Dear Innovators,

As we move into the spring semester, our work continues to center on alignment, data-informed instruction, and preparing our students to perform at their highest level.

This month’s newsletter includes several important instructional artifacts, including the RLA and Math AIA data spotlights. These artifacts provide valuable insight into where our students are excelling and where additional instructional focus will make the greatest impact.

Our RLA performance held strong, reflecting the consistent focus on reading comprehension, text analysis, and writing strategies across campuses. This stability is a testament to the intentional planning and instructional rigor that our teachers bring to the classroom each day.

In Math, however, we saw a few dips in performance. While this is not uncommon during this phase of the year, it provides us with a clear opportunity to respond strategically. The AIA data should be used intentionally to identify gaps, misconceptions, and specific intervention needs for students. Targeted small-group instruction and focused practice will be key as we move forward.

We are now entering the SIP and STAAR preparation phase, which means our instructional priorities should be tightly aligned with STAAR readiness.

Because of this important work, we will not hold an alignment meeting in March. Instead, we want to provide cohorts and teachers with the time and space needed to focus fully on STAAR preparation and student readiness.

As you prepare your students, consider the following strategies to strengthen STAAR performance, particularly for our advanced learners:

STAAR Preparation Strategies for Advanced Students

• Incorporate STAAR-like questions regularly using resources such as Lead4ward to ensure students are practicing with the rigor and format they will encounter on the assessment.

• Tighten ECR (Extended Constructed Response) strategies by reinforcing strong written responses that include clear claims, text evidence, and thoughtful explanations.

• Model high-quality responses so students can see what mastery-level writing and reasoning look like.

• Encourage students to annotate and break down prompts before answering to ensure they fully address the question.

• Use small-group instruction to reteach targeted skills identified through AIA data.

Our advanced students thrive when expectations remain high and instruction remains purposeful.

Most importantly, thank you for the work you continue to do every day. The planning, differentiation, and commitment required to support advanced learners is significant, and your dedication does not go unnoticed. As we move deeper into this testing season, let’s remain focused, strategic, and confident in the work ahead. Together, we are continuing to build scholars who think critically, write powerfully, and approach every challenge with confidence.

— Ms. Harris & Mr. Hare