TExAS Competencies

1. When some students tend to understand a subject faster than some, it’s best to place the
students that are having difficulty with a student that does understand. They will complement
one another.
2. When having a special needs student in your class can be challenging, you want to make sure
that their knowledge and skills continue to improve. Special needs students are entitled to be
mainstreamed as long as they are improving.
3. When you, as a teacher, know in advance that you will soon have a student identified as special
needs, study his/her IEP so that you can make proper accommodations and/or modifications to
their lessons.
4. When starting a subject, let the students share with you their knowledge of said subject. In
finding out what they do already know just tends to speed up their learning skills and helps add
to what they already know.
5. If a child is observed having a difficult time in learning and understanding what is being taught in
class, it’s best to help the student one on one, set challenging learning goals that the student
will be able to understand and provide any resources available.
6. When you give your students instruction and expect them to follow and don’t, it’s best to
review guidelines/instruction with students as a whole and practice with them so that they
understand and you know that they understand.
7. When giving a first time assignment that students have not yet done before, make sure to give
students different techniques to consider so that they can accomplish what you’ve asked of
them.
8. Make sure that you provide students with the correct material on subjects you are teaching.
Don’t expect them to take the initiative to read on their own in case they do not understand
material. Check to make sure students do have some knowledge on material given and help
them by discussing it as a whole in class together.
9. When an assignment requiring internet use is involved, have at least 3 websites for them to
choose from for their research on a printout. Instruct students that they should not go to any
other sites or click on any other links.
10. It is always a good idea to administer a formative test occasionally to see if there is a subject
that may need to be taught again.
11. It is always reassuring to have families involved with the students, especially when they come to
you with concerns of their child’s grades. Meet with them and let them know that you have
spoken with other instructors involved with the students learning. It is best when you can all
agree on what is best for the student.
12. When you receive a new student in the middle of a semester and student has difficulty in a
subject, reach out to SPED to just observe student to see if he/she truly has a learning disability
such as reading, writing, etc. In getting SPED involved this can help student with additional
testing if parents feel the necessity to do so
13. Know your students and their behaviors. The sex, race, religion does not apply when you
suspect any form of child abuse. If a student is overheard talking about explicit adult situations
or strange behaviors from parents engaging children in strange behaviors, it is your duty to
contact local authority agencies to report suspected abuse.