April 17, 2000
TO THE SUPERINTENDENT ADDRESSED:
Subject: T-STAR (Texas State Telecommunications Access Resource)
As part of the Long-Range Plan for Technology, T-STAR (Texas School Telecommunications Access Resource) has equitably expanded the telecommunications capabilities to school districts and regional education service centers through satellite technology. T-STAR has increased resources that assists schools in meeting the educational needs of all their students by providing for-credit courses, curriculum enhancement, electronic field trips, and professional development for educators.
Changes in existing and emerging technologies have presented many challenges for the Texas Education Agency. The T-STAR Satellite Network is successfully meeting those challenges by undergoing a transition from analog to digital. Many educational providers are now transmitting in a digital broadcast format, and every year, more and more educational providers are converting from analog to digital broadcasts. In response, T-STAR's digital upgrade plans will allow districts to receive educational broadcasts in digital.
This year, T-STAR will install a digital uplink on top of the TEA building and begin broadcasting in digital during the 2000-2001 school year. The regional education service centers will also complete the digital upgrade to their T-STAR systems by July of 2000. In order for districts to have time to plan and upgrade their T-STAR dish, T-STAR will broadcast in both analog and digital in the 2000 - 2001 school year. The upgrade to the dish will allow districts to receive both analog and digital broadcasts from the majority of the educational providers.
In addition to the T-STAR programming from the Texas Education Agency, the T-STAR Information and Training Center has acquired membership for providing MCET (Massachusetts Corporation for Educational Telecommunications) programming to the school districts in Texas free of charge. MCET provides K-12 programming, twelve hours a day, Monday through Friday, during the school year. Their course offerings include for-credit distance learning courses, student enrichment, electronic field trips, and professional development for educators. The T-STAR Information Training Center will continue this membership through fiscal year 2001 (August 31, 2001). Each district must upgrade their dish to receive the digital programming from MCET.
T-STAR has become an effective learning tool for districts, and I am encouraging every district to take the opportunity to upgrade their T-STAR dish. This upgrade will increase your district's access to educational resources for students, teachers and administrators. Information on the T-STAR digital upgrade is available by calling the T-STAR Information and Training Center at (972) 348-1488 or from the T-STAR web site http://www.t-star.org/upgrade.html.
As we work toward a successful transition to digital, T-STAR will continue to provide excellent educational resources and support to the regional education service centers and public school districts in Texas.
Sincerely yours,
Arturo Almendarez
Deputy Commissioner
Programs and Instruction
cc: ESC Directors
For further information on this topic, contact the T-STAR Information and Training Center at (972) 348-1488.