It was an absolute delight to visit our elementary campuses during the first three days of school. Everything felt calm, welcoming, and well organized, and morning drop-off on the second and third days ran seamlessly. Thank you for all you do behind the scenes to ensure a smooth start to the school year. I know it takes countless hours.
Sabrina and I will use this blog as our consistent source for updates and will send an email whenever new information is posted. Based on last year’s feedback, we will share information as it becomes relevant.
ELEMENTARY MATH AND SCIENCE
1st Grade | Representing, Composing and Decomposing Numbers
Some educators have expressed concern about beginning the year with numbers to 120 rather than teaching them in separate ranges: 1–20, 21–99, and 100–120. Please keep the following in mind:
- This is a significant concept that learners will develop throughout the year. Introducing it early provides time for continued practice and growth.
- Some learners may be ready to work with numbers beyond 20 during the first grading period, and we want to provide opportunities for growth.
- Numbers should not be taught in isolation. Our goal is to develop flexibility and an understanding of number relationships.
Number sense routines, number talks, learning stations, and small-group instruction provide meaningful opportunities to introduce, reinforce, and revisit this concept.
Based on these considerations, I recommend the following:
- You may adjust the number range and teach 1–99 before 100–120 as needed. However, please continue using the STEMscopes Explores, modifying the numbers to remain below 100 when appropriate.
- Adjust your pacing to ensure numbers 100–120 are taught and revisited later in the year.
- Assess the High Priority Learning Standards throughout the year to monitor progress toward mastery.
A Micro PD session with additional guidance on SBRC rubrics will be shared soon. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.
Classroom Visits
I will begin visiting classrooms the week of August 24, most likely on Wednesdays and Thursdays. These visits will focus on evidence of Great Teaching through the following questions:
Science Classrooms
- Are district resources being used purposefully?
- Is there evidence of writing in science?
- Are learners engaging in hands-on science experiences?
Mathematics Classrooms
- Are district resources being used purposefully?
- Is there evidence of small-group instruction?
- Is there evidence of the Math Workshop Model?
I will use a Google Form to collect information and identify opportunities for continued support.
Math and Science Professional Development
I want to be intentional and responsive in planning professional learning. I have created this spreadsheet as a living document that I will continue to update.
I will also create brief Micro PD videos that educators can watch at their convenience to strengthen instructional practice. If you or your educators have topic suggestions, please share them with me. The videos will be housed in Schoology at the bottom of the page.
The first two topics, coming soon, are:
- Setting Up Fluency Builders
- Using the SBRC Rubrics
After School Professional Development:
My coaches, Sarah Leishman and Lynlie Brown, and I are offering after-school professional development for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade educators. Participants will unpack the TEKS for Unit 3 of STEMscopes and internalize the first scope of the unit. Educators will also receive the corresponding Skill Builders and Explores documents. Registration required.
Beginning of the Year | Assessments
I will closely monitor beginning-of-year MAP data to identify learners who may benefit from targeted small-group instruction. I plan to meet with learning coaches on September 24th to review the data.
If your campus completes the Mathematics MAP assessment earlier and would like support analyzing the results, please let me know. It is essential that we know our learners “by name and by need” so we can provide timely, responsive support.
Dates to Remember
ELEMENTARY LITERACY AND SOCIAL STUDIES
Happy New School Year!
It was a joy to see you all building relationships with your students and creating experiences for them to build relationships with each other during the first week of school. I was even more excited to see you all reading aloud your mentor/focal texts, students working in their MyBooks, and writing happening aligned to our new curriculum resource.
Unit Previews
Changes with Digital Platforms for 2026-2027
Learning A-Z: We did not renew our subscription to the Vocabulary A-Z portion. We will continue with Foundations A-Z (English) and Reading A-Z (English and Spanish).
Handwriting Resources and Instruction (Grades K-3)
Please work with your AP to enter the requests for Handwriting Without Tears books. Remember you have access to the digital component as well, through SSO.We will follow the scope, sequence, pacing, and instruction aligned to HMH Into Reading for Handwriting. There are two big areas that do not align with HWT: The lines used to practice and the order of letters being taught. For this reason, you might not use your HWT books in the same way you are used to. I will invite you all to give feedback on this in the spring.
Instructional Text Request - Novels Only
Mentor Focal Text Replacements AND Book Club Novels:- Ensure you have read the entire text first.
- Determine the rationale for the replacement.
- Enter an Instructional Text Request.
- Ensure you have read the entire text first
- Use TeachingBooks and Mackinvia to determine if the text is appropriate for the students you teach.
- Ask your librarian to verify at least 5 days before you plan to read the text.
NoRedInk (Grades 3-5)
The window is open for your NoRedInk Writing Sample Capture. GO 4th GRADE for having over 80% of your students submitted within the first week! I will start sending reminders out next week to classes who have not assigned the writing and the week after for those who have not submitted.The CISD NoRedInk Guidelines document has more information about these required writing sample captures, dates, and Google Doc versions of the texts, prompts, and rubrics.
Upstander Partnership (Grades 3 and 5)
CISD has not renewed our Upstander Partnership with the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. They will come out and do the Upstander presentations with your 3rd and 5th graders for a cost. If your school is interested, please let me know so I can send you the directions.Classroom Visits
I am excited to come watch you all implement Into Reading with your students. If you see me sitting in for a while, just know I am documenting evidence of:- District curriculum resources
- Student engagement and interactions
- Workshop/Small group instruction
Literacy & Social Studies Advisory Committee
There are still some spots left on the Literacy & Social Studies Advisory Committee.Advisory committee members serve as representatives for their campuses by providing feedback on curriculum documents, instructional resources, assessments, professional learning, and academic data. Members will collaborate with district staff, share campus perspectives, discuss instructional successes and challenges, and help inform district decisions that support high-quality instruction and student achievement. We are seeking educators who are collaborative, reflective, student-centered, and committed to continuous improvement.
If you are interested in joining, please let me know by filling out this form. The deadline is September 30th.
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