Archive for 'Announcements'

Welcome from President Sharon Miller

December 5, 2011 by , under Announcements.

Welcome to the Texas College Reading and Learning Website!

     TxCRLA represents college and university Developmental English and Math Educators and Learning Support Professionals across the state. 

     Every late fall, we partner with TADE, the Texas Association for Developmental Education and the THECB, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to host the College Academic Support

SHARON MILLER

Programs Conference, CASP.  On October 22-25, our organizations celebrated our 30th Anniversary CASP Conference in Austin at Austin’s AT & T Executive Training and Conference Center.  Thanks to our site co-chairs, Dr. Russ Hodges and Dr. Carol Dochen, 340 participants enjoyed the expertise of over 150 outstanding presenters, entertainment from student performers in the Austin area, and the excitement of learning from one another.  At the conference, TxCRLA and TADE awarded Dr. Carol Dochen with the President’s Award for Service, honoring her 30 years of service to the organization and to Texas.   Dr. Claire Ellen Weinstein was celebrated with the CASP Lifetime Achievement Award for her research and contribution to the field as well as her many years of service.  Both educators also have the honor of scholarships named for them.  Enjoy the short video posted on this site for a quick insight into that wonderful conference.  [Click here for video.]

     TxCRLA is more than the co-host of a great conference.  We are right in the middle of the great work of improving higher education in the state. 

     Developmental and Math professionals began a “Joyful Conspiracy” to rethink and restructure math last summer.  It is a project embracing the task from many directions, from the state chancellors and presidents to the THECB, from interested legislators to foundations like the Gates Grant, business leaders from the Texas Association of Business, and most importantly, including math instructors from Texas colleges and universities including the Dana Center at the University of Texas. 

     This fall, I was asked to chair a State Leadership Committee associated with the Developmental Education Initiative, which will broaden its original charge to include Developmental Reading and Writing.  This is an unprecedented opportunity for English faculty to participate in “reviewing research, promising practices, and state data to guide policy and planning recommendations,” (DEI State Leadership Charge).  In late November, the THECB also formed state committees to address Program Review, TSI standards, and Assessment.  Now is the time for all of us to get involved, share our resources, and make the right recommendations about what should scale up . . . before decisions are made for us and our students!

     TxCRLA leaders will be doing our part by supporting the CASP Listserv, which is hosted by Eric Paulson at Texas State University, hosting Brown Bag Webinars, aggressively compiling research, searching for best practices, and circulating position papers for your review and comments.  Our first draft addressing student placements began circulating in November and is posted on our website.  Keep up with the latest developments by joining the Listserv (directions are on this website), participating in the webinars, and sharing your resources.  I plan to periodically update our membership through this website and the Listserv.  

     I invite you to join me to expand the “Joyful Conspiracy” and take our place in the Developmental Education and Learning Support decision-making in the state of Texas.  Ultimately, the best we can give will benefit our students as we improve their opportunities to make their American Dreams come true.

All the best for student success!

Sharon Miller

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A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

December 5, 2011 by , under Announcements.

Colleagues,

       Early in the new year, THECB will consider making major changes to placement testing in our state including a mandated instrument and cut scores.  The attached Position Paper is a draft recommendation to THECB leaders, and it is vitally important that you get involved in the discussion.  Placement can and should be improved, but assessing current placement instruments and strategies is the correct first step.  Prudently, we recommend using the strategies and principles identified by the National Center for Developmental Education as a best practice.

      I appreciate how busy you are at this point in the semester, but will you please take one minute to read the recommendations and invest another 15 minutes to acquaint yourself with the research and best practice recommendations?  If you agree with these recommendations, will you forward this to your institution Assessment Center leaders, student services, deans, VPIs, presidents and chancellors?  If you have questions, additional information or views, will you reply to all on the CASP Listserv?   [Position Paper]

 All the best,

Sharon Miller, President

TxCRLA

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Webinar Announcement: Rider 59 Implementation

March 1, 2011 by , under Announcements.

Tamara Clunis, Director of Adult Education and Developmental Education for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board will address the Rider 59 Implementation in a webinar session on Tuesday March 8, 2011 from 8:30-11:00AM.   To ensure participation by all stakeholders, the webinar will be repeated from 1:30-4:00PM.

 This webinar session will provide an opportunity for institution staff at the program and reporting level to hear about the implementation options and reporting requirements for Rider 59.  The Coordinating Board strongly encourages all invited participants to attend in institutional teams to ensure that information shared and questions asked can be presented to all personnel involved with developmental education assessment, registration, programming, reporting, research, and evaluation.  A copy of the Rider 59 document may be accessed by clicking here.

 This webinar session will be held on the MS Live Meeting platform. In order to accommodate all invitees with invitations, THECB  requests that you R.S.V.P. for this webinar no later than Thursday March 3, 2011.   Any questions may be addressed to Isaac Ortega at 512-427-6546.

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New TxCRLA Officers Announced

July 13, 2010 by , under Announcements.

The TxCRLA Board of Directors is pleased to announce the results of the recent election for 2011 officers.  Sharon Miller of Lone Star College-Cy Fair has been elected to serve as president-elect, and Essie Childers of Blinn College-Bryan has been elected as secretary. 

Sharon Miller joined the founding faculty of Lone Star College-CyFair to teach Transitional English in 2003.  Sharon has won numerous awards for teaching including the Adjunct Teaching Excellence Award at LSC-North Harris and the 2009-2010 Faculty Excellence Award at LSC-CyFair.   Her colleagues have named her the campus Advocate for Excellence, Active Learning Guru, Learning Innovator, Star Morale (Builder), and the President’s Cy-Fair Spirit Award winner.  In 2009, Sharon spent a month at the prestigious Kellogg Institute sponsored by the National Association for Developmental Education, and also gained her Accelerated Learning Starter Certificate.  She has served as TxCRLA Secretary since 2008.

Essie Childers has been a full-time Parallel Studies faculty member at Blinn College in Bryan, Texas, for 3 years.   However, she comes to Blinn College with over 21 years of experience with developmental education.   On the college level, Essie has taught for Austin Community College, Oklahoma City Community College and Tyler Junior College.   Her current assignments at Blinn College are Reading 0306, Study Skills and Education 1300.  Essie also serves as a Co-Chair of Achieving the Dream for Blinn College.  In 2008, Essie was the recipient of CRLA’s Professional Developmental Award.

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Introducing TxCRLA President, Sara Weertz

January 27, 2010 by , under Announcements.

     Sara Weertz took the reigns as TxCRLA president at the recent CASP 2009 Conference in San Antonio.  After having been elected by the membership to serve one year as president-elect of the organization, her move to the present position was automatic.

Sara Weertz

    Mrs. Weertz is presently Founding Director of Supplemental Instruction and Tutoring of Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas.  Her program was a finalist for the annual Texas Higher Education Star Award in 2008.  She has produced a series of tutor training workshops on Building Rapport, Mentoring, and the Socratic Method.  Additionally, her most recent workshop was Study Skills Application and Resources.  Mrs. Weertz was the 2007 recipient of TxCRLA’s annual Ann B. Faulkner Award.

     Mrs. Weertz received her B.A. cum laude in English and Professional Writing and her M.Ed. in Instructional Technology with an emphasis in Human Performance Improvement and Training from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.  Prior to coming to Angelo State University, she worked for a number of years as an editor, writing instructional manuals and reference materials for libraries and schools.

     Besides serving as president of TxCRLA, Mrs. Weertz is an active member of the American Evaluation Association, the International Society for Performance Improvement, the National College Learning Center Association, and the American Society for Training and Development.

     In addition to encouraging more statewide participation in TxCRLA, Mrs. Weertz is overseeing the implementation of a series of Webinars for members.  These Webinars will cover a host of topics of interest in college support services.  (Watch for more information at this website.)

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