Educator Resources

The Texas Education Agency actively supports early childhood educators via professional development, resource provision, and on-demand support. To access a comprehensive list of available resources, visit the ECE Resources page and use the links on the right to access support regarding Assessment/Data Driven Instruction resources, Prekindergarten Tuition, and published webinars from the Early Childhood team.   

Featured Resource: The Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines were revised to align with Kindergarten Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), condense content, include inclusive language of multi-lingual learners and special populations, eliminate errors and ambiguity, and to meet section 508 accessibility compliance. Implementation of the 2022 Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines will begin in the 2023-2024 school year. 

*NEW* 2024-2025 through 2026-2027 Commissioner’s List of Approved Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instruments

TEA has released a new Commissioner's List of Approved Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instruments for use during the 2024-2025 through 2026-2027 school years in accordance with Texas Education Code (TEC), §29.169 and §28.006. This list replaces the previous 2017-2022 version posted on the TEA website and will go into effect the 2024-2025 school year. School districts and charter schools should now select instruments from the updated 2024-2025 through 2026-2027 list when planning for school year 2024-2025 and beyond.

Please note: The 2017-2022 Commissioner's List of Approved Prekindergarten Assessment Instruments will remain in effect through the 2023-2024 school year.

The approved instruments:

• Are based on valid, reliable research
• Thoroughly measure key domains
• Are user-friendly for assessing pre-K students

The following five primary domains of development must be assessed using the instruments on the list:

1. Emergent Literacy: Reading
2. Emergent Literacy: Writing
3. Emergent Literacy: Language and Communication
4. Health and Wellness
5. Mathematics

View the full appendix of supporting documents on the PK Progress Monitoring page.

Approved Prekindergarten Curriculum

Please see the Currently Adopted Instructional Materials (Curriculum) for PreK Learning Systems adopted by the State Board of Education (SBOE). The SBOE sets policies and standards for Texas public schools. The primary responsibilities of the SBOE include:

• Setting curriculum standards
• Reviewing and adopting instructional materials
• Establishing graduation requirements
• Overseeing the Texas Permanent School Fund
• Appointing board members to military reservation and special school districts
• Providing final review of rules proposed by the State Board for Educator Certification
• Reviewing the commissioner's proposed award of new charter schools, with authority to veto a recommended applicant

Updated Prekindergarten Guidelines

The Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines are aligned with the Kindergarten Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), sequenced to follow child development and give teaching strategies for each of the guidelines. The guidelines offer educators the information and support to prepare all children for success in school.

Professional Development

Texas Education Agency

The Early Childhood Education regularly provides webinars to support professionals in the field. For upcoming webinars and recordings of previous webinars, please visit the ECE Resources Page.

The Texas Education Agency is committed to supporting sustainable district and school improvement efforts. As part of that mission, it is TEA’s intent to maintain a directory of training programs that have been vetted and approved as Vetted Improvement Programs (VIP).  The Vetted Improvement Programs (VIP) List will be available to LEAs to support their selection of high-quality contracted services aligned with critical actions within the Effective Schools Framework. These vetted programs included resources to support both coaching and professional development. Vetted Programs | texasesf.org

The Texas Gateway includes self-directed professional development training courses that you can take to earn CPE credit hours.

TEALearn is the new professional development hub for Texas educators. Explore the TEALearn course catalog to discover new learning opportunities. In accordance with statutory requirements established by TEC §38.351, The Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) coordinates with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and Education Service Centers (ESCs) to annually review a list of recommended best-practice based programs, and research-based practices, for public schools. In collaboration, these entities have compiled a list of practices and programs to create the Mental and Behavioral Health Recommended Best Practices and Programs Repository. The repository includes important practices and programs for school leader’s consideration. These resources are intended to support mental and behavioral health along with academic achievement. Best Practices - Texas School Mental Health (schoolmentalhealthtx.org)

Restorative Discipline Practices (RDP) Stand-Alone Training of Trainers. The training is offered to employees of public schools and charter schools and Communities in Schools (CIS). RDP Training Information | Texas Education Agency

The English Learner Portal-Professional Development (txel.org) website provides access to professional development to support Emergent Bilingual Students in Texas.

The Texas SPED Support learning library contains unique opportunities for educators to participate in online courses, workshops, events, and conferences. Explore the learning library for professional development designed to support new and experienced educators of all types.

TEA has launched Project Restore which includes a trauma-informed training video series designed to address the emotional needs of students and colleagues. This series will help educators create an environment that jump starts teaching and learning and drives student achievement.

Children’s Learning Institute Engage

CLI Engage is a comprehensive e-learning platform housing TSR Online professional development, child progress monitoring tools, and classroom observation tools - available for free to Texas public schools, Head Start programs, and Texas Rising Star Certified Providers

Texas School Ready

Texas School Ready (TSR) is a comprehensive preschool teacher training program that combines a research-based, state-adopted curriculum with ongoing professional development and progress monitoring tools to help children be more prepared for kindergarten and beyond. TSR will be implemented across the state through three delivery models that vary by support level of intensity: TSR Online, TSR Online+, and TSR Comprehensive. Our foundational model, TSR Online, is available to all public school districts, public charter schools, Texas Rising Star certified providers, former Texas School Ready participants, and Head Start grantees in Texas at no cost.

eCIRCLE online Professional Development

eCIRCLE Professional Development provides online courses featuring extensive video-based demonstrations of effective instructional practices, application-based assignments, and activities. 

CIRCLE Child Development Associates (CDA)

The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential^TM is based on a core set of competency standards, which guide early education and care professionals as they work toward becoming qualified teachers of young children. To qualify, early childhood teachers must have a strong knowledge base (education and professional development) and demonstrated practice (experience in the classroom).

Note: CDAs are also offered through many ESCs and community colleges throughout the state

TEXAS A&M Agrilife Extension

The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension website offers educational materials and courses, including topics within Early Childhood Education. Use the “Educational Materials” tab to search topics such as “professional development” or “Early Childhood Education” to find relevant courses.

Assessment and Evaluation Tools 

The Early Learning Assessments page provides educators with the guidance needed to understand requirements, identify tools, and implement best practices in both data collection and data usage. 

CIRCLE Prekindergarten Student Progress Monitoring Tool

The CIRCLE Progress Monitoring System is a user-friendly, technology-driven tool that enables teachers to assess a child’s progress in a particular skill area almost instantly. This simplistic yet reliable data collection prompts teachers to focus on lessons that target their students’ least developed skill areas. 

CIRCLE – Classroom Observation Tool

The Classroom Observation Tool captures snapshots of a teacher’s behavior and instruction during classroom observation visits that can be used to develop improvement plans and track a teacher’s progress over time. The system is well aligned with the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines and can be used by teachers, school leaders, and intervention specialists to promote effective teaching.

The Texas Kindergarten Entry Assessment (TX-KEA)

The TX-KEA is a comprehensive assessment that can be reliably administered by kindergarten teachers and is a valid predictor of academic success. 

Free Developmental Screening Tool

Act Early Texas! provides parents and early childhood professionals with information designed to determine if a child is developing similarly to other children his or her age.  The tool is designed to answer the question, "Is this child's development like other children of the same age?“

Other resources

Developing Talkers/Hablemos Juntos

Developing Talkers and its Spanish counterpart, Hablemos Juntos, are curriculum supplements that were created by researchers at the Children’s Learning Institute to support young children’s language and literacy skills, focusing on three domains of early language: vocabulary, comprehension, and speaking skills.

The Texas Early Childhood Professional Development System

TECPDS is a statewide program designed to meet the professional development needs of those working in the early childhood field. 

Texas Gateway

Engaging TEKS aligned online resources for your classroom.

Developmental Guidelines - 0-5 years old

Published in 2013, the Texas Infant, Toddler, and Three-Year-Old Early Learning Guidelines describe expectations about what children should know and be able to do across developmental domains of learning during specific age ranges, as well as what steps caregivers should take to support healthy development.