Right now, the Language Arts team is busy entering the new ELAR/SLAR content into the live portion of our system. As we publish IFDs to our live site, we will be pulling down the PDF versions in the TCMPC Resources section. Please be sure to check the Revisions section at the bottom of the home page to see if any changes have been made to the curriculum components you are using. Additionally, we have started publishing assessment passages and items. 

Here is our plan for Grades 2-8 assessment for the 2019-2020 school year:

Grade 2

• Grade 2 will not have any passages or items until Unit 5 (end of the first semester). Students at the beginning of Grade 2 are still learning how to read which is why we created units that are focused around specific comprehension strategies for the first semester. 
• The Performance Assessments included on the Instructional Focus Documents will provide the best data as to where students are in their progress towards mastery of the new TEKS in the first semester. 
• For Unit 5, we will provide a fictional passage, an informational passage, and a poem. Questions for these passages will be focused on basic comprehension of the passages to assess if students are using the comprehension strategies that they learned in Units 2-5. 
• Beginning with Unit 6A, we will have passages and items that are focused on the genre being highlighted in each unit.

Grades 3-8 Unit 1

• Unit 1 does not include any passages. We have provided three different types of questions. 
• There are multiple-choice objective-type items that assess key vocabulary and literacy concepts.
• There are short answer questions related to meta-cognitive processes. 
• And finally, there are short answer general comprehension questions that can be used with any text that students have read or heard.  
• It will be up to the teacher/district whether or not to use all 3 types of questions, only 1 or 2 types of questions, or none at all. The types of questions include the following:

Grades 3-5 Units 2A/2B/2C

• Units 2A/2B/2C have three passages aligned to all 3 units. 
• There is a fictional passage, an informational passage, and a poem. 
• Each passage includes questions that align to the focus of each unit. 
• So for 2A the questions are about author's purpose and message; 2B has questions related to text structure and organization; and 2C has questions related to the author's use of language. 
• Teacher/districts can choose to give one or more passages with the specific unit-aligned questions at the end of each unit (then students would reread the passages in the other units, but have different questions). 
• OR teachers/districts can choose to wait until the end of all three units and give one or more passage with all the questions relating to all three units. 
• Eventually in future assessment development, we intend to add more passages in other genres (e.g., persuasive, drama, literary nonfiction, etc.) so there will be even more choice for districts.
• As far as Revising and Editing passages, these will start with Unit 2B.
• Writing prompts will not start until Unit 3A. This will give students time to establish routines with the writing process and focus their writing around their purpose and message. Prompts will start once we get into the genre units.

Grades 6-8

• Starting with Unit 2A, all assessment passages and items will align with the genre focus of the unit. In multi-genre units, there will be passages in a variety of genres.

Please remember that this is YOUR curriculum. Please use the feedback button to provide us feedback on how the curriculum and assessments are working for you. We appreciate all feedback- both positive comments and critiques. We want to be sure this is working for you and your students. Have a great school year!

ELAR Content Advisory Group

Math Content Advisory Group

Cadre Opportunities for PLC Networking:

SBOE

• Secondary streamlining was completed and posted to the website during June. All IFDs, YAGs, resources, and assessment items have been updated.
• Elementary streamlining has begun. Our typical timeline for posting updated information to the website is mid-June, 2020.
• Our timeline may be altered for Estudios sociales. We have asked TEA for a time they expect TEKS to be translated into Spanish, but have not yet received a date for release. We can begin updating Estudios sociales after the translation of the TEKS by TEA is completed and made public.

• You may have noticed that there is a new Conceptual US History course. We are excited by hearing of several districts and schools piloting this new approach. Keep it up and let us know how it goes! 

• HB 1244 created a requirement that 10 items that align to the US History TEKS be added to the STAAR test.
• TEA will need to study the implementation of this requirement. This includes 1) aligning naturalization test items to the TEKS and 2) determining how to use the items since they are currently open-ended. We will begin building resources and items when TEA presents its findings. 

• Since secondary curriculum streamlining is complete, the team is beginning to audit the item bank to uncover any assessment gaps that may have emerged. You can apply to be an item writer here.

• The past years of STAAR analysis are in the midst of being updated to align to streamlined standards. We will re-release the analysis with updates that indicate if the item can still apply and if the standard alignment changed.
• TEA has withheld releasing the STAAR to the general public, including ESC staff. We have placed a request to TEA to see and use the items in our annual STAAR analysis. If we are granted permission, we will begin work reviewing and including 2019 items.

Social Studies Content Advisory Group