cscope action

7.18.13 – Urgent request – Must inundate TEA and SBOE with messages re: CSCOPE —

 

The Texas State Board of Education is meeting in Austin right now (July 17 – 19).  Thomas Ratliff is pressuring the chair of the Texas State Board of Education, Barbara Cargill, to start the CSCOPE review again.

Ratliff

 

                                                                 SBOE Member, Thomas Ratiliff 

 

Thomas Ratliff always likes to bring in distractors to get the SBOE off track.  That way he can try to slip more of his agenda by them.

 

 

We badly need activists to call TEA — (512) 463-9734, (ask for the SBOE department …not curriculum)

 or to e-mail sboesupport@tea.state.tx.us

 

today – right now! The SBOE is to discuss this issue tomorrow. Ratliff says that since

 

districts have copied the lessons, the Board should still review the lessons. Bad idea!

 

 

 

 

In an interview last month, Ratliff was the one who blasted his message across Texas school districts, telling teachers to download CSCOPE and to keep using the lessons even though TESCCC/CSCOPE and the Education Service Centers have said the lessons are not to be used after August 31, 2013 when the contract runs out:  

 

5.20.13 – A letter signed by all 20 members of the TESCCC Board released this morning stated they will notify their 875 school district clients that all lesson plans will be removed from their website on August 31st, 2013 and that districts cannot use any lessons they currently have beyond that date. The August 31st date corresponds to the notice clause in their contracts with their districts. The letter goes on to say that the Regional Service Centers will not produce lesson plans in the future. The 20 Service Centers will return to their original business plan of providing a management tool for teachers to stay on schedule regarding the teaching of the required TEKS.

 

When Sen. Dan Patrick was told about Ratliff’s “blast” in violation of the 5.20.13 letter, Patrick said publicly that if people in the community find out that their schools are still using the CSCOPE lessons after Aug. 31, 2013, people should notify him and/or the Texas Attorney General since districts would be breaking the law by using CSCOPE lessons after the contract has run out.  School districts could be sued.    

 

Then, too, the SBOE has no funding for the CSCOPE review process since the issue has been decided and TESCCC has been disbanded.  Also, the panel members the SBOE chose were willing to commit to a summer review of the material, but of course the whole timeline has changed. The teacher members and other panelists would not possibly have time to review the CSCOPE (Social Studies) lessons now that school is about ready to start. 

 

Besides that, by law the CSCOPE lessons are not to be used after the end of Aug. 2013; and reviewing them would be like digging up a dead horse. If the SBOE were to decide to review the CSCOPE lessons, this would be going against the stated wishes of the Texas legislature.  

 

Because of the passage of HB 5, the SBOE in the next year will be totally engrossed in approving brand new endorsement courses and working out glitches with the changing of graduation plans. The SBOE will also be engaging in the ongoing textbook adoption process (Science, Social Studies, Math) plus a myriad of other responsibilities (e.g., Permanent School Fund decisions, new charter school regulations, etc.).  The SBOE does not need to waste valuable time going back into an issue (CSCOPE lessons) that has already been decided. 

 

Please call the TEA at (512) 463-9734 or send a quick note to  sboesupport@tea.state.tx.us . Here is what to say:

 

“The CSCOPE lesson plan issue is settled. Texas public schools are not to use them after Aug. 31, 2013.  There is no need for the SBOE to waste their valuable time reviewing the CSCOPE lessons.” 

 

 

Blessings,

 

Donna Garner

Wgarner1@hot.rr.com