This letter is to inform districts and open enrollment charter schools that beginning with next school year, 2012-2013, schools will use a new student upload process to access the resources within the TMSDS. TMSDS is a web-based TEKS-aligned system that provides the MSTAR Universal Screener and science and mathematics resources for grades 3-8, Integrated Physics and Chemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. TMSDS is provided at no cost to Texas school districts and charter schools, and beginning in October 2012, will become another online resource made available through the Project Share gateway.

The MSTAR Universal Screener and TMSDS science and mathematics resources will be available to TMSDS users in two phases. Phase I, scheduled to begin in August 2012, will include the MSTAR Universal Screener. Phase II, scheduled to begin in October 2012, will include the science and mathematics resources items.

TMSDS and Project Share contacts at your local Education Service Centers (ESCs) will be fully trained and ready to assist district and campus staffs beginning in early August. The training will enable them to provide districts across the state with the support needed to initiate Phase I of this new process, which includes learning how to access TMSDS resources through a new interface. ESC TMSDS contacts will begin training districts on the new student upload process in August 2012. Contact your local Education Service Center about training opportunities.

All districts will have the opportunity to access the MSTAR Universal Screener and TEA-owned TMSDS resources. Districts do not have to be users of Project Share or previous users of the MSTAR Universal Screener or TMSDS resources to access these resources this coming school year. It is our goal to expand access to these valuable online resources, and we look forward to working with Texas districts in the coming year.

For additional information, you can send questions to the TMSDS mailbox at TMSDS@region10.org. You can also contact Craig Gray at craig.gray@region10.org, (972) 348-1376 or Denise Kanaman at Denise.Kanaman@region10.org, (972) 348-1328.

Sincerely,

Anita Givens
Associate Commissioner
Standards and Programs

Page last modified on 6/1/2012.