step up to the teks Reading and writing

All Step Up to the TEKS reading and writing products are written to address the specificity of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).  Careful consideration has been given to the verbs, concepts, and implementation methods outlined within each TEKS.  The vertical alignment has been incorporated to ensure all materials meet the level of difficulty and rigor specified for each grade level.  A Texas-based company, GF Educators takes pride in the fact that we have solely produced materials written by and for Texas teachers for more than 30 years. 


solutions for the entire teaching cycle

GF Educators' products reach far beyond the test preparation materials produced by other companies. Our products can be used throughout the entire teaching cycle for planning, instruction, review, and assessment.  By focusing only on the Texas standards (TEKS), we have developed a level of expertise that provides a unique perspective for our products.  When other publishers develop products for other states and/or the Common Core Standards, they merely adapt their materials to the TEKS. GF Educators produces all of our materials specifically for the TEKS. 



teks checklist (Updated)

Simple to use planning tool containing breakouts for every TEKS and vertical alignment 

Grades Kindergarten - English II


practice books (3-8 UPDATED)

STAAR-formatted and open-ended practice problems written to address the assessed TEKS

2nd - 8th Grade Reading

ELA I  and II Reading and Writing

4th and 7th Grade Writing


teks-tivities

Engaging activities built around the verb, concept, and method of implementation for the assessed TEKS

3rd Grade - ELA II 


power reviews

Self-contained 10-lesson review designed to review the assessed TEKS and maximize results on the STAAR

3rd Grade - ELA II 


assessment books

Two Blueprint Benchmarks and Four Reporting Category Assessments

2nd - 8th Grade Reading

ELA I  and II Reading and Writing

4th and 7th Grade Writing


professional development

Conferences around the state, webinars, and on-site professional development focused on understanding the TEKS and strategies for implementing them in the classroom

practice books

Development of the Practice Books is based on TEKS specificity while incorporating the value and guidance of various learning theories including the social cognitive theory and a constructivist approach to classroom engagement. Each of the TEKS is incorporated into engaging activities, teaching models, guided practice, and independent practice to provide educators with the resources needed to differentiate student learning. Readiness TEKS and Supporting TEKS are covered in detail in each Practice Book. Practice Books are organized by individual content TEKS and sorted into Assessment Reporting Categories to ensure seamless scope and sequence integration. The material in the practice books is current though the 2018-2019 academic year.


Each Book conTains:


Background Information
provides the student with necessary information to initially understand the concept

Teaching Model
Pages include models for the teacher to demonstrate the level of thinking required for each concept.

Strategy Pages
These short lessons provide students with strategies for understanding the concept.

Guided Practice
Students practice with passages and questions targeting different aspects of the TEKS.

Independent Practice
Full-length integrated passages which are comparable to STAAR passages in length, content, and rigor give students opportunities to integrate the application of TEKS learning.

Question Analysis
Questions and answers are analyzed to help students understand the deeper reasoning of the questions.  Students practice locating evidence in the text to support their answers.

assessment books

Each Assessment Book includes two on-target benchmarks specifically designed to match the STAAR Blueprints provided by TEA, as well as four 20-question Curriculum Based Assessments. There are no repeated questions on any of the tests, and each question was written specifically to address the associated TEKS. The Teacher Edition and Student Edition are designed to be used in conjunction with each other.

Benchmarks

Two Blueprint Benchmarks for charting student progress from the beginning of the year to mid-year

Category tests

Four curriculum-based assessments for assessing learning at the end of units

STaar chart

Charts covering each Benchmark and CBA allow students to keep track of their progress

Item Analysis

Comprehensive analysis of questions and answers to facilitate student understanding of the deeper reasoning of the questions. Students practice locating evidence in the text to support their answers.

Assessment te sample pages

          


Assessment se sample pages

          
   


Power Reviews

The Power Reviews contain ten review lessons to be used two weeks prior to the STAAR administration or in RTI-type classes.  The Power Reviews focus on assessed standards using engaging activities and formative assessments. The activities are designed to allow students opportunities to process in-depth learning through individual and group activities, anchor charts, and journaling. Mini-lessons, teacher's notes, and pacing guides help teachers stay on track and focus on the TEKS when reviewing with students. 

Two-Week review

focused on the assessed standards to maximize student success

Engaging activities

focused on the verb, concept, and methods of implementation as defined by the specificity within the TEKS

formative assessments

written to the specificity and complexity of the TEKS and formatted as they will see them on the STAAR Test

Extensive teacher notes

explicit instructions for each activity ensuring every activity targets the core TEKS

Day by day pacing guides

day-to-day plans provided so teachers can focus on student achievement  

Journaling and Things to remember

targeted at the key concepts so students can make deeper connections to the concepts

teks checklists

The TEKS Checklists combine an in-depth understanding of the TEKS with vertically-aligned expectations from surrounding grade levels. This tool was developed by teachers for teachers as a must-have road map! Wondering what to do for RTI? The vertical alignment helps teachers to understand the concepts that were taught in the previous grade and determine the correct place to begin instruction. The TEKS Checklists are designed to make certain all aspects of the TEKS are addressed in classroom instruction and assessments.


TEKS Breakdown for ALL TEKS

   Vertical Alignment for each TEKS 

  Essentials with pointers and tips for each TEKS