Pettus ISD

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more,

do more and become more, you are a leader."

This month, we are proud to honor our campus principals! Great leadership is at the heart of every success story for our students, staff, and families. At Pettus ISD, our principals lead with passion and set the standard by example. True mastery means making a demanding job look effortless - and these leaders have done just that. Working tirelessly every day, they inspire a culture of excellence across our entire district. Thank you Mrs. Carroll and Mr. De Leon for leading with dedication, heart, and purpose!

Classroom teachers who provide instruction in mathematics to students in grades K-3, along with principals, assistant principals, mathematics instructional coaches, and mathematics interventionists at campuses serving these grades, are required to attend the Texas Mathematics Academies by school year 2030-2031, per House Bill (HB) 2. TEA is referring to this requirement as the Texas Mathematics Academies K-3.

Implementation Timeline

2026-2027: Principal

2027-2028: Kindergarten

2028-2029: Grade 1

2029-2030: Grade 2

2030-2031: Grade 3, Special Education

For grades 4 and 5, professional development is available through Texas Mathematics Academies Deep Dives, formerly known as the Mathematics Achievement Academies. Participation in Deep Dives is optional, providing educators with the flexibility to engage in extended learning on research-based, systematic approaches that help educators build students' problem-solving skills and develop a strong foundation in number sense and fluency.

For the Texas Mathematics Academies, a classroom teacher who attends is entitled to receive a stipend from the school district, regardless of the grade level they teacher, provided they have been directed or received district approval to attend outside of contract hours.

Per the authority, granted by HB 2, the Commissioner of Education has set the stipend rate at a minimum of $50 per hour for approved training completed outside the days or hours of service included in the term of the teacher's contract.

TEA will administer a required stand-alone field test February 1-5, 2027, to support development of future SST assessments. The field test will be administered online for the following grades/subjects and courses:

• Mathematics: grades 3-8 and Algebra I
• Reading Language Arts: grades 3-8 and English I
• Science: elementary and middle school science and Biology
• Social Studies: grade 8 social studies and U.S. History

As required by state law, selected campuses are expected to participate in field-testing activities. Results will be used exclusively for assessment development purposes and will not be reported for student performance purposes.

Pettus ISD has been selected to participate in the following assessments during the week of February 1-5, 2027:

• English I
• Grade 7 Reading Language Arts
• Grade 3 Reading Language Arts
• Grade 5 Science

Beginning with students entering the 2026-2027 school year, students must complete a one-half credit course in personal financial literacy instead of one-half credit in economics as part of the social studies requirements for graduation. The personal financial literacy requirements may be satisfied through one of the existing Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) based personal financial literacy courses: * Personal Financial Literacy or

* Personal Financial Literacy and Economics

At its August-September 2026 meeting, the SBOE adopted TEKS for a new one-half credit course, Applied Personal Financial Literacy, that will be implemented in classrooms beginning in the 2028-2029 school year. When the new TEKS are implemented, Applied Personal Financial Literacy will replace the current personal financial literacy courses for the purpose of satisfying the personal financial literacy graduation requirement.

Students who entered Grade 9 before the 2026-2027 school year continue to be subject to the social studies graduation requirements that were in effect when they entered grade 9.

The lead4ward Instructional Strategies Playlist provides educators with detailed descriptions for low-prep/high-yield instructional strategies. These easy-to-use strategies actively engage students in learning, provide practice without penalty, encourage student interactions and dialog, and allow educators to observe students' thinking. Teachers can use these strategies to increase engagement and help students comprehend, connect, and communicate content deeply.

Admin Edition Scenario Cards

Help your entire school team - teaches, paraprofessionals, and administrators -master "in-the-moment" decisions. Download this month's free "What Would You Do? Admin Edition" scenario cards to walk through realistic, high-pressure challenges together. With targeted questions covering resources, stakeholders, and long-term impacts, you will foster psychological safety while transforming reactive habits into proactive problem-solving across your entire building.

Science Tool Checklists

Ensure all science classrooms are stocked, safe, and fully prepared for hands-on learning. The attached grade-specific tool checklists make it simple for school leaders to audit lab equipment, replenish supplies, and standardize preparation across all grade levels.

The adopted new sections add lists of literary works to be taught in each grade level as required by House Bill 1605, 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023.

Effective Date: July 1, 2027