Weekly Teacher Download for April 22

ALL TEACHERS

Fan Favorite Voting Now Open: Support your campus colleague and help HISD determine the district’s “Fan Favorite,” who will be announced on Friday, May 17, as HISD honors teachers and principals across the district at the Educators of the Year banquet. All campus-based Teachers of the Year are eligible for this award, which will be determined by who has the largest number of fans. Anyone can vote—including colleagues, parents, students, and former students. Vote here through Friday, April 26, and be sure to share your favorite on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media channels to get the word out. A second round of voting will take place April 29-May 3 to determine the elementary and secondary winner from among the finalists. 

Teacher of the Year Finalists announced: Find out which twelve finalists (six for each category) have been named for the Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year. The two winners, who will go on to represent the district in Region 4, will be announced during the Educators of the Year banquet on Friday, May 17. Finalists were selected from all 287 campuses based on performance data and other criteria. Other awards announced include Beginning Teacher of the Year, Librarian of the Year, and Instructional Coaches of the Year. To view the complete list of winners, click here.

2019 Science Teacher Award Finalists: The Elementary Curriculum and Development Department announces the finalists for the 2019 Elementary Science Teacher Award, sponsored by alliantgroup. The award was created as an effort to support the district’s goal to increase student achievement and recognize the district’s most outstanding elementary science teachers. All finalists will go on to be recognized with a cash award and a media profile, featured on Houston Life, to highlight their inspiring work in the classroom, which will air on April 15-22. To view a complete list of finalists, click here.

Google Classroom Focus: The Secondary Curriculum and Development will host five after-school focus groups during the week of April 29 to May 3, to ensure that the district provides proper instructional support and understands the needs of campuses as it relates to Google Classroom. Input is requested from teachers, campus instructional technologists, and campus leaders who regularly use or support the tool as part of classroom instruction. Each session will include both an open-forum discussion and an opportunity for Q&A. The first session will be held from 4-5 p.m. at Milby High School (1601 Broadway St., 77012) on April 29. The second focus group will take place from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at Energy Institute High School (3501 Southmore Blvd., 77004) on April 30.

Modified TADS Coming Soon: On April 11, the HISD Board approved a modified version of TADS, known as M-TADS. This change allows teachers who achieve a rating of Effective or Highly Effective in all categories of the appraisal system, along with earning a Summative Rating of Effective or Highly Effective, to opt-in to receiving a minimum of one observation and one walkthrough rather than the standard requirement of two of each. To qualify, a teacher must also have: at least 3 years of teaching experience overall, a term or continuing contract, and at least 1 full year of teaching experience in HISD. Be on the lookout for additional information at the start of the 2019-2020 school year.

2019-2020 TSL Teacher Transfer: 2019-2020 TSL Teacher Transfer: The Teacher and School Leader (TSL) Incentive Program grant is offering a $10,000 teacher recruitment bonus to effective and highly effective teachers, who transfer from an HISD campus that is not funded through the grant to one of the 88 high-needs campuses identified as part of the TSL grant cohort. Teachers who transfer to one of the 88 campuses will be expected to make a three-year commitment. For details on the criteria to apply, click here.

Open Transfer Period: HISD’s annual Open Transfer Period has officially opened and will end at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 26, 2019.  Transfer requests will not be considered after April 26. During this period, eligible teachers and nurses are free to transfer between HISD campuses to fill open positions for the 2019–2020 school year.  If you are interested in a specific position, you are to apply directly via email to the principal and provide your name, employee ID, job title, and attach a resume or include a summary of your experience. For application guidelines and eligibility requirements, click here.

Lead4ward Educator Survey: Lead4ward Educator Survey: The Research & Accountability department is asking that all teachers complete the Lead4ward Educator Survey that was developed to gather educators’ perceptions about the utility and effectiveness of the tool. The information will be used to inform decision makers and to improve instructional practices in the district. Lead4ward was implemented in HISD to provide instructional resources to educators.