Region 10 ELAR January Newsletter | |
January 6, 2026
Welcome to a new year!
A new year brings a fresh chapter—and January is the perfect time to pause, reset, and refocus on what matters most in ELAR instruction. As classrooms settle back into routines, this month offers an opportunity to strengthen core literacy practices, revisit high-impact strategies, and set intentional goals for the semester ahead. Whether you’re gearing up for spring assessments or simply looking to sharpen daily instruction, we’re glad you’re here and learning alongside us as we step confidently into the new year.
| | Region 10 ELAR Instructional Practices News | | If you would like support from the ELAR Instructional Practices Team, please fill out the Request Form or contact the Program Coordinator, Arynn Rasmussen . | |
Unlocking Grammar Greatness: Compound & Complex Sentences for Grades 3-12
Since the launch of the STAAR redesign, many students in the state of Texas receive zero points for their RLA extended constructed responses, exposing a need for a deeper understanding of the text-based writing requirements. Join us as we navigate the complexities of ECR scoring. Participants in this session will understand the STAAR hybrid scoring model, gain insights from the STAAR ECR rubric, engage with analysis and feedback of student samples, as well as explore instructional implications, especially for argumentative writing, for Grade 8, English 1 EOC, and English 2 EOC.
Date: January 15
Time: 11:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.
Location: Zoom
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Navigating ECR Scoring 8-EOC: Rating Accuracy & Instructional Insights
Since the launch of the STAAR redesign, many students in the state of Texas receive zero points for their RLA extended constructed responses, exposing a need for a deeper understanding of the text-based writing requirements. Join us as we navigate the complexities of ECR scoring. Participants in this session will understand the STAAR hybrid scoring model, gain insights from the STAAR ECR rubric, engage with analysis and feedback of student samples, as well as explore instructional implications, especially for argumentative writing, for Grade 8, English 1 EOC, and English 2 EOC.
Date: January 26
Time: 9:00 - 4:00
Location: Region 10 ESC
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Navigating ECR Scoring Gr 3-7 Rating Accuracy & Instructional Insights
Since the launch of the STAAR redesign, many students in the state of Texas receive zero points for their RLA extended constructed responses, exposing a need for a deeper understanding of the text-based writing requirements. Join us as we navigate the complexities of ECR scoring. Participants in this session will understand the STAAR hybrid scoring model, gain insights from the STAAR ECR rubric, engage with analysis and feedback of student samples, as well as explore instructional implications Grades 3-7.
Date: February 13
Time: 9:00 - 4:00
Location: Region 10 ESC
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Real Writing & Applying AI to Promote Thinking
Since the launch of the STAAR redesign, many students in the state of Texas receive zero points for their RLA extended constructed responses, exposing a need for a deeper understanding of the text-based writing requirements. Join us as we navigate the complexities of ECR scoring. Participants in this session will understand the STAAR hybrid scoring model, gain insights from the STAAR ECR rubric, engage with analysis and feedback of student samples, as well as explore instructional implications, especially for argumentative writing, for Grade 8, English 1 EOC, and English 2 EOC.
Date: January 29
Time: 11:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.
Location: Zoom
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*****FREE EVENT*****
Ignite Literacy Exchange, Saturday, February 7, 2026
No Subs...No Problem!!!
The Region 10 ELAR Team will not be hosting its typical STAAR Bootcamp for the 2025-26 school year. Instead, we are offering The Ignite Literacy Exchange on February 7, 2025. This Saturday learning experience allows us to meet the needs of more of our LEAs and is designed to spark meaningful change in classrooms while also offering practical assessment strategies from some of the area's most popular RLA consultants, Lakisha Ball, Jennifer Gunn, Carlin Liborio, and Tosh MGaughy, to name a few!
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Description: This full-day event brings educators together to explore research-based best practices in reading and writing instruction that not only elevate everyday teaching but also build student readiness for STAAR and beyond. With dynamic sessions and practical takeaways, Ignite Literacy is about more than strategies—it’s about igniting instructional impact!
Date: February 7, 2026
Time: 9:00 - 2:00
Location: Region 10 ESC, 400 E. Spring Valley Rd., Richardson, TX 75080
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R10 ELAR Spring 2026 PD Flyer
This Spring, Region 10 ELAR Instructional Practices Team will offer a variety of in-person and virtual sessions on ECR mastery, research-based strategies (RBIS), and the Literacy Spark Speaker Series. Join us to elevate instruction, boost student success, and refresh your professional practice. We are still working to finalize our schedule, so some registration links may not be active until Jan. 1st. More sessions to be added!
R10 ELAR Spring 26 PD Flyer
| | | Scores "O"verboard! How to Maximize Points on ECRs | |
It's that time of the year where teachers begin to focus in on ECR and SCR writing. What a perfect time to bring back a previous PD in 15, Scores "O"verboard!!! How to Maximize Points on the ECR. Check out a replay of this popular PD in 15 video below.
Need the full 1 hr webinar? Register by clicking the times below.
Date: January 8 11:30 a.m. or 3:30 p.m.
Date: January 22 11:30 a.m. or 3:30 p.m.
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Using Knowledge-Building Curriculum Doesn't Guarantee Robust Reading Comprehention
In this Substack article, Natalie Wexler explains that adopting a content-rich, knowledge-building curriculum is necessary—but not sufficient—for strong reading comprehension.
Even in districts using high-quality curricula for years, most comprehension lessons still stay at a surface level because instruction often shifts away from meaning and toward standards-based tasks.
Check out the article by clicking the link below.
Click Here to Read
| | | HB8 and Automatic ECR Rescoring | | Download a copy of the TEA Scoring slide deck from the Texas Assessment Conference here. | | HB 8 Frequently Asked Questions | | | |
HB8 Frequently Asked Questions
House Bill (HB) 8, passed during the 89th Texas Legislature, September 2025. This bill introduces significant changes to the Texas Assessment Program beginning in the 2027–28 school year. These changes include replacing the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) with a new instructionally supportive assessment program—the Student Success Tool—for Texas public school systems (i.e., public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools). The bill also changes several accountability requirements.
TEA is providing this frequently asked questions document to address accountability questions related to the implementation of HB 8. The document will be updated periodically with new questions and answers as needed.
| | HB 1605 Vocabulary & Book List Addendum Timeline | |
K–5 RLA Educators Needed to Review Instructional Materials for Texas Students
The State Board of Education (SBOE) and Texas Education Agency (TEA) are seeking experienced K–5 Reading Language Arts educators (English and Spanish) to participate in the Instructional Materials Review and Approval (IMRA) process. IMRA is designed to ensure that all Texas students have access to instructional materials that are accurate, aligned to state standards, suitable, appropriate, and of the highest quality. Your expertise in literacy instruction, standards alignment, and research-based reading strategies is vital to this work.
Compensation: Quality reviewers earn a base rate of $5,000* and approximately 100 CPE professional development credit hours. Suitability reviewers earn a base rate of $3,500* and approximately 40 CPE hours.
Qualifications: Quality and suitability reviewers must have Texas residency. In addition, quality reviewers must have at least three years of teaching experience or equivalent education experience.
Apply by Friday, January 9, 2026, on the SBOE IMRA Cycle 2026 Reviewer web page.
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Holocaust Remembrance Week: Jan. 26-30, 2026
Instructional Requirements
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TEA English Language Arts Newsletter
Take a look inside the latest English Language Arts Newsletter from TEA. Here you'll find information about New Resource for Bluebonnet Learning,
K–5 RLA Educators Needed to Review Instructional Materials for Texas Students, and
Holocaust Remembrance Week: January 26–30, 2026
Click Here to View the latest TEA ELAR Newsletter
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STAAR Supplemental Aids Information from
TEA's Student Assessment Division Fall 2025
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More Educator Testing Resources
| | | Region 10 & 11 Assessment Conference | |
TCTELA January 29th-February 1st
(Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts)
| | National Best Practices Conference 2026 | |
About The Event
The National Best Practices Conference aims to highlight exemplary instructional methods for educators in various fields, such as General Education, Bilingual, ESL, Gifted and Talented, Special Education, Core Content, Early Childhood, and Technology.
This all-encompassing conference caters to teachers, administrators, and support staff by dismantling educational "silos" and promoting a collaborative atmosphere where educational professionals exchange insights to more effectively address students' academic and linguistic needs.
Time & Location
Feb 18, 2026, 8:30 AM CST – Feb 21, 2026, 11:30 AM CST
Courtyard Dallas Allen at the Event Cent, 210 E Stacy Rd, Allen, TX 75002, USA
| | Region 10 Literacy Spark Speaker Series Save the Dates! | | What books are we reading? | |
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt
In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt investigates the sharp rise in teen anxiety, depression, and self-harm that began in the early 2010s. Haidt traces this mental-health crisis to a dramatic shift from a play-based childhood to a phone-based childhood—one that disrupts social development, sleep, attention, and a sense of belonging. Grounded in research, Haidt explains why social media affects girls and boys differently and outlines the cultural traps that keep families stuck. Most importantly, he offers clear, practical steps for parents, educators, and communities to help rebuild healthier, more connected childhoods. This is an essential read for anyone working with or raising Gen Z.
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Instructional Strategies to Move Learning Forward
Discover over 50 strategies to meet your students where they are and help them succeed.
Every teacher faces a recurring question in the classroom: What strategy will help this student learn right now? With hundreds of potential strategies available, the challenge lies in choosing the right approach at the right time. Instructional Strategies to Move Learning Forward does exactly that, equipping educators with thoughtfully curated instructional strategies designed to advance learning for all students. Grounded in the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) framework, this book empowers you to select and implement purposeful strategies that address your students′ specific needs at a specific moment in their learning while ensuring long-term success.
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Let us know what you're reading!
Submit a book recommendation.
| | ELAR Curriculum Management (TCMPC) | | If you would like support from the TCMPC Team, please fill out the Request Form or contact the Program Coordinator, Angela Greca. | |
Bluebonnet Learning & Strong Foundations News | | |
Bluebonnet Learning, developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and approved by the State Board of Education (SBOE) as official curriculum resources, offers state-developed instructional materials that are 100% aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
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Strong Foundations Implementation (SFI) provides direct grant funds to local educational agencies (LEAs) for technical assistance to support the high-fidelity implementation of the Bluebonnet Learning Instructional Materials.
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We're here to support you in the implementation of your curriculum. If you have specific questions related to the Strong Foundations grant, please reach out to Rich Balling, Consultant for Strong Foundations, at 972-348-1382.
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TEA Strong Foundations Newsletter
Take a look inside this month's Strong Foundations Newsletter from TEA. Here you'll find information about the Strong Foundations Planning and Implementation Milestones, and other grant resources.
Click Here to View the December SF Newsletter
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