May Secondary RLA Scoop

The wait is over, our Summer PD Remix Catalog has officially dropped!

This year’s 80’s-inspired theme, “Drop the Beat. Elevate Learning,” is all about one priority: strengthening Tier 1 instruction so every student experiences high-quality, engaging learning every day.

This summer, we’re remixing our practice with a clear focus on what matters most: powerful core instruction that reaches every learner the first time.

Our sessions are built around the REMIX mindset:

R – Refine Tier 1 instructional practices to ensure clarity, rigor, and alignment
E – Engage all learners through intentional, research-based strategies
M – Maximize instructional time and impact in every lesson
I – Integrate effective tools and strategies to support diverse learners
X – eXpand student success through strong, consistent core instruction

Teachers have the option to “exchange” Friday, September 4, 2026, for one (1) day of summer professional learning. The following criteria apply for professional learning sessions:

Session eligibility:

1. A minimum of 6 hours in length, either as a single session or as multiple sessions, completed as a learner or as a presenter.

2. In-district or out-of-district learning during non-contract days (June 1, 2026 – August 3, 2026 only) (Out-of-district PD must be approved by the district instructional specialist over that content. Approval must be submitted to CIS before attending PD.)

3. Related to 2026-2027 teaching assignment and specific content

4. No compensation or stipend received for attending or presenting sessions

July 20, 8:30 - 10:30 AM

Participants will learn all the very best ways to use text-dependent questions as scaffolds during close reading and the big understandings they can yield, especially when following the Fisher and Frey model. Participants will break down the process into four cognitive pathways that will help them “organize the journey through a text” and frame an extended discussion around it. Step by step, this approach ensures that every close reading lesson, students are guided to consider explicit and implied meanings, and deeply analyze and appreciate various aspects of a text, especially those that may be challenging or confusing.

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Words and fluency are two of the most powerful — and most underutilized — levers in literacy instruction. Drawing from Randi Whitney's Lexicon Mysteries Solved and Fluency Fundamentals, this session gives teachers practical strategies for making vocabulary meaningful and transferable through roots, word relationships, and context, while elevating fluency beyond rate and accuracy to include prosody, phrasing, and expression. Expect classroom-ready tools and differentiated resources you can use immediately in whole-group and small-group settings.

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July 20, 1:00 - 4:00 PM

The ECR is one of the highest-leverage writing tasks on STAAR — and one of the most misunderstood. This session gives teachers a complete look at the ECR from every angle: the scoring rubric, the genre types, and the instructional strategies students need to plan, draft, and deliver a strong response. Participants will leave with a clear framework for teaching ECR with intention, including how to use the RACE strategy to help students structure their thinking and writing from the very first sentence.

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July 21, 8:30 - 10:30 AM

This professional development session provides English I–II teachers with a practical, classroom-focused approach to designing rigorous and engaging instruction. Teachers will learn how to use the UFD to intentionally guide text annotation, ensuring that students interact with texts in ways that directly support skill mastery and STAAR readiness. The session will also highlight strategies for transforming UFD-aligned lessons into engaging, student-centered experiences through interactive activities, scaffolds, and meaningful application tasks.

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July 21, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Research confirms that performance on complex text is one of the strongest predictors of college and career readiness — but what happens when students arrive below grade level, are emergent bilingual, or have reading and cognitive disabilities? This session equips you with research-backed scaffolding strategies tailored to content, context, and student need, so every learner in your tier 1 classroom has meaningful access to grade-level text and tasks.

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July 21, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

This session gives teachers hands-on strategies for making grammar and revision instruction engaging and transferable — from interactive games and activities to real application in a testing context. Participants will explore parts of speech, sentence structure, and patterns, then dig into recent STAAR editing and revising data to sharpen their instructional focus. Teachers will leave with tools that build student confidence as writers all year long.

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July 22, 8:30 - 11:30 AM

This session focuses on the use of Writable to enhance writing skills in the classroom. Writable is an online writing program that provides students with immediate feedback, revision tools, and peer review features. This workshop will explore the benefits of using Writable in the classroom, including improved writing fluency, increased student engagement, and enhanced collaboration among students. The workshop will introduce participants to the features and capabilities of Writable, including the use of rubrics, feedback templates, and revision tools. Participants will have the opportunity to explore the various features of Writable and learn how to use them effectively in the classroom.

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July 22, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

When students say "I don't get it," they're often describing something far more specific — a breakdown in inference. Drawing from Kylene Beers and Robert Probst's research and the 2023 edition of When Kids Can't Read What Teachers Can Do, this hands-on workshop unpacks the tacit knowledge skilled readers use to infer meaning and explores why those same skills often elude students. Leave with sharper teacher clarity and practical classroom techniques to close the gap.

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July 22, 12:30 - 3:30 PM

Participants who are already using Writable will deepen their understanding through hands-on experiences with resources and AI tools that enrich writing instruction through practice, feedback, and revision. Select, assign, and grade writing tasks with Writable. Guide student practice with sequenced writing tasks. Structure feedback with digital tools for self, peer, and teacher review. Support purposeful revision with data insights and rubrics.

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July 22, 1:00 - 3:00 PM

Short doesn't mean simple. The SCR demands precision — students must respond concisely, cite evidence purposefully, and demonstrate understanding without the runway of an extended response. This session unpacks the SCR rubric and scoring expectations, explores genre-specific considerations, and equips teachers with targeted strategies, including RACE, for helping students write tight, evidence-based responses with confidence.

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July 23, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Students who can locate, select, and articulate textual evidence are stronger readers, writers, and thinkers. This session gives educators practical, classroom-ready strategies for helping students ground their responses in the text — with scaffolding support built in. Grounded in RBIS 4, participants will leave with tools to make text-based responses a consistent, confident practice in their classrooms.

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July 23, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Are your students ready to tackle grade-level texts on their own? In this session, secondary Reading Language Arts teachers will explore practical strategies to gradually release responsibility and build students' capacity for independent reading of grade-level, complex texts. We'll address a critical reality: while scaffolds like read-alouds and audio supports have their place in instruction, students ultimately must develop the stamina and skills to read independently—especially when it comes to high-stakes assessments where even students with oral accommodations must demonstrate independent reading comprehension. You'll learn why listening comprehension and reading comprehension are distinct skills, and discover actionable techniques to engage students with the text and build stamina.

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Discover how to transform small group instruction by moving from leveled readers to grade-level texts. This session will explore strategies to scaffold and support diverse learners in accessing complex texts while maintaining the rigor of grade-level standards. Participants will learn how to design purposeful small group lessons that build comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency, empowering all students to succeed with grade-level content.

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June 15 | 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | $90

This course is designed to help you as a secondary RLA teacher develop effective strategies for teaching grammar to your students. You will explore various approaches to teaching grammar including explicit and implicit instruction as well as interactive instruction. You will also learn how to integrate grammar instruction into your overall curriculum and how to assess your students’ understanding of grammar concepts.

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June 22 | 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | $100

Learn strategies for building a community of readers in your classroom. Explore ways to help students connect with books on a personal level and inspire a passion for reading that will last a lifetime. Delve into the latest research on literacy development and learn how to foster a love for reading. Discover techniques for selecting books that will engage students and keep them excited about reading while increasing their performance on SCRs.

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June 25 | 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | $100

This is a three-day series focused on utilizing "workshop" strategies in 6-12 ELAR classrooms to increase opportunities for students to become engaged readers and writers with the ability to transfer skills across genres. On Day 1, participants will experience and explore the use of powerful mentor texts and targeted mini-lessons. When mini-lessons are designed with complex texts as mentors, students will gain increased ability to apply knowledge and skills independently. On Day 2, participants will explore the use of readers-writers notebooks, protocols for peer collaboration, and strategies for conferring. Both reading conferences and writing conferences provide reinforcement and/or enrichment of skills that lead to student growth. On Day 3, participants will have time to plan and differentiate for specific classroom applications. To guide their personal designs, participants will work from choice boards and curated resources. Additionally, participants will experience and explore additional strategies to complement their “workshop” classrooms such as literature circles, depth & complexity question stems, and more.

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June 29-July 1 | 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | $175

Formative assessment is only powerful if it changes what we do next. In this session, teachers will explore practical strategies that reveal student thinking in relation to clear learning intentions and success criteria. Participants will learn how to interpret student responses, uncover misconceptions, and make real-time instructional decisions. Walk away with ready-to-use approaches to check understanding, monitor progress, and adjust instruction to move learning forward.

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June 30 | 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | $175

In this session, participants will explore the framework of connecting reading and writing in the ELAR classroom. They will dive deep into the process of using mentor texts to examine and analyze genre characteristics and authors' craft from the perspective of both a reader and a writer. Participants will leave the session with an understanding of how to integrate reading and writing through mentor texts. Participants will need technology devices for this session.

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July 8 | 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. | $220

Join us for a FREE, one-day Secondary Literacy Conference designed specifically for middle and high school RLA/English teachers and literacy leaders. This conference features nationally recognized literacy authors and practitioners, along with additional breakout sessions led by experienced secondary literacy educators, all focused on practical, classroom-ready strategies for improving reading and writing instruction across secondary classrooms.

Participants will learn from our featured literacy leaders, including:

• Ralph Fletcher, author of Tapping the Writer Within, focusing on authentic voice and craft in student writing
• Linda Rief, author of The Quickwrite Handbook and Whispering in the Wind, emphasizing mentor texts and reflective writing practices
• Dennis Magliozzi & Kristina Peterson, co-authors of AI in the Writing Workshop, sharing classroom-ready approaches to writing and literacy instruction

Additional sessions will provide targeted support for secondary literacy instruction, student engagement, and effective classroom practices.

REGISTER HERE

July 21 | 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Free

Reach out with any questions! I'm here to support the amazing work you are doing in PLCs and the classroom!

sarah.miller@killeenisd.org

(254) 336-0252