February 2023

A benefit to providers participating in the Texas Rising Star (TRS) program, is free access to numerous early childhood tools that are part of the renowned Texas School Ready (TSR) program managed by the Children's Learning Institute (CLI). All certified TRS providers, and those who have submitted an application for TRS certification, have access to the TSR Online resources housed on CLI Engage at no cost.

This newsletter issue will provide additional information about these freely available resources to create awareness among TRS providers as well as the staff of Local Workforce Development Boards. With your assistance, we can equip more teachers with the quality tools they need to better prepare students for success in school, and a lifetime of learning. 

By signing up for the TSR Online resources on the CLI Engage platform, TRS teachers will have free access to research-proven tools for use in the classroom. Available are hours of professional development courses, access to child progress monitoring tools, searchable collections of classroom activities, and our new CIRCLE Pre-K Curriculum.

How to Enroll

TRS providers may enroll by following instructions at texasrisingstar.org/tsronline. Providers then manage their accounts by uploading teacher lists and sending invitations to personnel to enroll.

More information for new users, including a video tour and Quick Start Guide, can be found on our welcome webpage.

Screening, Progress Monitoring, & Observation

CIRCLE Progress Monitoring

CLI Engage features CIRCLE Progress Monitoring (Pre-K), a user-friendly, technology-driven tool that enables the teacher to assess a preschool child’s progress in a particular skill area almost instantly, then prompts teachers to focus on lessons that target preschoolers’ least developed skill areas. Assessments can be administered in English or Spanish and meet Texas Rising Star Guidelines for using assessments that measure children’s developmental progress (Category 3).

Developmental Milestones Checklists

For younger children, CLI Engage also features Developmental Milestones Checklists for birth-48 months, available as an online tool and downloadable PDFs that can be shared with families, too! Both versions are available in English and Spanish.

Online Learning & Professional Development

Earn Certificates

CLI Engage hosts many free online professional development courses for early childhood teachers and administrators. All available courses can be found in our full Course Catalog. After enrolling and completing a course, the user will receive a certificate certifying their completion. CLI Engage stores copies of earned certificates in My Certificates. For added convenience, CLI Engage course certificates can go directly into a user's TECPDS account. This is very helpful for TRS assessors using TECPDS to document (Category 1) professional development trainings for center directors and staff.

eCIRCLE Professional Development Courses

eCIRCLE Professional Development represents more than 80 hours of online courses for preschool teachers featuring extensive video-based demonstrations of effective instructional practices. These courses cover a broad range of topics aligned with the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines. Teachers receive certificates with clock hours aligned to the Texas Core Competencies.

Additional Available Courses

Includes state guidelines course series and more:

• Texas Infant, Toddler, and Three-Year-Old Early Learning Guidelines
• Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines
• Texas Core Competencies for Early Childhood Practitioners and Administrators
• CIRCLE Infant and Toddler Teacher Training 
• CIRCLE CDA Training Program
• TECPDS Workforce Registry Accounts for TRS

Activities & Materials

The CIRCLE Activity Collections translate the best early childhood development research into practice through a variety of hands-on activities in language, core educational subjects, literacy, and social/emotional, with example videos of select activities performed in real classrooms.

CIRCLE Activity Collection: Pre-K

The prekindergarten CIRCLE Activity Collection can be used by site administrators to support appropriate classroom activities, by early educators, and shared with families for extension ideas. The CIRCLE Progress Monitoring tool will provide recommended specific CIRCLE Activity Collection activities for children who are identified as needing support in targeted skill areas. There are a variety of activities that can be used in different settings to fit your needs:

• Small Group Interventions
• Whole Group Instruction
• One-on-One Intervention
• Transitions
• Outdoor Learning

CIRCLE Activity Collection: Infant & Toddler

The infant and toddler CIRCLE Activity Collection is organized around the four learning domains of the Texas Infant, Toddler, and Three-Year-Old Early Learning Guidelines (ITELG): Health & Motor Development, Social & Emotional Development, Language & Communication, and Cognitive Development. There are hands-on activities and video demonstrations to provide adult support with implementation.

CIRCLE Activity Collection: Family

CLI Engage also provides a family CIRCLE Activity Collection specifically designed to support children's skill development at home with their parents or care givers. Family collection benefits include:

• Easy to access at www.cliengagefamily.org
• Does not require a login
• Available in English and in Spanish
• Teachers can share via email directly to parents

CIRCLE Pre-K Curriculum

The CIRCLE Pre-K Curriculum includes Scope and Sequences for 35 weeks of instruction and 10 Theme Guides for use throughout the school year. Each of these components is supported by direct links to high-quality lessons housed in the CIRCLE Activity Collection. Teachers can access and use the digital version of the curriculum from the button on the CLI Engage Dashboard. The CIRCLE Pre-K Curriculum is available in English and Currículo CIRCLE de prekínder for Spanish prekindergarten classrooms.

Quality Improvement & Innovation

Classroom Environment Checklist (CEC)

The Classroom Environment Checklist (CEC) is a tool that early childhood professionals can use to evaluate and improve their classroom environments. This tool was developed for use in both infant and toddler as well as pre-K classrooms, and is available in both printable PDF and online digital versions. These checklists can serve as a tools to:

• Help teachers evaluate their classroom environment
• Act as a change agent for teachers
• Provide a way for coaches to track change over time
• Provide direction for coaching
• Support accountability and meeting expectations

Family Engagement Resources

CLI Engage offers many tools and resources to support family and parent engagement, including free family activities, customized parent report of child progress monitoring results, and free resources for hosting family engagement sessions. The Children’s Learning Institute recently developed a new family engagement toolkit and online professional development, available on CLI Engage at no cost. Visit the CLI Engage Family Engagement Resources page to learn more and download resources for teachers and administrators.

CLI Engage is part of the Children's Learning Institute at UTHealth Houston

www.cliengage.org