. For that conviction they were honored by their fellow conservatives and Texas Tea Party supporters. How refreshing it was that day to believe that at least in the Great State of Texas, 15 elected Representatives took a stand for what was BEST for future generations of Texans and not their own personal gain.

The “Texas 15 – Hall Courage” was launched by WomenOnTheWall.Org in 2011 to signify a step towards ending the corruption in the Texas House. Many true conservatives were proud to honor those who took a stand. That day – that vote, showed Texans that there were still men and women in office who believed in Judeo-Christian principles, the Constitution, LIFE, the rule-of-law, and responsible/accountable/transparent government. With their votes, the “Texas 15” were no longer just politicians. On that day, they represented the fighting spirit of the Texas Tea Party by taking a stand to draw a line in the sand against power and corruption.

The “Texas 15” and the rest of the Republican House members (a/k/a RINOS) who cast those memorable votes for Texas House Speaker in 2011 will live on for decades in the history of the Texas Legislature.

Odd, what a difference a few years can have on one’s view of reality. How quickly people in power forget how they got where they are OR where their loyalty should rest! How easily they lose sight of the fact that their constituents elected them to do what will keep Texas strong and prosperous for future generations and not what might make THEM more important for the moment.

Straus will NEVER forgive anyone who voted against him in 2011 – EVER! Sure, he may “make nice” by granting coveted committee appointments to some but that is as far as it will go.

As we now know, talk is cheap – especially the talk of Texas House Speaker Joe Straus! Given the recent Texas redistricting retribution against key Texas conservative Representatives (like Rep. Wayne Christian, Rep. Jim Landtroop, and Rep. Erwin Cain) it is hard to understand why ANY of the 2011 “Texas 15” would ever even entertain the thought of supporting a man like Straus.

Amazing how the Speaker referenced retribution as unacceptable behavior as he took to the microphone to gloat about his re-election in 2011. It appears retribution is only unacceptable behavior when it comes from the grassroots who oppose him. Emails prove that different rules seem to apply to the Speaker’s team and his cronies. The recent article in The Dallas Morning News by Bob Garrett, stated that three (3) of the “Texas 15” were defeated which is not entirely accurate. All of the referenced defeats were due to REDISTRICTING RETRIBUTION by Joe Straus – payback for their votes against him in 2011. Specifically, Rep. Erin Cain decided not to run against his fellow House member Dan Flynn once they were paired in redistricting.

Speaking of redistricting retribution (and don’t forget legislation woes) – it seems the Democrats have a similar tunes they are singing about their old friend Joe. Texans from both sides of the aisle seem to desire reform and transparency in the people’s House.

Even if Straus attempted to lure his 2011 defectors back to his camp with key committee chair positions, could any of the “Texas 15” possibly believe for one moment that he would allow them to successfully pass ANY vital conservative legislation that they truly care about? To simplify things, the answer is NO and if any think otherwise they should be booted out of office.

While many will hold up the 2011 Sonogram legislation passage as an example of how far Straus has come in his “pro-life walk,” The Texas Tribune a few days ago referenced his response when he was asked about the passage of a “fetal pain measure” Gov. Perry has been touting. The Tribune reported, “… Straus declined to say whether he would support it, but strongly implied that he doesn’t view the proposal as a priority.” REALLY – not a priority!! Legislation which would ban abortions after 20 weeks isn’t considered a “priority” by our “pro-life” Speaker who was endorsed by the main pro-life groups in Texas? Something doesn’t pass the smell test here folks. On that note, for all of the other members of the Texas House who ran as pro-life candidates – a serious gut check best be in order before casting a vote for Joe as House Speaker. Much more on this subject in the Part 2 so check back for more exciting examples.

I suppose some will speculate as to how Straus might treat any “Turncoat” of the “Texas 15” who cast their vote for him as Speaker in 2013. There is no speculation as to how the Texas Tea Party nation and true conservatives across Texas would react to any such “Turncoat” – rest assured they would move to a priority position in the list of legislators to unseat in 2014.

You see, it is really pretty simple! A candidate can’t claim to be a true conservative one year while electioneering and then decide after they are elected that everything they professed was ingrained in their heart (and ours) was really not important or worth fighting for after all.

The Texas Legislature did not arrive at its current state of corruption in one session … or two – it will not be corrected in one or two. It will be a long slug fest but well worth the fight and Texas Representatives have been given a real warrior to lead the troops in 2013. Voting for Straus clearly is not an option for any of the “Texas 15.”

Again, Texas Representatives are faced with the 2011 battle cry, “Conservative Speaker OR Your Seat.” They should seriously take that promise to heart.

Frankly speaking, to true conservatives – “Turncoats” are far worse that RINOS could ever be!

(Updated: 12/14/12)

Education, LIFE, Immigration, National Security: How They Intersect

Tag Archives: women_on_the_wall

Call for Review Panels for K-12 Social Studies and more…..

Now is the time to go into your child’s classroom and say……..

Join the Movement to #StopCSCOPE ~ New Way To Fight – HB 945

Click the photo to sign the Petition and Join the movement to#StopCSCOPE

Follow @AliceLinahan on twitter and Facebook

“Education Is Serious Business: Green, Yellow, and Red People”

Click the photo to sign the Petition and Join the movement to#StopCSCOPE

The SBOE (State Board of Education) CSCOPE Review Process needs YOU!

This is a call for Texas Citizens who care about what our children are learning- be on the CSCOPE review teams across Texas.

State Board of Education – CSCOPE

Steps in the Nomination and Review Process

Click the photo to sign the Petition and Join the movement to#StopCSCOPE

TURNCOATS among us?

TURNCOATS among us?