Venus ISD RBL Case Study Featuring Secondary Flex Reading Block (November 2023). This case study provides insights about Venus ISD's effort to dramatically improve low reading proficiency skills in secondary students. The district created a reading block elective course, which meets daily in addition to ELA. During reading class, students use a high-quality digital tool for core learning and to fill reading proficiency gaps. Students also complete off-line reading-related tasks and receive support from reading instructors. In case study sections, leaders share specifics about the reading block class design including staffing and teacher support, and provide insights and examples of classroom implementation. Particularly compelling are the "Student Voice: Stories of Impact" and "Outcomes" sections which feature student sharing their experiences with the reading class and leaders reflecting on results.
Tomball ISD RBL Case Study Featuring K-2 Reading at Wildwood & Rosehill Elementary Schools (June 2023). This case study shares insights about a large-scale effort to transform K-2 reading classrooms to blended learning across five campuses. It highlights the strong partnership developed between the Digital Learning, and Curriculum and Instruction Departments to lead the effort and build specific district supports to onboard hundreds of educators and additional new campuses. Further, the case study presents interviews with principals, campus leaders and teachers who share key learnings related to shifts in mindsets, instructional materials and practices to a blended learning approach as they deliberately pursue improvements in reading outcomes. Two elementary schools are spotlighted, one of which is a two way dual-language campus.
Harlingen CISD RBL Case Study Featuring 2nd Grade Reading at Bowie Elementary (July 2022). This case study provides an overview of a district and campus focused on improving K-2 reading outcomes and progress made working at the intersection of the science of teaching reading (STR) and blended learning pedagogy. The principal credits a combination of implementing district curricula on foundational reading skills with fidelity, and offering personalized practice activities as "game changing" for student outcomes. Further, the teachers and principal speak about shifts in data tools and practices, and the power of leveraging student goal setting and progress monitoring to create student-driven classroom cultures. The "Instructional Elements of the Student Experience" and "Blended Zones in Action" sections provide insights on core instructional elements and present a short student interview about the work undertaken in each "Blended Zone" (station).
RBL participants are invited to visit blended learning campuses to "see" blended learning strategies in action. Showcase visits offered throughout the year provide an opportunity to see blended learning strategies in action and reflect on how these strategies may be implemented in your own context. Here is a link to the 2023-24 Showcase Visit registration page.
Texas Centers for Blended Learning, Regional Service Centers Convening
ESC Participation - RBL Celebration & Strategy Workshop
Texas Centers for Blended Learning, Regional Service Centers Meeting
Harlingen CISD Showcase: Post Visit Session
Part 1: Collaborative Reflections: Discuss common themes & capture your collective thinking on the collaborative copy below:
Part 2: Individual or Team Planning: Capture your next steps (make a copy or use printed version)