A Microsoft Word version of this letter is available for download and PRINTING.

May 6, 2010

To the Administrator Addressed:

Subject: Project Share, Teacher Accounts, and 2010-11 Professional Development

This letter is the third in a series of letters to inform districts and open enrollment charter schools of upcoming professional development opportunities beginning in spring and summer of 2010 and continuing into the 2010-11 school year. The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)-based professional development will be offered to Grades K-12 teachers and administrators and will address various topics such as the new Science TEKS, end-of-course exams, math and science academies, and English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS). All professional development is designed to address content specific TEKS as well as the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) and the ELPS. For a complete listing and schedule of available professional development opportunities, contact your local education service center (ESC). In addition to the training that will take place in face-to-face settings, this year’s professional development will also offer online training modules through Epsilen, the state’s digital platform for Project Share.

For teachers to take full advantage of upcoming professional development opportunities, districts and open enrollment charter schools will be invited to create teacher accounts in Epsilen during the remaining weeks of May and into the summer months. The ESCs are available to work with your district or charter school during this process to assist in the creation of Epsilen accounts and to serve as a guide as administrators and teachers transition into the digital environment.

As accounts are created, administrators and teachers will receive an email from Epsilen that contains information about logging into Epsilen and participating in the Texas Tour 1.0. The Texas Tour is an online module designed to introduce new members to the Epsilen platform, learn more about future professional development opportunities, and practice using Web 2.0 tools. It is important that administrators and teachers receive and keep this email so that they will know how to log in to Epsilen and become members of an innovative online community, a community of educators whose primary focus is to serve the students of Texas.
The Texas Education Agency looks forward to this initial launch of the Project Share initiative and welcomes participation from all districts and open enrollment charter schools. For background information regarding Project Share, please refer to previous correspondence to districts at http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/taa/comm111309.html and http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/taa/stanprog020210.html, and the landing page at http://tea.epsilen.com/Public/Home.aspx. ESCs are also prepared to share information and to work with you as we move into a very exciting time for professional development and for teaching and learning in the 21st century.

You can learn more about Project Share by sending questions to the Project Share mailbox at projectshare@tea.state.tx.us. You can also contact Kerry Ballast, Director of Special Projects, at
(512) 305-9231 or via e-mail at kerry.ballast@tea.state.tx.us.

Sincerely,
Anita Givens
Associate Commissioner
Standards and Programs