workshops for leaders and teachers

developing comprehension and writing responses across content areas – request PD

audience: content teachers, campus leaders and district leaders (3-12)

 

Is student comprehension affecting academic learning? Are students struggling to effectively respond in writing to what they’ve learned? Writing responses rely on both students’ comprehension and the skills to articulate answers in their own words, demonstrating their understanding of the content. Discovering and implementing effective strategies to help our students become strategic readers, capable of writing about what they learn, is essential across all content areas. Providing a structured approach to learning ensures that students have a repeatable process they can use to comprehend and respond in any content area!

 

what you’ll learn:

  • tools and strategies to support comprehension using multiple modes of content delivery
  • proven routines for accessing and comprehending content
  • a process for effectively responding to learning through writing (short-constructed response)

 

your solution for:

  • improving comprehension and short-constructed response skills that support student learning and success in all subjects
  • providing a structure for learning content so the practice and application are successful

 

engaging learners – request PD

audience: leaders and teachers

 

How can we promote engaging, dynamic, differentiated instruction with minimal teacher preparation and maximum results? With lead4ward’s low-prep/high-yield instructional resources!

 

Move from teacher-centered instruction with passive, bored students to exciting, engaging instruction where students move, do the talking, comprehend content, correct mistakes, and deepen connections. Get ready to move, interact, and have lots of fun as we rehearse activities that engage students to learn academic vocabulary, analyze complex visuals, comprehend difficult text, and THINK! TALK! WRITE! You’ll be able to use the strategies we practice in the session with students the very next day!

 

what you’ll learn:

  • how to use lead4ward’s instructional resources as enhancements and complements to district curriculum and HQIMs
  • how to proactively address classroom management issues as instruction becomes more student-directed
  • how to connect engaging instruction to teacher evaluation rubrics such as T-TESS
  • how to promote engagement through lead4ward’s four instructional resources:
    • instructional strategies playlist
    • quickchecks
    • think it up questions for teachers
    • thinking stems for students

 

your solution for:

  • increasing student achievement through active engagement
  • building teacher capacity
  • improving Tier 1 instruction
  • infusing engagement into direct teach, guided practice, intervention, and review

 

NOTE: customized versions for elementary, secondary, and CTE teachers available upon request

 

maximizing your lead4ward field guides – request PD

audience: teachers and leaders subscribed to the lead4ward field guides

 

This class helps teachers and leaders make the most of PLC planning time by using lead4ward field guides to unlock ideas for approaching and addressing the content and process standards.

 

what you’ll learn:

  • how to dig into the field guide components to leverage the field guide content
  • how to use the field guides to drive instructional conversations and collaboration in PLCs (we’ll practice with sample scenarios and guiding questions)
  • how to connect learning objectives to the implications for instruction
  • how to examine common misconceptions and error patterns to plan proactive instruction and intervention
  • how to use the latest and greatest features in the lead4ward field guides, including subject-specific process rubrics and instructional strategies

 

your solution for:

  • improving planning and PLC discourse while spending less time figuring out what kids need most
  • helping teachers understand the context in which each student expectation fits into the big picture, as well as the specifics that inform instruction
  • building content knowledge with explanations, stimulus identification, and essential vocabulary

 

This class can be delivered virtually or face-to-face and can be customized for the specific needs of each member district/campus. Options for customization include support for the beginning or advanced user and/or focusing on specific content areas.

classroom management: addressing apathy and anxiety (3-HS) – request PD

audience: leaders and teachers

 

Most classroom management issues are eliminated when positive relationships are a priority and when students are actively engaged in their learning, but more students than ever are demonstrating apathy and/or anxiety in the learning environment. How do we help kids care and cope?  

 

Whether you’re new to the profession, alternatively certified, or just need a classroom management refresher, this session focuses on practical tips, tools, and strategies in the four major components of classroom management:  

  • building positive relationships – how to build positive relationships with difficult or apathetic students through a classroom culture of good intentions and collaborative support  
  • addressing student behavior – how to positively and proactively address student behavior by:
    • establishing clear classroom commitments
    • implementing the S.O.S. (simplest of solutions) approach to disruptions
    • infusing engagement that keeps students interested and active
    • coaching students in practical coping strategies
  • infusing engaging instruction – how to promote successful learning and positive behavior through engaging instruction using lead4ward’s instructional strategies playlist
  • managing space and materials – how to manage space and materials efficiently and effectively as you infuse student-centered activities

 

your solution for:

  • increasing student achievement through effective classroom management
  • supporting new or alternatively certified teachers in classroom management and pedagogy
  • giving experienced educators a fresh perspective on classroom management
  • supporting teacher retention

 

access4all: ensuring access to instruction for ALL learners – request PD

audience: special educators, classroom teachers, and leaders

 

Educators have multiple resources they are expected to internalize and implement with integrity. And classrooms are increasingly diverse places, full of students with a variety of strengths and needs. What if we could find better ways to incorporate that diversity into the lesson internalization process and remove barriers to achievement for ALL learners?

 

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a framework for removing barriers to access by incorporating high-yield supports that promote understanding, engagement, and genuine evidence of learning. This framework has been found to have additional benefits to student memory, effort, and behavior. But how does it fit with our instructional resources, including our state-identified HQIMs? What is the role of the special educator? The classroom teacher?

 

This session engages special educators and classroom teachers serving diverse learners in an interactive learning experience around accessible instruction. We’ll explore options for universal accessibility within your instructional materials that ensure access to the rigor of instruction and, ultimately, support growth on STAAR.

 

participants will:

  • examine principles of universally designed instruction and how they connect with the instructional cycle
  • enhance the lesson internalization process to ensure that rigorous learning experiences meet the needs of ALL learners
  • explore options for engagement, representation, and expression that reduce barriers for diverse learners across content areas
  • practice teaching strategies that support effective classroom behavior management

lead4ward 101 – request PD

audience: leaders and teachers new to lead4ward, needing a refresher, or who support others in using lead4ward resources

 

Do you have teachers and leaders who are new to lead4ward tools and resources or need a refresher?

 

Launch your lead4ward work or renew your lead4ward focus by accessing and using lead4ward’s teacher-friendly tools, resources, and strategies to help educators focus planning, renew their sense of hope, inspire trust, and promote confidence.

 

what you’ll learn:

  • how to deeply understand the TEKS:
    • snapshots
    • teacher learning reports
    • TEKS scaffolds
    • field guides (added to class upon request)

 

  • how to target vocabulary and visuals:
    • academic vocabulary
    • IQ released item analysis tool

 

  • how to better assist students in monitoring their own comprehension:
    • student learning reports

 

  • how to engage learners through low-prep/high-yield comprehension checks, purposeful activities, and rigorous questioning:
    • instructional strategies playlist
    • quickchecks
    • think it up questions (for teachers)
    • thinking stems (for students)

 

your solution for:

  • increasing student achievement
  • identifying resources to enhance/complement district curriculum and HQIMs
  • building leader and teacher capacity and effectiveness

 

workshops for leadership teams

connect the dots for leaders: HQIMs and lead4ward – request PD
going from HOW? to WOW!

audience: campus and district instructional leaders

 

How can we use our lead4ward tools with district curriculum and instructional materials to get the most from all available resources, including state-identified HQIMs? Increasingly, educators have multiple resources they are expected to internalize, vet, and implement with integrity. When preparing Tier 1 instruction, educators must ensure instructional materials:

  • tightly align with the TEKS and STAAR
  • prioritize high-impact concepts and skills
  • enable ongoing progress monitoring and reflection
  • provide universal access for diverse learners
  • offer opportunities for:
    • student engagement and collaboration
    • comprehension
    • oral and written communication
    • rigorous thinking and application of learning
    • real-world connections and multiple representations
    • options for loopback

 

In this session, we’ll explore how your lead4ward tools can help you think through these considerations and enhance your instructional materials. While instructional materials provide support to address challenges such as scarce planning time and varied levels of teacher content knowledge or experience, they can be enriched for maximum alignment with the standards, student engagement, and learning! Together, we can improve instructional delivery that takes us from HOW? to WOW!

 

staar4ward for leaders: data to action (3-EOC) – request PD

audience: leadership teams (principal, assistant principals, instructional coaches, and teacher leaders)

 

What are we learning from STAAR 2.0 … and how can we use the data and lead4ward tools to strategically inform our instructional leadership? Let’s thoughtfully analyze released items, frequency distribution, and statewide and local performance data to discover practical insights and identify actionable takeaways!

 

In this session, we’ll:

  • explore lessons learned from the redesigned STAAR tests
  • model and rehearse specific strategies that directly support the cognitive demands of the new item types, including:
    • unpacking and clarifying the question/prompt
    • making connections and layered thinking
    • effectively engaging with vocabulary
    • building fluency and flexibility with stimuli
    • responding to open-ended items such as constructed response, equation editor, text entry, fraction model, graphing, and number line
    • comprehending text, various item types, and visuals

 

Through engaging and structured activities, we’ll use a variety of data to determine the implications of STAAR 2.0 and our priorities for effective instruction that target growth, student thinking, and engagement. Together, we’ll connect the lessons we can glean from the data so we know where to take action!

 

leading intentional intervention (3-HS) – request PD

audience: leadership teams (principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, and teacher leaders)

 

Campuses accommodate a wide range of student abilities in their classrooms, and teachers need structures and strategies to meet their unique learning needs. We’ll examine how to lead teachers in supporting instruction and intervention through the lens of both process and content and by prioritizing high-impact curriculum standards. Whether a standard needs loopback for all, intervention for a few, or supplemental instruction for HB 1416 (formerly HB 4545), the lead4ward Think Along Plan will assist educators in leading intervention that promotes student competence and confidence! We’ll explore and refine structures that create data analysis and intervention opportunities that teachers can truly manage. We’ll also make connections to supplemental instruction requirements as outlined in HB 1416 by leveraging lead4ward tools and strategies to inform this specific intervention need through planning with renewed intention.

 

what you’ll learn:

  • how data can inform the type of intervention needed: for all, for some, or for a few
  • ideas for how we can streamline the intervention processes and routines for whole group, small group, and supplemental instruction (HB 1416)
  • how to access and interpret the lead4ward data reports (leadership report card, teacher learning reports, quintile reports, and subcluster intervention reports)

 

your solution for:

  • building capacity to plan for instruction, intervention, and supplemental instruction using STAAR and local data
  • improving “first teach” as an intervention prevention
  • addressing intervention for all, for some, and for a few
  • addressing HB 1416
  • having manageable and strategic ways to respond when kids don’t get it

 

being the leader your new teachers need – request PD

audience: leaders supporting new teachers

 

Leaders know that hiring and retaining high-quality teachers is extremely important. Leaders also know that the demands on an early-to-career teacher can make this an especially difficult endeavor. Equally challenging can be establishing the right mindset, priorities, expectations, and support to develop effective, committed, and confident teachers. So how do we become the leaders our new teachers want and need?

 

New teachers have specific needs. They also bring much-needed energy, enthusiasm, and fresh ideas to the campus and classroom. An intentional and supportive leader can make the difference between success and frustration for early-to-career teachers. During this class, we’ll explore what new teachers need from an effective leader and how to prioritize support for two essential goals for new teachers, making the first years on your campus the first of many successful years to come!

 

inspiring action: the principal’s role in the PLC – request PD
creating a leadership pipeline

audience: principals and their leadership teams

 

As a principal, it’s essential to define your role in campus communities, drive instructional priorities, and model and maintain focus on those priorities. Additionally, our high-paced world of school leadership requires concrete ways to build a team that is prepared and ready to assume leadership roles. By creating a leadership pipeline, we can establish a solid, internal leadership foundation that is able to maintain momentum and resilience despite changes and turnover in schools.

 

In this session, we’ll:

  • identify the principal’s role in the learning community
  • learn effective ways to lead in the moment and anchor in the pillars of purpose, people, and process
  • examine characteristics of high-performing schools
  • explore how lead4ward’s Leadership Field Guide can support leaders in choosing short-term focus areas, creating personalized plans of action, and routinely monitoring progress
  • share ideas for developing the skills of a leadership team and ensuring that teachers have agency in their own classrooms
  • discuss the journey from schoolhouse to professional learning community
  • determine an action plan for leading4ward!

 

accountability for leaders – request PD

audience: district and campus leaders

 

The A-F Accountability system was first implemented in 2017-18. Under state law, the Commissioner of Education is required to periodically review the A-F Accountability system indicators to ensure that the system: continuously improves student performance; eliminates achievement gaps based on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status; and ensures that Texas is a national leader in preparing students for postsecondary success. In the 2023 Accountability Manual, the Commissioner adopted a number of changes that are intended to be stable for the next several years. This session is designed to help district and campus leaders make sense of those changes and better understand the construct of the A-F Accountability system so that they can more effectively connect accountability to successful instructional practices.

 

what you’ll learn:

  • understand the data measures included in the A-F Accountability system
  • connect accountability data measures to instruction – to the benefit of teachers and students
  • up-to-date information as it is released by TEA

 

your solution for:

  • understanding the indicators and data measures included in the A-F Accountability system
  • interpreting and taking action based on the intentional design of the system

review for leaders – request PD

audience: leadership teams of tested grades (principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, and teacher leaders)

 

STAAR has upgraded, and so has review! We’ll anchor on the tried and true 10-day review framework AND focus on how to motivate students to engage with high-impact content. We’ll combine prioritized student thinking with strategies essential for success on STAAR 2.0 and use lead4ward resources to promote success on all item types – including the new ones!

 

Leaders will learn how to:

  • focus review on high-impact TEKS clusters and STAAR 2.0 instructional priorities
  • engage and energize learners with meaningful practices and strategies
  • rehearse a planning process focused on stimulus, engagement, thinking, and transfer
  • provide the resources to plan a 10-day review

 

Also available for special education, literacy, math, science, and social studies!

 

leadership year-long services

leader link – learn more

audience: principal and leadership team (assistant principals, instructional coaches, and teacher leaders)

 

Principals, are you looking for effective, concrete ways to develop your leadership teams, including teacher leaders?

As principals, we are working in an ecosystem that is fast-paced and are expected to be the instructional leader, campus manager, daily problem solver, and everything in between! By creating a leadership pipeline, we can establish a solid, internal leadership foundation that is able to maintain momentum and resilience despite changes and turnover in schools.

 

The leader link year-long membership service is comprised of short, actionable learning videos paired with lead4ward support and check-ins to help leaders grow their teams. For the principal, these videos are about transforming into a leader of leaders. Taking the time to teach emerging leaders how to lead will create a school culture of agency and empowerment for those who lead instruction every day. Leadership teams will learn ways to communicate purpose through all conversations, ask questions that empower people, and create sustainable school processes to become confident problem solvers and decision-makers as they learn from and with each other.

 

The campus leadership videos are grounded in 8 simple, yet powerful, leadership moves* designed
to help the principal and leadership team confidently LEAD instruction.

 

Pre-recorded learning video topics

  • the principal’s pause: don’t answer all the questions, don’t fix all the problems
  • if not you, then who? reimagining the leadership team
  • forget the norms: create purpose and commitments
  • questions are > than the answers: listen and be present
  • leveraging data: analysis to action
  • prepare for shocktober: creating time and space for teaching and learning
  • let the teachers lead: planning for instruction
  • be bold. be clear. be kind: learning to communicate with candor

Live check-in topics

  • you don’t have to change everything to change everything
  • what do I want to do more of this year?
  • ask a kid, ask a new teacher!
  

 

*Leadership “moves” are aligned with the Texas Principal Standards, Effective Schools Framework, and T-PESS domains.

 

leadership coaching – learn more

audience: district and campus leaders

 

The lead4ward leadership coaching model is designed to increase the principal’s confidence and competency to lead. 

 

Together, the coach and leader will work to build instructional leadership capacity by:
  • identifying, leveraging, and building on the principal’s strengths
  • prioritizing work by creating individual and campus goals through the T-PESS domains, Texas principal competencies, and student achievement data
  • anticipating challenges to leading change
  • building the capacity of the leadership team to anchor daily work around campus and individual goals
  • planning for facilitation of productive meetings, including prioritizing and scheduling
  • role playing conversations, including those regarding employee evaluation
  • planning for difficult conversations with parents
  • celebrating the principal and campus work

 

accountability workshops

accountability for leaders – request PD

audience: district and campus leaders

 

The A-F Accountability system was first implemented in 2017-18. Under state law, the Commissioner of Education is required to periodically review the A-F Accountability system indicators to ensure that the system: continuously improves student performance; eliminates achievement gaps based on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status; and ensures that Texas is a national leader in preparing students for postsecondary success. In the 2023 Accountability Manual, the Commissioner adopted a number of changes that are intended to be stable for the next several years. This session is designed to help district and campus leaders make sense of those changes and better understand the construct of the A-F Accountability system so that they can more effectively connect accountability to successful instructional practices.

 

what you’ll learn:

  • understand the data measures included in the A-F Accountability system
  • connect accountability data measures to instruction – to the benefit of teachers and students
  • up-to-date information as it is released by TEA

 

your solution for:

  • understanding the indicators and data measures included in the A-F Accountability system
  • interpreting and taking action based on the intentional design of the system

accountability year-long services

accountabilityconnect – learn more

audience: district and campus leaders

 

This comprehensive, year-long district support service is designed specifically to help school leaders (at both the district and campus level) understand state and federal assessment and accountability systems – with a focus on understanding the issues that are most impactful for classroom instruction and student learning. Additionally, this support service helps members stay current on changes or developments in the areas of instruction, assessment, and accountability. A key component of accountabilityconnect is that it helps members make sense of the complexities surrounding assessment and accountability systems so that district and campus leaders can more effectively lead and support successful instructional practices. Ultimately this allows districts to connect accountability to instruction – which benefits teachers, students, staff, and the entire school community.

Why join accountabilityconnect?

During the ac24-25 service year (May 1, 2024 – April 30, 2025), member districts will receive a broad range of services and supports in the following areas:

  • Accountability System – ongoing support relating to the A-F Accountability system and the issuance of 2024 accountability ratings in August of 2024
  • Implementation of STAAR 2.0 – ongoing updates relating to the implementation of STAAR 2.0 and implications for instruction, professional development, and data analysis
  • Data Tools and Templates – ongoing development and support of data views and “think throughs” designed to assist district and campus leaders in understanding their data and identifying areas or issues for strategic planning and initiatives
  • Assessment Literacy – ongoing support designed to assist campus and district leaders in better understanding the variety of assessment tools that are available to districts (e.g., formative assessments, interim assessments, summative assessments), with a focus on maximizing the effectiveness of assessment data analysis to improve and support classroom instruction and student learning

special education workshops

re-imagining specially designed instruction – request PD

audience: special education teachers and leaders

 

The research is clear on what works in teaching students with disabilities:  specially designed instruction should be intensive, strategic, supportive of foundational skills, and focused on generalization. How do we provide proactive rather than reactive instruction for students with disabilities across settings, but particularly in the inclusive classroom?

 

This session will re-imagine specially designed instruction by introducing practical, streamlined routines that prioritize high-impact curriculum standards. These routines create opportunities to learn without disrupting classroom instruction, help us know more about what our students can do, and support meaningful progress in the TEKS and the IEP.  Through this context, we’ll begin to explore evidence-based interventions in reading language arts and math that have been found to improve student independence and learning outcomes for the diversity of students we serve. 

 

Special Educators will learn how to help students:

  • get started with rigorous content
  • build independence in learning the content
  • focus on what is important
  • apply their learning
  • make connections
  • monitor their own progress and develop self-determination

CSI (Connecting Standards to Instruction) – request PD

audience: special education teachers and leaders

 

Sometimes IEP goals feel disconnected from the curriculum, the classroom, and Tier 1 instruction. How can we ensure that the plan that we develop for students with disabilities truly provides access to enrolled grade-level curriculum and allows for meaningful progress in the standards that matter the most?

 

Join us as we start the journey to re-imagine the IEP development process with tools and strategies that help us better understand and leverage our students’ strengths in the aligned curriculum. We’ll explore a collaborative data-gathering process that not only develops an effective PLAAFP but also informs instruction in real time to support growth. Finally, we’ll learn about the standards to consider first when developing IEP goals: the highest impact process standards and long-strand content standards (standards that build across grade levels and have relevance in future learning and in life). These aligned standards target the thinking and content that students need in the classroom, on STAAR, and in life.

 

Participants will:

  • learn the structure and design of the TEKS and their role in specially designed instruction and goal development
  • identify high-impact process and long-strand content standards to inform the decision-making process
  • explore an effective, informed, simple PLAAFP development process that focuses on involvement and progress in the general education curriculum
  • practice teaching strategies that support cooperation, participation, and engagement in learning for students with IEPs

 

IEP2action – request PD

audience: special education teachers and leaders

(CSI is a recommended pre-requisite)

 

We’ll build on the foundations developed in CSI (Connecting Standards to Instruction) by further exploring the high-impact process and long-strand content standards (standards that build across grade levels and have relevance in future learning and in life) that will provide students with disabilities multiple access points to the rigor of the curriculum. We’ll practice a goal-writing process that aligns student needs with high-impact standards and considers the supports needed to promote meaningful growth in grade-level instruction. Participants will leave with a strategy for IEP development that promotes meaningful progress over time.

 

Participants will:

  • learn how the structure and design of the TEKS can be leveraged to strategically develop ambitious yet achievable IEP goals
  • use an informed decision-making process to select high-impact standards and create IEP goals and objectives
  • examine low-prep, progress-monitoring models to support IEP goals and inform PLAAFP statements
  • practice teaching strategies that support cooperation, participation, and engagement in learning for students with IEPs

access4all: ensuring access to instruction for ALL learners – request PD

audience: special educators, classroom teachers, and leaders

 

Educators have multiple resources they are expected to internalize and implement with integrity. And classrooms are increasingly diverse places, full of students with a variety of strengths and needs. What if we could find better ways to incorporate that diversity into the lesson internalization process and remove barriers to achievement for ALL learners?

 

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a framework for removing barriers to access by incorporating high-yield supports that promote understanding, engagement, and genuine evidence of learning. This framework has been found to have additional benefits to student memory, effort, and behavior. But how does it fit with our instructional resources, including our state-identified HQIMs? What is the role of the special educator? The classroom teacher?

 

This session engages special educators and classroom teachers serving diverse learners in an interactive learning experience around accessible instruction. We’ll explore options for universal accessibility within your instructional materials that ensure access to the rigor of instruction and, ultimately, support growth on STAAR.

 

participants will:

  • examine principles of universally designed instruction and how they connect with the instructional cycle
  • enhance the lesson internalization process to ensure that rigorous learning experiences meet the needs of ALL learners
  • explore options for engagement, representation, and expression that reduce barriers for diverse learners across content areas
  • practice teaching strategies that support effective classroom behavior management

leveraging a growth mindset to support positive student behavior and achievement – request PD

audience: special education teachers and leaders

 

How can we influence the mindset of educators and students in all settings to create an engaging and enriching classroom environment that fosters positive student behavior, cultivates willingness to take risks, and fuels remarkable student achievement?

 

In this interactive session, we’ll dive into the power of a growth mindset and its profound impact on student learning as well as the importance of educators AND students building resilience, persistence, and a love of learning. Together, we’ll explore ways to encourage struggling students to embrace challenges, learn from setbacks, and develop a belief in their abilities to grow and successfully learn. Additionally, we’ll discuss proactive approaches that foster respect, responsibility, and cooperation among students; methods to address challenges; and ways to create an inclusive learning space where every student feels valued and supported.

 

Participants will:

  • learn effective strategies that emphasize a growth mindset and establish a positive and engaging classroom culture
  • gain practical insights and lead4ward tools to create a supportive classroom environment for diverse learners
  • examine real-world case studies and success stories
  • collaborate with fellow educators to share best practices and innovative ideas
  • develop a plan of action for implementing strategies effectively in your school/classroom

 

Through actionable methods that integrate behavior management and growth mindset principles into teaching practices, we can motivate and inspire students to set and achieve personal and academic goals and establish a culture of continuous improvement and academic success!

review for special educators – request PD

audience: special education teachers and leaders

 

STAAR has upgraded, and so has review! We’ll anchor on the tried and true 10-day review framework AND focus on how to motivate students to engage with high-impact content. We’ll combine prioritized student thinking with strategies essential for success on STAAR 2.0 and use lead4ward resources to promote success on all item types – including the new ones!

 

Special educators in inclusive settings will learn how to:

  • prioritize content and vocabulary for review geared toward students with disabilities
  • turn effective learning strategies into allowable designated supports
  • incorporate supplemental aids throughout the review process
  • meaningfully collaborate with classroom teaching partners

 

 

special education year-long services

special education ePLC – learn more

audience: special educators who are new to profession or new to special education in resource and/or inclusion settings Grades 3-12

 

What is the Special Education ePLC?

Special educators have a complex job – they serve in multiple roles as teacher, consultant, case manager, and often as supervisor. Due to the steep learning curve, many new special educators report feeling overwhelmed and under supported. And a quarter of them leave within their first three years. First-year special educators who participate in a comprehensive induction program are half as likely to leave the field and report feeling more capable and successful.

 

This year-long service provides ongoing professional learning as part of your comprehensive induction program for special educators in their first three years of practice. Building confidence and competence, it supports new teachers through a learning community – a space to unpack common challenges, reflect on effective practices, and grow as educators.

 

NEW this year is a strand of videos designed to support cooperation and participation with students with IEPs. Learn tips, tools, and strategies to manage behavior and create routines and structures that promote student success!

 

Membership includes:

  • 8 pre-recorded learning videos in the instruction and IEP strand
  • 4 pre-recorded videos in the behavior strand
  • 2 live check-ins with Kathy
  • virtual collaboration opportunities
  • telephone and email support
  • video library
  • resources

 

inclusion academy – learn more

audience: leaders, special educators, general education teachers, and classroom teaching partners

 

What is inclusion? And why does the research say it works, yet we struggle to implement it effectively?

Classrooms are diverse places, full of students with a variety of strengths and needs. What if we begin to think about inclusion as a process to find better ways to respond to that diversity and to remove barriers to participation and achievement for ALL learners? Let’s create classrooms where teachers feel confident anticipating the barriers to learning instead of responding to them after the fact; classrooms in which the special educator can focus on prioritized areas of need to support students with disabilities in making substantive, meaningful progress in grade-level TEKS.

 

Academy Outcomes:

  • Common resources and language to promote collaboration
  • Implementation of intentional, focused instructional routines prioritizing high-impact standards and concepts
  • Planning strategies that proactively support diverse learners
  • Intentional, student-directed goal setting and self-monitoring
  • Development of goals for long-term growth in inclusive instruction

 

literacy workshops

connect the dots in literacy: HQIMs and lead4ward – request PD
going from HOW? to WOW!

audience: K-HS literacy teachers and leaders

 

How can we use our lead4ward tools with district curriculum and literacy instructional materials to get the most from all available resources, including state-identified HQIMs? Increasingly, educators have multiple resources they are expected to internalize, vet, and implement with integrity. When preparing Tier 1 instruction, educators must ensure instructional materials:

  • tightly align with the TEKS and STAAR
  • enable ongoing progress monitoring and reflection
  • provide universal access for all learners
  • support transfer of learning from instruction to STAAR and local assessments

 

In this session, we’ll explore how instructional materials can be built upon and enriched to provide opportunities for:

  • student engagement and collaboration
  • vocabulary development and reading comprehension
  • oral and written response
  • critical thinking and application of learning
  • cross-curricular and real-world connections

 

Let’s connect the dots in literacy by using lead4ward tools to support and enhance your instructional materials. Together, we can improve instructional delivery that takes us from HOW? to WOW!

 

staar4ward for literacy: items to action (3-EOC) – request PD

audience: literacy teachers and leaders

 

What are we learning from STAAR 2.0 … and how can we use the released items to drive effective Tier 1 instruction in the literacy classroom? Let’s analyze released items, frequency distribution, and statewide performance data to discover practical insights and identify actionable takeaways!

 

In this session, we’ll model and apply specific strategies that support the cognitive demands of the new item types, including:

  • comprehending texts using layered thinking
  • unpacking and clarifying the question/prompt
  • synthesizing information to create new understanding
  • using formal and informal writing to monitor and assess comprehension
  • building fluency and practicing with vocabulary
  • responding to open-ended items such as text entry, short constructed response, and extended constructed response

 

Through engaging and structured activities, we’ll determine the implications of STAAR 2.0 and our priorities for effective literacy instruction that target student growth, thinking, and engagement!

 

thinking trails: the write STAARt in literacy (3-EOC) – request PD

 

audience: literacy teachers and leaders

 

How can we harness the power of writing to help students engage more deeply with texts? STAAR 2.0 emphasizes the undeniable connection between writing and comprehension, and this session explores that relationship to assess and support students’ understanding of whatever they read, hear, or view. We’ll offer practical insights, effective strategies, and actionable takeaways that improve learning outcomes for all students. Let’s strengthen students’ competence and confidence through written trails that show their thinking and comprehension!

 

In this session, literacy teachers and leaders will learn how to:

  • use constructed response as an assessment tool to gauge comprehension
  • integrate reading and writing effectively to deepen understanding
  • design writing experiences that boost critical thinking and response skills

 

bridging language and literacy for emergent bilinguals – request PD

audience: literacy leaders, coaches, and teachers

 

How can we leverage instructional strategies to develop language among emergent bilingual students while fostering a learning environment where they can thrive academically?

 

We’ll explore an integrated approach that bridges language and literacy through intentional content delivery. Together, we’ll examine essential elements such as second language acquisition, diversified support, and culturally and linguistically sustaining practices and tools that support the linguistic, cognitive, and affective needs of bilingual learners. By deepening students’ understanding of texts, developing their written expression, and honing their unique abilities to pull from multiple languages, we empower them to reach their full potential.

 

The session will include:

  • engaging lead4ward strategies and tools that integrate authentic reading and reflective writing experiences and connect language and literacy through listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking
  • ways to navigate the complexities of language development and cultivate an inclusive learning environment
  • scaffolds that provide access to grade-level curriculum
  • connections across languages for effective second language acquisition

 

Through the power of language development, we can unlock the incredible strengths that emergent bilinguals hold and help students succeed in every aspect of their lives!

 

literacy foundations: navigating depth and complexity in the RLA standards – request PD

audience: literacy teachers and leaders

 

Do we truly understand the reading language arts standards? Do we have a clear understanding of what students need to be able to know and do? Do we know how to teach reading and writing in ways that students can comprehend and transfer their skills across content areas?

 

In this session, we’ll navigate the depth and complexity of the RLA standards with a guided TEKS analysis. We’ll use lead4ward’s snapshot, field guide, and other resources to organize our thinking, better understand the standards, and see how the standards fit together. With a comprehensive understanding of the RLA TEKS, educators will have a solid foundation for planning and delivering literacy instruction that meets the needs of all learners.

 

your solution for:

  • understanding the reading language arts standards
  • understanding the knowledge and skill progressions and complexities within and across grade levels
  • scaffolding and enriching integrated reading and writing instruction
  • planning and delivering learning experiences that develop social and academic language skills

 

review for literacy – request PD

audience: literacy teachers and leaders

 

STAAR has upgraded, and so has review! We’ll anchor on the tried and true 10-day review framework AND focus on how to motivate students to engage with high-impact content. We’ll combine prioritized student thinking with strategies essential for success on STAAR 2.0 and use lead4ward resources to promote success on all item types – including the new ones!

 

Literacy teachers will learn how to:

  • focus review on high-impact TEKS clusters and STAAR 2.0 instructional priorities
  • engage and energize learners with meaningful practices and strategies
  • rehearse a planning process focused on stimulus, engagement, thinking, and transfer
  • provide the resources to plan a 10-day review

 

literacy year-long services

literacy academy (3-5) or (6-HS) – learn more

audience: literacy teachers and leaders

 

The lead4ward Literacy Academy engages educators in interactive, standards-based learning to strengthen their literacy practices. The Academy includes yearlong support through four (4) face-to-face professional development sessions, virtual support, and optional instructional coaching. Using a learn-practice-reflect model, educators gain the confidence and competence to set in motion meaningful change to improve outcomes for all students. Hands-on practice, collaboration, and resources empower educators with the knowledge and skills to elevate teaching and allow learning to continue beyond the academy.

 

Essential Components and Outcomes

  • Reading Language Arts TEKS analysis – establishing clear learning objectives and outcomes
  • Effective lesson planning – aligning standards, instruction, and assessment
  • High-impact instructional routines and strategies – engaging learners, developing critical thinkers, and inspiring writers
  • Reading and writing integration – prioritizing reading comprehension and writing proficiency

 

Year-Long Support:

  • Face-to-face/virtual sessions (dispersed based on campus/district needs)
  • Instructional coaching
  • Classroom support
  • Online literacy community

 

literacy ePLC – learn more

audience: 3-EOC reading language arts teachers and leaders

 

What is the Literacy ePLC?

lead4ward is passionate about empowering educators to cultivate strong writers through the power of reading. That’s why our Literacy ePLC puts a spotlight on the critical connection between reading and writing skills. With a year-long blended learning support system, educators can take a focused and purposeful approach to literacy instruction that yields real results. But it’s not just about illuminating the writing process – we’re all about equipping educators with practical strategies to help students develop their skills as readers and writers. After all, literacy is the cornerstone of success in all areas of life.

 

Through our Literacy ePLC, we help educators navigate the complexities of literacy instruction with confidence. By deepening students’ understanding of texts, developing their writing skills, and honing their unique voices and craft, we empower them to reach their full potential. So, let’s work together to unlock the power of literacy and help students succeed in every aspect of their lives. With the right tools and strategies, anything is possible!

 

The support will include, but is not limited to, the following:

  • self-paced learning videos
  • live discussion boards
  • monthly Fireside Chats via Zoom
  • instruction and assessment resources
  • telephone and email support

 

math workshops

connect the dots in math: HQIMs and lead4ward (K-HS) – request PD
going from HOW? to WOW!

audience: math teachers and leaders

 

How can we use our lead4ward tools with district curriculum and math instructional materials to get the most from all available resources, including state-identified HQIMs? Increasingly, educators have multiple resources they are expected to internalize, vet, and implement with integrity. When preparing Tier 1 instruction, educators must ensure instructional materials:

  • tightly align with the TEKS and STAAR
  • prioritize high-impact concepts and skills
  • enable ongoing progress monitoring and reflection
  • provide universal access for all learners
  • support transfer of learning from instruction to STAAR and local assessments
  • offer opportunities for:
    • student engagement and collaboration
    • comprehension
    • oral and written communication
    • rigorous thinking and application of learning
    • real-world connections and multiple representations
    • options for loopback

 

In this session, we’ll explore how your lead4ward tools can help you think through these considerations and enhance your instructional materials. While instructional materials provide support to address challenges such as scarce planning time and varied levels of teacher content knowledge or experience, they can be enriched for maximum alignment with the standards, student engagement, and learning! Together, we can improve instructional delivery in math that takes us from HOW? to WOW!

 

staar4ward for math: items to action (3-EOC) – request PD

audience: math teachers and leaders

 

What are we learning from STAAR 2.0 … and how can we use the released items to drive effective Tier 1 math instruction? Let’s thoughtfully analyze released items, frequency distribution, and statewide performance data to discover practical insights and identify actionable takeaways!

 

In this session, we’ll:

  • explore lessons learned from the redesigned STAAR tests
  • model and rehearse specific strategies that directly support the cognitive demands of the new item types, including:
    • unpacking and clarifying the question/prompt
    • making connections and layered thinking
    • effectively engaging with vocabulary
    • building fluency and flexibility with stimuli
    • responding to open-ended items such as equation editor, text entry, graphing, number line, and fraction model
    • comprehending text, various item types, and visuals

 

Through engaging and structured activities, we’ll determine the implications of STAAR 2.0 and our priorities for effective math instruction that target growth, student thinking, and engagement!

 

review for math – request PD

audience: math teachers and leaders

 

STAAR has upgraded, and so has review! We’ll anchor on the tried and true 10-day review framework AND focus on how to motivate students to engage with high-impact content. We’ll combine prioritized student thinking with strategies essential for success on STAAR 2.0 and use lead4ward resources to promote success on all item types – including the new ones!

 

Math teachers will learn how to:

  • focus review on high-impact TEKS clusters and STAAR 2.0 instructional priorities
  • engage and energize learners with meaningful practices and strategies
  • rehearse a planning process focused on stimulus, engagement, thinking, and transfer
  • provide the resources to plan a 10-day review

 

 

math year-long services

math academy – learn more

audience: K-5 math educators

 

What is the Math Academy?

The lead4ward Math Academy provides a strategically paced learning and support system for K-5 math educators throughout the year (4 days total). The Academy includes face-to-face and virtual professional learning that leads teachers and leaders through a deep dive into the K-5 math standards, vertical alignment, and student engagement strategies designed to support students in increased mathematical fluency, independent thinking, and confident problem-solving.

 

The lead4ward Math Academy uses an integrated approach that emphasizes:

  • how to maximize district/campus instructional materials and lead4ward resources in planning
  • effective instructional practices
  • small group instruction and interventions for all levels of learners
  • student engagement and transfer
  • common language to promote collaboration

 

The lead4ward Math Academy content-specific support includes:

  • developing number sense and fluency
  • practicing addition and subtraction with whole and rational numbers
  • building multiplicative reasoning in every grade level

 

The lead4ward Math Academy yearlong support includes:

  • 4 face-to-face and/or virtual sessions for K-5 math teachers and leaders (dispersed based on campus/district needs)
  • timely state/legislative math updates
  • online math community

 

math ePLCs – learn more

audience: Elementary: 3-5 math teachers and leaders | Middle School: 6-8 math teachers and leaders | High School: Algebra I teachers and leaders

 

What are the Math ePLCs?

Math ePLCs provide a springboard to both ignite and support collaborative team discussions prior to planning instruction. Leaders, instructional coaches, and teachers will gain valuable insight into the specificities needed for rich Tier 1 instructional planning. Also, the Math ePLC is a great tool for the self-contained teacher (who might plan in isolation) to receive targeted background information and critical implications for instruction.

 

How can the Math ePLC pre-recorded learning videos help me?

  • addresses highly tested TEKS Clusters
  • embeds stimuli, vocabulary, and best strategic approaches for instruction
  • includes prior knowledge for grade-level entry points and vertical alignment
  • addresses common misconceptions through item analysis for highly tested interesting items
  • includes opportunities to pause and collaboratively discuss and/or reflect

 

What’s available?

  • elementary, middle school, and high school options
  • highly tested TEKS Clusters
  • 2 pre-recorded learning videos per TEKS Cluster
    • scaffold video (15 minutes)
    • released test video (about 15 minutes)

 

NEW for 2024-25:

  • Algebra 1 videos for Linear Functions
  • Networking opportunities with other districts across Texas, including exclusive collaborative opportunities
  • Virtual check-in opportunities with our math consultant (one fall and one spring)
  • Lessons learned from STAAR 2.0 videos for grade bands 3-5, 6-8, and Algebra 1

math support products

mathmark – math activities that reach kids – learn more

lead4ward is excited to introduce you to our newest instructional math resource for teachers – mathmark!

 

mathmark is a subscription-based math tool that includes instructional activities and resources aligned to key concepts and topics (TEKS Clusters) for Grades 3–8. Designed for direct support in classroom instruction, mathmark integrates popular content from the previous TeachTransform product line with newly developed instructional activities for targeted TEKS Clusters.

 

Once purchased, teachers will have access to mathmark content through the lead4ward dashboard. As a subscription-based tool, mathmark will grow and evolve over time – adapting to changing state standards and assessment expectations.

 

View a sample!

science workshops

bringing the new science TEKS into focus (K-12) – request PD

audience: science teachers and leaders

 

The new science TEKS standards will be in effect for the 2024-25 school year. What changes have been made, and how will they impact instruction and student learning? How do teachers decide which lessons/activities are worth keeping, need tweaking, or should be thrown out altogether? What movement across and within grade levels affects potential learning gaps? These are just some of the new issues facing Texas science educators, but we can begin to prepare for them now!

 

your solution for:

  • determining instructional impacts that will occur this year as well as down the road
  • comparing and understanding content and cognitive changes with the help of the lead4ward side-by-side resource
  • exploring the shifting focus on scientific literacy and critical thinking
  • identifying and managing the gaps that will be created by moving standards
  • examining the new Scientific and Engineering Practices and Recurring Themes and Concepts in the K-12 Framework and how to connect these to content to support student learning

connect the dots in science: HQIMs and lead4ward (K-HS) – request PD
going from HOW? to WOW!

audience: science teachers and leaders

 

How can we use our lead4ward tools with district curriculum and science instructional materials to get the most from all available resources. Increasingly, educators have multiple resources they are expected to select from, vet, and utilize. When preparing Tier 1 instruction, educators must ensure instructional materials:

  • tightly align with the TEKS and STAAR
  • prioritize high-impact concepts and skills
  • enable ongoing progress monitoring and reflection
  • provide universal access for all learners
  • support transfer of learning from instruction to STAAR and local assessments
  • offer opportunities for:
    • student engagement and collaboration
    • comprehension
    • oral and written communication
    • rigorous thinking and application of learning
    • real-world connections and multiple representations
    • options for loopback

 

In this session, we’ll explore how your lead4ward tools can help you think through these considerations and enhance your instructional materials. While instructional materials provide support to address challenges such as scarce planning time and varied levels of teacher content knowledge or experience, they can be enriched for maximum alignment with the standards, student engagement, and learning! Together, we can improve instructional delivery in science that takes us from HOW? to WOW!

 

developing comprehension and writing responses in science (1-HS) – request PD

audience: leaders (principal and selected PLC) and teachers

 

Is student comprehension affecting academic learning? Are students struggling to effectively respond in writing to what they’ve learned? Writing responses rely on both students’ comprehension and the skills to articulate answers in their own words, demonstrating their understanding of the content. Discovering and implementing effective strategies to help our students become strategic readers, capable of writing about what they learn, is essential across all content areas. Providing a structured approach to learning ensures that students have a repeatable process they can use to comprehend and respond in any content area!

 

what you’ll learn:

  • tools and strategies to support comprehension using multiple modes of content delivery
  • proven routines for accessing and comprehending content
  • a process for effectively responding to learning through writing (short-constructed response)

 

your solution for:

  • improving comprehension and short-constructed response skills that support student learning and success in all subjects
  • providing a structure for learning content so the practice and application are successful

 

staar4ward for science: items to action (3-EOC) – request PD

audience: science teachers and leaders

 

What are we learning from STAAR 2.0 … and how can we use the released items to drive effective Tier 1 science instruction? Let’s thoughtfully analyze released items, frequency distribution, and statewide performance data to discover practical insights and identify actionable takeaways!

 

In this session, we’ll:

  • explore lessons learned from the redesigned STAAR tests
  • model and rehearse specific strategies that directly support the cognitive demands of the new item types, including:
    • unpacking and clarifying the question/prompt
    • making connections and layered thinking
    • effectively engaging with vocabulary
    • building fluency and flexibility with stimuli
    • responding to open-ended items such as short constructed response and text entry
    • comprehending text, various item types, and visuals

 

Through engaging and structured activities, we’ll determine the implications of STAAR 2.0 and our priorities for effective science instruction that target growth, student thinking, and engagement!

 

intervention: vocab & visuals for science (3-HS) – request PD

audience: science teachers and leaders

 

the questions:

  • How will we leverage prevention as the best intervention by maximizing Tier 1 instruction?
  • How can instruction and intervention support students to deeply analyze, discuss, and draw inferences from visuals, and learn and use academic vocabulary in science?
  • How do we evaluate and adapt content and thinking within science to support ALL learners?
  • How can we streamline the science intervention processes and routines for whole group, small group, and supplemental accelerated instruction (HB 1416)?

 

We’ll approach intervention for science through the lens of the important vocabulary and visuals by exploring ways to boost academic vocabulary instruction and flexibility for transfer by thinking and talking like scientists. We’ll re-examine how we can support instruction and intervention through the lens of process and content, prioritizing the high-impact curriculum standards through manageable and strategic ways to plan for strong Tier 1 instruction and effectively respond when kids don’t get it. Whether a standard needs loopback for all, intervention for a few, or supplemental instruction for HB 1416 (formerly HB 4545), the lead4ward Think Along Plan will assist us in planning intervention that promotes student competence and confidence!

 

Science teachers will learn how to help students:

  • engage in learning academic vocabulary
  • enhance academic discourse
  • analyze and use visuals
  • apply their learning
  • make connections
  • monitor their progress

 

review for science – request PD

audience: science teachers and leaders

 

STAAR has upgraded, and so has review! We’ll anchor on the tried and true 10-day review framework AND focus on how to motivate students to engage with high-impact content. We’ll combine prioritized student thinking with strategies essential for success on STAAR 2.0 and use lead4ward resources to promote success on all item types – including the new ones!

 

Science teachers will learn how to:

  • focus review on high-impact TEKS clusters and STAAR 2.0 instructional priorities
  • energize learners with activities that provide meaningful practice
  • rehearse a planning process focused on stimulus, engagement, thinking, and transfer
  • provide the resources to plan a 10-day review

 

 

science year-long services

science ePLC – learn more

audience: K-12 science teachers and leaders

 

Ready for the new science TEKS? We’ve got you covered!

 

It’s a great day for science education in Texas! With the new TEKS in effect this fall, science educators have an exciting opportunity to guide students through the application of science and engineering practices – skills they will need as they face a future of STEM jobs and essential scientific literacy.

 

lead4ward’s science ePLC includes the original 8 videos introducing teachers to the purpose, structure, and teaching implications of the new science TEKS:

  • Goals of the new TEKS, nature of science, and science literacy
  • Utilizing the lead4ward side-by-side resource to examine the changes in the standards and the impact on curriculum, instruction, and assessment
  • Vertical and horizontal alignment and gap analysis
  • Framework for K-12 Science Education and how it is reflected in the new standards
  • Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) and the shifting focus on scientific literacy and critical thinking
  • Recurring themes and concepts (RTCs) and cross-curricular connections
  • Science content and the shifting focus on scientific literacy and critical thinking
  • Models, phenomena, and the interconnectedness of the SEPs, RTCs, and science content to support student learning

 

for 2024-25 includes 4 new videos plus bonus content from members of the lead4ward crew as we address:

  • Using the SEPs and engaging strategies to examine scientific phenomena
  • Helping students make required math-science connections
  • Making the new science content accessible to all learners
  • How district and campus leaders can best support teachers with new TEKS implementation

 

social studies workshops

developing comprehension and writing responses in social studies (1-HS) – request PD

audience: leaders (principal and selected PLC) and teachers

 

Is student comprehension affecting academic learning? Are students struggling to effectively respond in writing to what they’ve learned? Writing responses rely on both students’ comprehension and the skills to articulate answers in their own words, demonstrating their understanding of the content. Discovering and implementing effective strategies to help our students become strategic readers, capable of writing about what they learn, is essential across all content areas. Providing a structured approach to learning ensures that students have a repeatable process they can use to comprehend and respond in any content area!

 

what you’ll learn:

  • tools and strategies to support comprehension using multiple modes of content delivery
  • proven routines for accessing and comprehending content
  • a process for effectively responding to learning through writing (short-constructed response)

 

your solution for:

  • improving comprehension and short-constructed response skills that support student learning and success in all subjects
  • providing a structure for learning content so the practice and application are successful

 

staar4ward for social studies: items to action (3-EOC) – request PD

audience: social studies teachers and leaders

 

What are we learning from STAAR 2.0 … and how can we use the released items to drive effective Tier 1 social studies instruction? Let’s thoughtfully analyze released items, frequency distribution, and statewide performance data to discover practical insights and identify actionable takeaways!

 

In this session, we’ll:

  • explore lessons learned from the redesigned STAAR tests
  • model and rehearse specific strategies that directly support the cognitive demands of the new item types, including:
    • unpacking and clarifying the question/prompt
    • making connections and layered thinking
    • effectively engaging with vocabulary
    • building fluency and flexibility with stimuli
    • responding to open-ended items such as short constructed response
    • comprehending text, primary and secondary sources, various item types, and visuals

 

Through engaging and structured activities, we’ll determine the implications of STAAR 2.0 and our priorities for effective social studies instruction that target growth, student thinking, and engagement!

 

intervention: vocab & visuals for social studies (3-HS) – request PD

audience: social studies teachers and leaders

 

the questions:

  • How will we leverage prevention as the best intervention by maximizing Tier 1 instruction?
  • How can instruction and intervention support students to deeply analyze, discuss, and draw inferences from visuals, and learn and use academic vocabulary in social studies?
  • How do we evaluate and adapt content and thinking within social studies to support ALL learners?
  • How can we streamline the social studies intervention processes and routines for whole group, small group, and supplemental accelerated instruction (HB 1416)?

 

We’ll approach intervention for social studies through the lens of the important vocabulary and visuals by exploring ways to boost academic vocabulary instruction and flexibility for transfer by thinking and talking like historians. We’ll re-examine how we can support instruction and intervention through the lens of process and content, prioritizing the high-impact curriculum standards through manageable and strategic ways to plan for strong Tier 1 instruction and effectively respond when kids don’t get it. Whether a standard needs loopback for all, intervention for a few, or supplemental instruction for HB 1416 (formerly HB 4545), the lead4ward Think Along Plan will assist us in planning intervention that promotes student competence and confidence!

 

Social studies teachers will learn how to help students:

  • engage in learning academic vocabulary
  • enhance academic discourse
  • analyze and use visuals
  • apply their learning
  • make connections
  • monitor their progress

 

review for social studies – request PD

audience: social studies teachers and leaders

 

STAAR has upgraded, and so has review! We’ll anchor on the tried and true 10-day review framework AND focus on how to motivate students to engage with high-impact content. We’ll combine prioritized student thinking with strategies essential for success on STAAR 2.0 and use lead4ward resources to promote success on all item types – including the new ones!

 

Social studies teachers will learn how to:

  • focus review on high-impact TEKS clusters and STAAR 2.0 instructional priorities
  • engage and energize learners with meaningful practices and strategies
  • rehearse a planning process focused on stimulus, engagement, thinking, and transfer
  • provide the resources to plan a 10-day review

 

social studies year-long services

socialstudies+ for 8th grade – learn more

audience: leaders, instructional coaches, and 8th grade teachers

 

Do your 8th grade social studies teachers need support?

Eighth Grade Social Studies teachers and students find the depth, breadth, and complexity of the Social Studies TEKS and revised STAAR test to be challenging. With the lack of HQIMs, updated TEKS, and new STAAR requirements, fresh approaches to professional learning and instructional practices are needed.

 

We can help.

lead4ward and Social Studies Success™ have joined forces to bring you socialstudies+ with yearlong support that addresses the challenges teachers face: the “what” and the “how”! socialstudies+ allows teachers to spend constructive time within their PLC breaking the content into manageable chunks, analyzing the data, and previewing resources that support high-quality social studies instruction. These instructional resources are designed to be implemented with lead4ward’s “Learn It, Comprehend It, Apply It” planning model.

 

socialstudies+ includes:

  • Major topics subdivided into lead4ward’s cluster/subcluster organization to encourage focus during PLC meetings
  • Two 10-15 minute learning videos for each subcluster to simplify the “what” and the “how” of quality instruction
  • lead4ward’s Grade 8 social studies field guide
  • Ready-to-implement instructional resources for each subcluster
  • Built-in differentiation to provide access for all learners
  • Vocabulary and language acquisition support for emergent bilinguals

 

social studies foundations ePLC – learn more

audience: leaders, instructional coaches, & grades 4-EOC teachers

 

The Social Studies Foundations ePLC is a great way for leaders and instructional coaches to gain valuable insight into the updated social studies TEKS as well as the intricacies of the social studies classroom and its unique blend of content and process. For classroom teachers – especially NEW teachers, the learning videos provide tangible, easy-to-implement strategies and ideas for enriching the classroom environment and process-based instruction.

 

How can we build a solid foundation of social studies thinking?

Students need tools to analyze social studies information (content standards) and the ability to effectively communicate their understanding (process standards). The updated process standards are vertically aligned from Kindergarten-EOC, and STAAR 2.0 requires students to rely on a solid foundation of social studies thinking. We need to prepare students for that level of thinking now. The Social Studies Foundations ePLC addresses the fundamentals of social studies thinking and provides strategies for student engagement.

 

The Social Studies Foundations ePLC provides a virtual learning and a support system throughout the year with 12 pre-recorded learning videos, including 3 new ones for 2024-25:

  • Overview of updated process TEKS K-12
  • Making a claim and supporting with evidence
  • Foundational language skills to engage in civil discourse

 

new to profession/district

lead4ward 101 – request PD

audience: leaders and teachers new to lead4ward, needing a refresher, or who support others in using lead4ward resources

 

Do you have teachers and leaders who are new to lead4ward tools and resources or need a refresher?

 

Launch your lead4ward work or renew your lead4ward focus by accessing and using lead4ward’s teacher-friendly tools, resources, and strategies to help educators focus planning, renew their sense of hope, inspire trust, and promote confidence.

 

what you’ll learn:

  • how to deeply understand the TEKS:
    • snapshots
    • teacher learning reports
    • TEKS scaffolds
    • field guides (added to class upon request)

 

  • how to target vocabulary and visuals:
    • academic vocabulary
    • IQ released item analysis tool

 

  • how to better assist students in monitoring their own comprehension:
    • student learning reports

 

  • how to engage learners through low-prep/high-yield comprehension checks, purposeful activities, and rigorous questioning:
    • instructional strategies playlist
    • quickchecks
    • think it up questions (for teachers)
    • thinking stems (for students)

 

your solution for:

  • increasing student achievement
  • identifying resources to enhance/complement district curriculum and HQIMs
  • building leader and teacher capacity and effectiveness

 

new teacher academy – request PD or learn more

audience: beginning teachers

 

lead4ward’s New Teacher Academy helps grow effective teachers through ongoing professional learning & support over the course of the school year.

 

topics include:

  • becoming an effective teacher
  • getting ready for the first days
  • managing the classroom environment
  • and many more!

 

view more information

 

new teacher day of learning – request PD

audience: beginning teachers

 

Helping new teachers grow and flourish is the heart of this one-day professional learning experience.

 

Teachers will work collaboratively to reflect on problems of practice common to new teachers. They will experience engaging, low-prep, high-yield instructional strategies they can apply immediately in their own classrooms. Beginning teachers will also explore the content of the First-Year Teacher Notebook: Growing Effective Teachers with a focus on:

  • setting the foundations for effective teaching practices
  • creating positive learning environments
  • engaging students in learning

 

Districts have the flexibility to customize the content of the day to meet their specific needs.

 

Required purchase per attendee: First-Year Teacher Notebook: Growing Effective Teachers

 

teacher induction and mentoring

teacher induction: training-of-trainers – request PD

audience: aspiring district induction trainers

 

Building and sustaining an effective induction program is the heart of this professional learning. Explore the necessary components of an effective induction program and learn how to build, support, and sustain one in your district. This professional learning is designed around a training-of-trainers (TOT) model and will prepare you to lead induction training in your own district.

 

The 3 day Teacher Induction TOT includes:

  • Induction overview, research and rationale, and training foundations
  • New teacher training-of-trainers
  • Mentoring and coaching training-of-trainers
  • All training materials, including: Teacher Induction binder, First-Year Teacher book, and Mentoring & Coaching book

 

view more information

mentor training – request PD

audience: aspiring district mentors

 

Mentoring is key to new teachers’ success! This two-day training explores the tools and skills needed to effectively coach and mentor new teachers. Administrators, teachers, instructional coaches, PLC leaders, and others with a heart for teaching will leave the training ready to mentor new teachers in their district and on their campus.

 

The two days of Mentor training include:

  • Day 1 – Induction overview and research and rationale
  • Day 2 – Mentoring and coaching

 

view more information

year-long services

mentoring eplc – learn more

audience: teachers, teacher teams, PLCs, instructional coaches, induction leaders, and administrators (in school districts)

 

Mentoring is key to new teachers’ success! Designed as an extension of the lead4ward mentor training, the online mentoring series explores and expands the tools and skills needed to effectively coach and mentor new teachers.  

 

This ePLC can also contribute to:

  • higher teacher retention
  • increased teacher effectiveness

 

Yearlong support through learning videos and live webinars includes:

  • second- and third-year teacher supports (bonus LIVE webinar for district leaders)
  • role of mentor, building relationships, preparing for success (recorded)
  • support during the first days of school (recorded)
  • classroom management, the role of listening, and prioritizing work (recorded)
  • managing difficult student and parent situations (recorded)
  • dealing with stress, problems of practice (LIVE webinar)
  • instructional tools and strategies (recorded)
  • problems of practice, reflections (LIVE webinar)
  • end-of-year tasks, mentor plans for next year (LIVE webinar)

 

District-level membership includes:

  • 5 pre-recorded learning videos
  • 3 live webinars
  • 1 live bonus webinar for district leaders
  • telephone and email support
  • support resources

 

new teacher ePLC – learn more

audience: new-to-profession teachers in their first, second, or third year of teaching, and other educators who would like to learn alongside new teachers

 

The new teacher ePLC includes seven thirty-minute live webinars focused on timely and relevant topics to help new teachers connect, grow, and learn. Topics are laid out to meet new teachers where they are and give them the most helpful information for that moment in time. Each session is held live at 3:45pm and 4:45pm CST on the dates listed below and will be recorded and made available on the new teacher ePLC dashboard. 

 

Yearlong Support includes 7 Live Webinars:

  • Sept. 4 – first month think-throughs (recorded)
  • Sept. 19 – positive behavior supports (live)
  • Oct. 17 – reasons for misbehavior (live)
  • Nov. 19 – managing stress (live)
  • Jan. 9 – reflect and reset (live)
  • Feb. 4 – instructional strategies (live)
  • Mar. 27 – formative assessments (live)
  • Apr. 15 – reflect, celebrate, and plan for professional learning (live)

 

Outcomes include:

  • Effective classroom management strategies
  • Engaging instructional strategies and practices
  • Understanding professional responsibilities
  • Timely problem solving and support
  • Network of new teachers in a local area
  • Increased teacher effectiveness

 

Membership includes:

  • 7 live webinars
  • telephone and email support
  • support resources

 

special education ePLC – learn more

audience: special educators who are new to profession or new to special education in resource and/or inclusion settings Grades 3-12

 

What is the Special Education ePLC?

Special educators have a complex job – they serve in multiple roles as teacher, consultant, case manager, and often as supervisor. Due to the steep learning curve, many new special educators report feeling overwhelmed and under supported. And a quarter of them leave within their first three years. First-year special educators who participate in a comprehensive induction program are half as likely to leave the field and report feeling more capable and successful.

 

This year-long service provides ongoing professional learning as part of your comprehensive induction program for special educators in their first three years of practice. Building confidence and competence, it supports new teachers through a learning community – a space to unpack common challenges, reflect on effective practices, and grow as educators.

 

NEW this year is a strand of videos designed to support cooperation and participation with students with IEPs. Learn tips, tools, and strategies to manage behavior and create routines and structures that promote student success!

 

Membership includes:

  • 8 pre-recorded learning videos in the instruction and IEP strand
  • 4 pre-recorded videos in the behavior strand
  • 2 live check-ins with Kathy
  • virtual collaboration opportunities
  • telephone and email support
  • video library
  • resources