Accelerated Learning Professional Development

Region 4 Supports Teachers

 

There is decided momentum behind the shift toward accelerated learning as a key instructional approach for mitigating the COVID-19 slide in student learning. Region 4 ESC is steadfast in its support of local education agencies as they engage their dedicated staff and students in the task of recovering learning loss. The following Region 4- highlighted resources are aligned to support and engage in acceleration efforts.

 

Region 4 supports teachers by equipping them to deliver instruction to promote expedited growth and achievement as they engage in learning acceleration efforts. Whether face-to-face, blended, or virtual, your class will always get 100 percent commitment from Region 4.

 

Each of our workshops can be customized and delivered virtually, on-site in districts/campuses, or in small-group cohorts. We observe all recommended safety precautions and will work with you to develop a custom delivery modality that works best to support your teachers and staff including blended, synchronous, and asynchronous formats.

 

Because strong instruction is the foundation of great classrooms, all sessions are designed based on TEKS alignment, adult-learning theory, best-practice research, superintendent feedback, and an annual data analysis of regional needs. We customize and align our trainings to meet your learner needs and exceed expected outcomes.

 

Learn about Region 4's professional development opportunties by subject area using the links below:

 

Accountability and Leadership	Digital Learning	Mathematics
Reading/Language Arts	Science	Social Studies

 

 

 

 

 

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Reimagine Learning: Just in Time Accelerated Learning to Support Students with Disabilities

We are proud to introduce a new Region 4 on-demand webinar series entitled Reimagine Learning: Just in Time Accelerated Learning to Support Students with Disabilities. Join us for these five content-specific 15 minute targeted, on-demand webinar sessions focusing on incorporating accelerated learning strategies along with the utilization of a Region 4 high quality, content-specific resource to help close the gap in supporting the learning of students with disabilities. There are five different webinars to choose from and participate in based on the convenience of your own schedule – take one or all of them, anytime, anywhere!

 

Upon the completion of a brief reflection at the end of each webinar, participants may sign-up to receive two Region 4 resources at no cost:

1. The Region 4 content-specific resource used during the session (see below), and
2. An Region 4 inclusive practices resource for working with diverse learners, "Inclusive Strategies for Diverse Learners, Second Edition"

 

• Mathematics   Resource: Engaging Mathematics, Volume 1 or Volume 2
• Reading   Resource: Pathways to Reading Comprehension
• Science    Resource: Warm Up to Science
• Social Studies   Resource: Warm Up to Social Studies, Grade 8
• Writing   Resource: Written Comprehension in Motion

 

For more information, please contact Dr. Kelly Ingram, Deputy Executive Director, Instructional Services, at 713.744.6372.

 

 

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Effective Schools Framework
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has created the Effective Schools Framework (ESF) to provide a clear vision for what districts and schools may do to help ensure an excellent education for all Texas students. The ESF is a continuous improvement process that identifies both large-scale and targeted practices to improve instruction and student outcomes.

Region 4 has a trained team of ESF Facilitators who can help guide districts and campuses through a detailed ESF diagnostic process. Through a progression involving evidence collection, focus group interviews, and campus observations, Region 4 works side by side with the campus principal and the principal’s supervisor to help determine key high-leverage focus areas. Collecting evidence throughout the multiple learning environments of face-to-face, remote, and hybrid is not a barrier but a critical piece of supporting both teachers and student learning during these unprecedented times.

Region 4 ESF Facilitators can help your leaders holistically determine if systems and structures of current learning systems transcend across all environments and help to identify meaningful supports and strategies for improvement.

 

For more information about utilizing an ESF diagnostic conducted by Region 4 or Texas Instructional Leadership (TIL), please contact Dolores Trevino, Director of Accountability and Leadership Solutions.

 

 

Texas Instructional Leadership

Texas Instructional Leadership is a year-long training program that includes cycles of face-to-face/virtual professional development for campus leadership teams and their principal supervisors on one of the following topics: data-driven instruction, observation/feedback, school culture routines, or lesson alignment/formative assessment.

 

During each cycle, a Region 4 TIL specialist will provide implementation support and one-on-one coaching for the principal supervisor. This model enables principal supervisors to receive ongoing, job-embedded professional development so that they can coach and support their principals with TIL implementation. TIL at Region 4 is approved by the Texas Education Agency as a Vetted School Improvement program, and it is designed to support key practices from the Effective Schools Framework. Should you be interested in learning more about TIL, please contact Alyson Schafer, Coordinator of Instructional Leadership.

 

Learn more about Region 4's professional development targeting Accountability and Leadership here.

 

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Digital Tools and Support

Need more digital tools or supports in the synchronous and asynchronous environment? Our team of digital specialists create courses designed to support you wherever you are. From learning the basics of blended learning, to getting a refresher, to better equipping your teachers with research-based digital strategies/resources/tools, our team can help you navigate the blended learning environment like a pro. We are able to support you whether you are just beginning the blended learning journey, have successfully implemented the methodology, or are anywhere in between! For more information about digital and/or instructional technology supports, please contact Dr. Allegra McGrew, Director of Publishing and Digital Learning.

 

Learn more about Region 4's professional development for Digital Learning here.

 

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Acceleration That Sticks Series

Experience interactive activities and protocols designed to help students strengthen metacognitive skills, solidify understanding of Readiness Standards, and develop mathematical identities. Explore effective tools and review strategies applicable to virtual or face-to-face instruction, supporting increased student performance on STAAR^® mathematics assessments. Topics include asset-based pre-assessment, retrieval strategies, formative assessments in secondary math, using self-assessment to motivate learning, and others. 

 

Coaching in Mathematics: Professional Learning Communities Series
Learn how to coach within a professional learning community (PLC) and create a culture of professional trust that drives success in the classroom. Participants learn to lead inclusive PLC discussions and offer feedback focused on student outcomes. The series also addresses how to develop assessments and use PLC coaching to reinforce high quality learning, intentional student practice, and feedback. Learn more and register here.

Math That Sticks Series
Explore balanced pre-assessment retrieval practices and concept development that support students in making connections and deepening understanding. Experience activities that focus on students' grade-level understanding, build on strengths, expand mathematical thinking and communication, and achieve success in a virtual or face-to-face setting. Topics include using retrieval practice to support STAAR® review, retrieval guides, building student reasoning skills, and leveraging student thinking to advance learning.

 

For information about Mathematics professional development and customized coaching, e-mail math@esc4.net.

 

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Acceleration Series
Participants learn instructional techniques that develop strong, independent readers and promote reading growth among struggling students. Each skill set developed through this series creates reading experiences that scaffold and accelerate reading growth in students. This series addresses a range of topics that includes paired reading structures, syntax and summarizing, segmenting text, fluency and word study, and understanding text complexity. Register for upcoming sessions here.

Get-N-Go Lunch Workshop
This series offers engaging, high-impact strategies to accelerate learning and foster student engagement and participation. Teachers learn guided practice within the I Do, We Do, You Do framework and are then taught how to explicitly model the framework. From these instructional techniques, students begin to build confidence as independent learners and thinkers. Request information about this series here.

 

On-Demand Sessions for Addressing Learning Gaps

On-demand sessions provide content that is aligned with needs assessment and instructional strategies to effectively address learning gaps. One form of assessment for young readers is creating running records, which are used to evaluate students’ reading behavior. The session guides participants through documenting student running records, analyzing the record for accuracy and comprehension, and selecting the most effective means of adapting instruction to meet students’ reading needs. Available sessions include:

• Taking and Analyzing Running Records
• Lesson Planning Using the Gradual Release of Responsibility
• Making Sense of the Six Syllable Types

 

Small-group reading instruction is among the strategies that become increasingly difficult with online instruction. To help teachers successfully implement in-person and online small group reading instruction with differentiation, this on-demand session helps teachers use data to target students’ needs and then leads teachers through the development of lesson plans that encompass all components of literacy.

 

 

Reading Academies: The Science of Teaching Reading
Reading Academies are perfect for learning about the science of teaching reading, how to identify gaps in reading ability, and how to respond instructionally to fill these gaps. Region 4 also has contracts available specifically on methods for remediation and offers open enrollments on topics including phonics and word identification strategies, oral language development, morphology, phonological and phonemic awareness, reading comprehension, and reading fluency. Learn more and register for these sessions here.

 

Moving from Learning Letters to Learning to Read
In alignment with the Science of Teaching Reading, this series utilizes scaffolding to develop strategies for teaching early stages of phonological awareness, strengthening alphabet knowledge and letter-sound correspondence and fostering vocabulary and language structure through storytelling, as students learn print awareness. Request information about this series here.

 

View the full professional development calendar for Region 4 Reading/Language Arts here.

 

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Science Workshops
Science workshops are designed to help teachers meet TEKS standards in innovative ways, with an emphasis on laying a strong foundation for instruction with curriculum planning. Learn how to guide instructional teams as they map curriculum, developing TEKS-aligned scope and sequence documents that inform and pace instruction. There are also workshops fully dedicated to rigorous assessment development in which participants learn how to develop blueprints, design test formats, and assess the test’s reliability and validity. As we continue schooling amid the pandemic, common science classroom activities may need to be revised. Region 4 offers a workshop on updating approaches to cooperative learning within the context of pandemic safety protocols and online learning.

 

View the full professional development calendar for Region 4 Science here. For information about customized coaching, e-mail science@esc4.net.

 

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Instructional Strategies for Social Studies
For teachers who do not feel like they have time to teach social studies with fidelity, we offer timesaving instructional strategies that align with social studies TEKS, develop content knowledge, and maximize available classroom resources.  View the full professional development calendar for Region 4 Social Studies here. For information about customized coaching, e-mail socialstudies@esc4.net.

 

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For more information about professional development opportunities at Region 4, contact the department directors by subject area:

 

Accountability and Leadership Solutions Director: Dolores Trevino 713.744.6821 dolores.trevino@esc4.net		Digital Learning Director: Allegra McGrew, Ed.D. 713.744.6839 allegra.mcgrew@esc4.net
Mathematics Solutions Director: Sharon Benson, Ed.D. 713.744.6815 sbenson@esc4.net		Reading/Language Arts Solutions Director: Jennifer Brock, Ed.D. 713.744.6355 jbrock@esc4.net
Science/Social Studies Solutions Director: Edrice Bell 713.744.6841 ebell@esc4.net		Special Education Solutions Director: Cynthia Barrett, Ph.D. 713.744.6365 cynthia.barrett@esc4.net