Author: Alexis Jamin

Arizona school leaders reviewing English Learner compliance requirements in a meeting room

Arizona English Learner Requirements: The Four SEI Models, the Minutes and the Endorsement

Arizona English Learner requirements: the four state-approved SEI models, the mandated ELD minutes, the SEI endorsement, AZELLA and the monitoring rules.
Diverse Arizona students and teachers walking together in a school hallway with desert scenery outside

English Learners in Arizona: Who They Are, What the Law Requires, and What the Data Shows

English Learners in Arizona: who these students are, Proposition 203 and the 2019 reform, the mandated ELD minutes, and what the outcome data actually shows.
Specialist educator using picture cards and gestures with a young student in an accessible classroom

TELPAS Alt: Who Takes the Alternate Assessment and Who Decides

TELPAS Alternate explained: who qualifies, which committees decide together, the two exemptions, and how the alternate descriptors differ from regular TELPAS.
Middle-school Emergent Bilingual student writing at a desk while a teacher leans in to review the page

TELPAS Writing Rubric: The Twelve-Point Scale, Collections, and Annotated Examples

The TELPAS writing rubric explained: the twelve-point scale, its three traits, what a writing collection must contain, and how to use TEA's annotated examples.
Middle school English learners using tablet apps for speaking practice while their teacher guides them

Apps for English Language Learners: What Actually Works in a K-12 Classroom

Apps for English language learners, sorted by what they do: vocabulary, reading, translation, and speaking practice. What works in a K-12 programme and what does not.
Texas school district staff reviewing cooperative purchasing contract documents together

Cooperative Purchasing for Texas Schools: BuyBoard, TIPS, GoodBuy, QCS and the ESC Regions

Texas purchasing cooperatives compared: BuyBoard, TIPS, GoodBuy, QCS and the ESC regional co-ops, how they differ, and how a district checks its existing memberships.
District administrator and purchasing officer reviewing a sole source justification for an EdTech purchase

Sole Source Justification for EdTech: State Rules, the Four Tests, and a Template

Does your state even allow a sole source purchase? A 15-state comparison of thresholds and grounds, the four tests reviewers apply, and a reusable template.
Three district leaders comparing cooperative purchasing and RFP options for an EdTech purchase

How K-12 Districts Buy EdTech: Cooperative Purchasing, Sole Source and RFPs

A purchasing cooperative lets districts buy against contracts already competitively bid. How the three K-12 procurement paths compare, and how to choose between them.
Group of K-12 teachers comparing holistic ratings during a TELPAS calibration training session

TELPAS Calibration: Rater Training, the 70 Percent Standard, and When to Run It

TELPAS calibration explained: the four required rater activities, the 70 percent standard, and why the training belongs in September rather than February.
Middle-school English Learners taking a TELPAS practice test at computer stations with headsets while a teacher helps

TELPAS Practice Test: What TEA Publishes and What It Can Actually Fix

TELPAS practice test links by grade cluster: the free official TEA released tests, the online practice site, and the rater scoring guides, and what each one fixes.