The Solution Sheet - January 2026

This weekend we have our first chance at some wintry precipitation this school year. We all know that means the possibility of school being cancelled and our lessons plans getting thrown out the window. The video below was created from an article written by teach4theheart that has some great practical advice on how to get back on track after inclement weather days.

Carnegie Learning has some great winter activities that are ready to go for last minute changes to lesson plans. The link below has several free activities for Middle and High School.

Texas Instruments has an entire page of resources to prepare you, your students, and your calculators for STAAR and EOC testing. If you are needing additional help preparing your calculators for STAAR and EOC testing, please reach out to us here at the service center.

Monday, April 20, begins the testing window for all Math STAAR and EOC Tests, which means we have about 50 days until testing begins. Now is a great time to make final plans to finish out the instructional days strong. Below are some simple strategies that can be implemented without a major overhaul of your lesson plans:

Instruction & Review

1. Don't Stop Teaching: Continue quality instruction; assessment should inform teaching, not replace it.
2. Spacing Effect: Revisit key concepts throughout the year to combat forgetting and build long-term mastery.
3. Embed Review: Integrate review of past topics into warm-ups, mini-lessons, or workshops.
4. Math Practice Standards: Focus on one or two practice standards per lesson while keeping others in mind, making instruction richer.

Let us know if we can provide any additional support for pacing!

This year the content team is joining forces to offer a STAAR Review workshop for all STAAR subjects and grade levels.

In the morning, we will review the main components of creating a benchmark breakdown and experience how it would work in a classroom. In the afternoon, participants will have time to plan with other teachers from their grade level and subject to start creating and planning their own benchmark breakdown.

If you haven't already, please use the link to complete the Google Form that will provide us with information about what you are teaching and where. This will help us better serve you in the classroom!

Click below to never miss an issue!