Training and technical assistance are provided to districts in the following areas: Gifted/Talented, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Credit By Exam, Dual/Concurrent Enrollment, Early High School Graduation, Distinguished Achievement Program and Project Gear-Up.

ESC-2 provides The Statewide Conference on Autism each year as a Texas Education Agency decentralized project. Parents, public school teachers, administrators, and diagnostic personnel attend annually.

Bilingual/ESL programs help LEA's with developing, implementing, evaluating quality transitional programs to help limited English proficient students achieve academic success. The cooperative offers programs in oral language development, organizing the classroom, strategies for the content area, cooperative learning and curriculum writing. Research-based professional development is offered throughout the year. In addition, on-site assistance with LPAC training and compliance is available. Members of the cooperative get one day on-site to be used at the district's discretion.

The Business Office staff is committed to excellence and quality service. Here you will find the Business Procedures Manual (BPM), which will provide you with the guidance necessary for your most critical needs. You will also find the most recently updated and approved forms, from "Authorization Agreement for Automatic Deposits" to travel request forms needed for your work travel and lodging needs. We ask that as you utilize these forms and the BPM, that you submit any and all suggestions for improvement to any of our Associates for consideration.

The ESC-2 Career and Technology Consultant can assist local districts in: preparation for the CTE Compliance visit; Office of Civil Rights (OCR) visit; Carl Perkins annual application for federal and state funds; implement career guidance programs for grades 7-12; implement work-based learning and apprenticeship programs; integrate academic and CTE programs; promote nontraditional educational activities; eliminate gender bias; implement appropriate curriculum for CTE programs; develop appropriate and timely staff development opportunities for CTE personnel; and promote Tech-Prep and High Schools that Work initiatives.

The Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative (TESCCC) includes a team of Education Service Centers that represents all areas of the state. The collaborative’s goal is to provide a quality curriculum support system to Texas K-12 schools. TESCCC has developed CSCOPE, a comprehensive, customized, user-friendly curriculum support system. In addition to the curriculum, CSCOPE encompasses resources for the implementation, monitors the curriculum and establishes an accountability process to ensure a quality implementation.

The curriculum component of CSCOPE is based on best practice models from top researchers. Lessons are all aligned with the TEKS/TAKS and each lesson meets the highest standards of rigor and relevance.

ESC-2 personnel provides professional development and coordinated assistance with curriculum development and alignment founded on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). ESC, Region 2 will develop TEKS-based curriculum necessary for success on TAKS; incorporate the use of WebCCAT as a tool for curriculum development and instructional management and tracking.

Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative (TESCCC) Portal

     Click Here to login

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The ESC-2 provides the network connections and personnel to support distance learning throughout the region. Students, faculty members, and the community can participate in courses offered without distance barriers. Some courses offered to students include dual credit, concurrent enrollment, and high school credit courses. Virtual tours are also offered for K-12 students, which are two-way interactive videoconferences available worldwide. Staff development trainings, continued education and professional development, along with community courses are available. Special programs are also offered across the network, including health related topics, holiday learning opportunities and informational programs.

• Education Station is now open in an effort to further serve Region 2 educators.
  
• We are located across from the elevators on the first floor of the ESC-2 building.
  
• We are a "one-stop shop" for all of your classroom supply needs.
  
• We offer everything from general classroom supplies to a large collection of die-cuts for your use.
  

The Educator Preparation and Certification Program provides for certification of individuals who meet certain requirements, including an internship in public schools, to become certified teachers. The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) approved the Education Service Center Region 2's Ed Prep Program and also stated that it meets the criteria for an acceptable alternative route to certification under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Certification areas offered are generic special education, secondary content areas 4-8 and 8-12. Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree and meet local and state requirements. Endorsement training is available in the areas of Visually Impaired, Gifted and Talented, and English as a Second Language.

The ESC-2 Grants and Development Office will assist in developing collaborative proposals submitted by the ESC-2 on behalf of districts; provide information to districts on various grant program opportunities; and conduct proposal development workshops, including instruction on basic components of a proposal and strategies to locate appropriate funding sources for specific programs.

The Region 2 Education Service Center’s mission is to be a catalyst for change resulting in student improvement and efficiency and economy of school operations. We strive to recruit, hire and train a highly motivated, quality staff to ensure we provide "world class service for world class schools."

ESC Region 2 -- ISO 9001:2000 Certified.
This website requires a username/password login from ESC-2 Human Resources

Leadership Training is offered throughout the year to provide continuous professional growth for administrators. Regional administrators may attend training with teachers or select any program to best suit their individual needs. Region 2 strives to deliver quality general management training programs to assist all administrators, supervisors and Site-Based Decision Making teams. Training includes personal growth, legal seminars and strategies for continuously improving the campus and district.

The Library Cooperative provides leadership and assistance to Region 2 librarians and library aides in the region as they support district and campus instructional goals, implement practices related to increased student achievement and serve all the members of their various communities. The regional librarian provides professional development for library staff and teachers and consults with library staff and administration on matters relating to automation, facilities, programming and instruction, and compliance with federal, and state guidelines and regulations. The emphasis is upon reading advocacy, collaboration and the integration of information literacy and technology skills with the general curriculum.

MIS provides WAN services for Region 2 School Districts and LAN services for the ESC-2 network across a high speed backbone. Services included in WAN are Internet access, email maintenance and support, email virus protection, domain name services, webpage hosting services, caching and content filtering services, customizable content filtering tools, firewall security, videoconferencing connectivity, bridge scheduling, gatekeeper services, QOS, PRI ISDN dial in capabilities, E-Rate assistance, NovaNet connectivity, mainframe connectivity, T1 connectivity and troubleshooting, priority traffic blocking, Router Lease Program, as well as technical support and training.

Migrant Education information is provided to school districts on the seven (7) areas of focus as required by Title I - Migrant: Parent Involvement, Identification/Recruitment, New Generation System, Graduation Enhancement, Early Children Education, Migrant Service Coordination, and Secondary Credit. ESC-2 also coordinates services to migrant families stranded while traveling to and from work sites.

The Multi-Regional Purchasing Program is an administrative agency created in accordance with Section 791.001 of the Texas Government Code. The purpose of the program is to obtain the benefits and efficiencies that can accrue to Program Members in a concerted effort to comply with state bidding requirements and identification of qualified vendors of commodities, goods and services. The program currently provides 40 categories of goods and services.

NCLB Support provides, to LEAs receiving NCLB program funds, dissemination of information from the Texas Education Agency; provides technical assistance on issues such as performance-based monitoring, program compliance monitoring, and initial compliance reports; provides for conducting an assessment of needs for additional dropout prevention activities, parent training, and/or professional development activities within the region aligned to NCLB; provides for conducting a minimum of three regional forums / institutes / workshops / mini-conferences to meet the needs identified; after release of state developed trainings to ESCs, provides for professional development to Title I districts and campuses within the region in the areas of:
a. Paraprofessional and highly qualified teachers,
b. Parent involvement policies,
c. Title I components in campus/district plans,
d. Title I fiscal issues,
e. Private school participation,
f. Campus allocations, and
g. Campus selection.

Additionally, NCLB Support provides for assisting districts to meet the paraprofessional requirements by providing paraprofessional professional development and assessments to the extent possible; provides networking opportunities and training to Title I campus principals on the basic Title I program requirements; provides for technical assistance to districts and charters in Title I, Part A requirements as requested; and provides for coordination with Region XIII School Improvement Resource Center staff in campus visits to Title I School Improvement campuses within the region.

The Educator Preparation and Certification Program, approved and accredited by the State Board of Educator Certification, offers individuals an opportunity to obtain principal certification using an exciting, field-based, experiential model for learning. Through a partnership with TAMUK and local school districts, the Education Service Center, Region 2 offers this two year program where teachers can enhance their leadership skills and receive university graduate credit at the same time. Applicants must meet state and local requirements for program entry.

Digital StoreFront (DSF) brings a full service print shop to your desktop. DSF allows you to submit, proof, and track your print orders through a single web interface.

The Quality Childcare Provider Services program seeks to improve the quality and availability of child care services for all children, including children with disabilities in the 12-county Coastal Bend area. This program provides training, technical assistance and equipment to facilitate continuous improvement of child care services for children and their families. This is achieved through state and national accreditation programs. These services are available to any child care provider, including licensed child care centers, licensed group day homes, registered family homes, and self-arranged providers.

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) began administering the REMS (formerly, Emergency Response and Crisis Management) discretionary grant program in October 2003 to help school districts develop comprehensive plans for any emergency or crisis, including natural disasters, pandemic influenza, violent incidents, and terrorist acts.

SDFSC provides staff development and student training in areas such as mediation, conflict resolution, enhancing self-esteem, drug awareness and prevention, recognition of gangs, violence prevention, safe school walkabouts, family and community involvement. Assistance is also provided in special student focused activities such as Red Ribbon Week Curriculum and Activities, Youth Leadership Conferences and surveys. Networking opportunities are offered through regional contact meetings, teleconferences and other special activities.

The ESC-2 is responsible for this decentralized function of TEA. The State Initiative (SI) serves as a network to coordinate the SDFSC programmatic activities throughout the state. The SI will:
(a) conduct the annual SDFSC State Conference,
(b) develop and disseminate semi-annually the statewide SDFSC newsletter, The Navigator
(c) provide technical assistance and/or staff development to all ESCs related to activities for exemplary SDFSC programs and in research-based drug prevention and/or violence prevention strategies.

This program provides professional development and coordinated assistance to teachers, grades K-12, in social studies content, TEKS, and TAKS preparation.

Training and coordinated assistance are provided to special education directors and support staff in regional schools. An advisory group of special education directors meets monthly.

You won't want to miss the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) Area 2 "Hooked on Technology" Conference. This information filled one-day conference aims to provide all Region 2 educators with the latest, greatest, and most useful teaching techniques and educational products to positively impact student achievement.

The ESC-2 Technology Applications Preparation and Certification Program is a rigorous program, which focuses on practical, effective teaching strategies. Participants, therefore, must have at least intermediate level computer skills. All coursework is online and monitored by instructors. The training and resources are focused on enabling the teaching of technology applications courses in grades 8-12 (Desktop Publishing, Web Mastery, Multimedia, Video Production, and Digital Graphics and Animation). Participants must have a Teacher Certification to receive Technology Applications Certification, and must take and pass the TExES exam #139 for Technology Applications 8-12.

The Technology Cooperative provides participating districts with on-site instructional and technical services. Services include, but are not limited to, instructional workshops and follow-up, assistance with campus technology plans, software selection, network planning, design and troubleshooting, district web design, and district database design.

ESEA Title I, Part A provides dissemination of information from the Texas Education Agency to Title I LEAs; provides technical assistance to Title I LEAs on issues such as the SAS, Performance/Compliance Reports, and AYP; provides for coordination with Region XIII School Improvement Resource Center (SIRC) to orient schools identified in Title I School Improvement; and provides school support team training upon request to Title I districts/campuses.

ESC Region 2 will provide the Title III member districts with the following:

• Prepare the Standard Application System (SAS-630);
  
• Serve as Fiscal Agent for the Title III Funds;
  
• Compile and file the SSA Evaluation Report;
  
• Provide staff development and coordinated assistance as requested;
  
• Provide staff development on a region-wide basis on issues relating to the limited English proficient students, securing qualified teachers, and providing parent involvement workshops;
  
• Conduct an orientation meeting to explain the Title III funding to all private/nonprofit schools in the Region.
  

The Texas Education Agency and Texas Department of Public Safety have directed the Education Service Centers to train and certify school bus drivers. The schedule and location for certification classes and applicable forms can be found on the ESC-2 Transportation website. Other information concerning public school transportation will be posted as needed. Links to national and state transportation sites are included.