Texas STaR Chart - Educator Preparation and Development

The Texas Campus STaR Chart can be used to evaluate a school’s progress toward meeting the goals of the Long Range Plan for Technology. It can also be used for technology planning, budgeting for resources, and evaluation of progress in local technology projects. The summary chart looks at four key areas including Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development, Leadership Administration & Instructional Support, and Infrastructure for Technology.
The Educator Preparation and Development (EP) area covers professional development experiences, models of professional development, capabilities of educators, technology professional development participation, levels of understanding and patterns of use, and capabilities of educators with online learning.
In the past three years, the Texas Campus STaR Chart Summary has ranked EP the weakest area at my campus. It also was ranked low statewide in 2007-2008. There has been very little improvement at my campus over the past three years in this area. I believe teachers are not taking advantage of the professional development offered for technology growth. It is not a requirement for teachers in my district to take technology professional development to receive credit. I believe teachers are so overwhelmed that they are taking classes that count as required credit only. If the district would start giving teachers credit for their time in attending the much needed technology professional development and allow time for planning and collaboration, we might see the area Educator Preparation and Development increase. We have a lot of technology available on campus, but many teachers don’t know how to use it.