Teach the Vote's Week in Review: Sept. 22, 2017

TEA | Commissioner | SBOE Testing | Accountability
Date Posted: 9/22/2017 | Author: Jennifer Mitchell, CAE
Here's a look at the week's education news stories from the ATPE lobby team:
The board of trustees for the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) met this week in Austin. ATPE Lobbyist Monty Exter attended the meetings and provided this report for our blog, summarizing the board's discussions about data system upgrades and possible future actions pertaining to retire/rehire policies for educators and the assumed rate of return associated with the pension fund.
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has been busy rolling out new STAAR testing resources for educators and parents. Its TexasAssessment.com website offers tools and data for parents, teachers, and administrators to help understand and analyze information related to the state's standardized testing system. This week, TEA made available to educators the ability to view sample reports that parents can access for their children. The goal is to help teachers provide guidance to their students' parents who may have questions about the STAAR reports. For more information on the new resources, check out this week's blog post by ATPE Lobbyist Kate Kuhlmann.
This weekend, ATPE Lobbyist Mark Wiggins is attending the Texas Tribune's annual TribFest. Learn more about the education-related panel discussions that are taking place at the festival in this blog post from Mark. ATPE's Governmental Relations staff members are also out on the road this weekend attending ATPE meetings in Regions 12 and 14, with many more scheduled in the next few weeks. Learn more about these events in today's blog post from ATPE Political Involvement Coordinator Edwin Ortiz.
CONVERSATION
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

09/05/2025
Teach the Vote’s Week in Review: Sept. 5, 2025
A bill aimed at rebranding the STAAR test heads to Gov. Abbott’s desk after contentious debate on the House floor Wednesday night.

09/04/2025
HB 8 heads to governor's desk as second special session comes to a close
The second special session is over, and legislation that will alter Texas' testing and accountability system is headed to the governor's desk.

08/29/2025
Teach the Vote’s Week in Review: Aug. 29, 2025
The STAAR redesign bill awaits its fate, and ATPE shares guidance on SB 12, the Parental Bill of Rights.