Mathematical Architects · Pacing Guide

Algebra I Pacing

Every module mapped to TEKS, day counts, and grading period — front-loaded for the STAAR End-of-Course exam.

The TEA Bluebonnet publisher pacing runs 150 instructional days. The Beta four-day calendar provides about 144 scholar days — roughly six days fewer. We absorb that gap by using the curriculum's reduced-day topic options and its built-in review and buffer time, never by cutting readiness-standard instruction. In this guide the 144 days are split into 135 days of module instruction plus 9 post-EOC review and project days, and the sequence is front-loaded so Module 5 (Quadratics) finishes before the early-May STAAR EOC.

~31GP1 Days
~36GP2 Days
~36GP3 Days
~40GP4 Days
~144Total

Grading-period budgets per the 2026–2027 Beta calendar: GP1 Aug 19–Oct 8, GP2 Oct 12–Dec 17, GP3 Jan 5–Mar 4, GP4 Mar 15–May 20 (plus the first scholar day, Aug 18, before GP1 opens).

Readiness-heavy topic Supporting-heavy topic Process standards A.1A–A.1G embedded throughout
Module / Topic Days TEKS Emphasis Target Grading Period
Module 1 · Searching for Patterns — publisher 22d → paced 20d
T1 · Quantities & Relationships 11 A.2A, A.3C, A.6A, A.7A, A.9A, A.9D, A.12A Mixed GP 1
T2 · Sequences 9 A.12A, A.12C, A.12D Supporting GP 1
Module 2 · Exploring Constant Change — publisher 32d → paced 30d
T1 · Linear Functions 21 A.2A–D, A.3A–C, A.3E, A.3F, A.4A–C, A.12A, A.12B, A.12D Readiness GP 1 → GP 2
T2 · Transforming & Comparing Linear Functions 9 A.2A, A.2C, A.2E–G, A.3A, A.3C, A.3E, A.12B Mixed GP 2
Module 3 · Modeling Linear Equations & Inequalities — publisher 27d → paced 25d
T1 · Linear Equations & Inequalities 10 A.2B, A.2C, A.3A, A.5A, A.5B, A.12E Readiness GP 2
T2 · Systems of Linear Equations & Inequalities 15 A.2A, A.2C, A.2H, A.2I, A.3D, A.3F, A.3G, A.3H, A.5C Readiness GP 2
Module 4 · Investigating Growth & Decay — publisher 25d → paced 22d
T1 · Introduction to Exponential Functions 14 A.9A–D, A.11A, A.11B, A.12B–D Readiness GP 3
T2 · Using Exponential Equations 8 A.3B, A.3C, A.9A–E, A.11B, A.12B Mixed GP 3
Module 5 · Maximizing & Minimizing — publisher 44d → paced 38d · capstone, finishes before the EOC
T1 · Introduction to Quadratic Functions 13 A.6A–C, A.7A, A.7C Readiness GP 3 → GP 4
T2 · Polynomial Operations 9 A.10A–D Supporting GP 4
T3 · Solving Quadratic Equations 16 A.6A, A.7A–C, A.8A, A.8B, A.10E, A.10F, A.11A Readiness GP 4 · ends before EOC
Modules 1–5 instructional subtotal 135 Tightened from 150 publisher topic-days via reduced-day topics + the curriculum's built-in module review/buffer GP1 → GP4 (pre-EOC)
Post-EOC · Review & Applied Projects — remaining GP4 days after the early-May exam
STAAR review, spiral re-teach & capstone modeling project 9 Spirals all readiness standards; process A.1A–A.1G Review GP 4
Instructional total 144 135 module days + 9 post-EOC review/project days = the ~144-day Beta calendar GP1–GP4
Front-loading for the STAAR EOC. The Algebra I End-of-Course exam is administered in early May. Module 5 (Quadratics) — the longest and most demanding module — is sequenced to finish before the exam window, so the final weeks of GP4 are reserved for targeted STAAR review, spiral re-teaching of readiness standards, and an applied modeling project rather than new content.
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Grading Period at a Glance

How the modules land across the four Beta grading periods.

Grading Period 1 · Aug 19 – Oct 8 · ~31 days

Patterns & the Line Begins

Complete Module 1 (Quantities & Relationships, Sequences) and launch Module 2's Linear Functions. Establishes function language and notation that everything later depends on.

Grading Period 2 · Oct 12 – Dec 17 · ~36 days

Linear Mastery & Systems

Finish Module 2 (transforming & comparing linear functions) and complete Module 3 — solving equations and inequalities, then systems by substitution, elimination, and graphing.

Grading Period 3 · Jan 5 – Mar 4 · ~36 days

Growth, Decay & Quadratics Open

Module 4 (exponential functions and equations) in full, then open Module 5 with the introduction to quadratic functions — vertex, axis of symmetry, and the parabola.

Grading Period 4 · Mar 15 – May 20 · ~40 days

Quadratics Finish → EOC → Projects

Finish Module 5 (polynomial operations and solving quadratic equations) before the early-May EOC. Post-exam weeks are STAAR review, spiral re-teach, and an applied modeling capstone.

How the Compression Works

The compression comes from the curriculum's own flexibility, not from skipped standards. Each module uses its reduced-day topic options and folds the publisher's per-module review days into a single, consolidated 9-day post-EOC block (STAAR review, spiral re-teach, and an applied modeling capstone). Readiness standards — the most heavily tested on STAAR — keep their full instructional time; supporting standards and consolidated review absorb the difference. Net effect: 135 module-instruction days + 9 review/project days = the ~144-day Beta calendar, about six days under the 150-day publisher plan. Process standards A.1A–A.1G are embedded in every topic and are not paced separately.

See the full course syllabus or return to the Algebra I overview.