What is CASSO?

CASSO stands for Curricular Assessment for Successful Student Outcomes. CASSO is funded by the US Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition to improve the EC-6 bilingual education curriculum used in Blocks 1-4.

What has CASSO done so far?

Over the last year the CASSO project faculty have studied how to improve our EC-6 bilingual education curriculum. We have asked current students for feedback, participated in professional development training offered by national experts in education, reviewed and studied the curriculum the way it is taught now, and met regularly to discuss some curriculum changes that might improve the program.

What will happen in the CASSO sections?

The CASSO curriculum will cover the same content as the regular curriculum, with all activities focused toward how to best prepare you to pass the required Texas examinations to become a certified EC-6 bilingual education teacher.

What will happen if I chose the CASSO section, 11 C?

If you decide to register for Section 11C you will be asked to take part in some activities designed to help us understand your learning needs better so we can make our program an even better one. You will be asked to fill out questionnaires, participate in online discussions, take a basic knowledge test, and a Spanish language proficiency test. Neither of these two tests will affect your grade in any way. These activities will be conducted as part of the course. Your participation in each of these activities is always voluntary.

How will participation in CASSO benefit you?

If you remain in CASSO sections until the end of your program, we will be able to provide you with some assistance in paying for your professional exams. We will also want to keep in touch with you during your first year of teaching. This way we will be able to continue to support your and you may be able to tell us how we can improve our program even more.

If you would like more information, please email us at: casso@utpa.edu and visit our website at casso.utpa.edu.