This past week, I had my first experience with the Texas STaR Chart. (Because of the amount of content for this blog, I am going to post two blogs on the same topic. This first blog will highlight the purpose of the chart and give some background information. The second blog will be more reflective in nature and highlight my experience and thoughts of the chart.)
STaR stands for School Technology and Readiness. It is an online tool that is used to help teachers in self-assessing their efforts to integrate technology across the curriculum. It was designed to align with the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020. Statewide reports, compiled from the teachers STaR charts, are useful in fulfilling requirements for NCLB, Title II, Part D that all teachers should be technology literate and integrate technology into content areas across the curriculum.
The chart focuses on four areas of the long range plan:
1. Teaching and Learning
2. Educator Preparation and Development
3. Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support
4. Infrastructure for Technology
Each key area is divided into six focus areas. Within each focus area, indicators are provided for assessing teachers' levels of progress. A score of 1=Early Tech, 2=Developing Tech, 3=Advanced Tech, and 4=Target Tech. Of course, the goal is for all teachers to reach the Target Tech level. The data from the first two areas feeds automatically into the electronic version of the Texas Campus STaR Chart. (I will try to attach my campus' scores to this document. The latest posted report is from 2008-2009.)
The teacher STaR chart has been voluntary since its introduction in the 2004 school year. Beginning with the 06-07 school year, all Texas teachers are required to complete the chart annually. This was the first year, however, that specials teachers and pull-out program teachers on my campus were required to complete the chart. My reaction and reflection of that experience will be posted in a subsequent blog!
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