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.

Teaching Approach · Foundation-First, Integrated Vertically Bluebonnet supplies the vertical coherence — each lesson is built to stand on the last. Inside that spine I teach foundation-first: open by activating the prior skill the new topic leans on, then move through several worked examples together before any independent work, and release responsibility gradually. Last year's 61-scholar reflection backs this — the most-helpful moves were review games, real-life examples, and step-by-step explanation, and the top request was “more examples before independent work.” So the pacing below leaves room to slow down, check for understanding, and review before every assessment.
1 · Activate prior knowledge 2 · Guided worked examples 3 · Gradual release 4 · Check & review before the test
~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
Module resources Student Edition (Module 1) PDF Family Guide Guía (ES) Visual Lab 🧱 Foundations
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
Module resources Student Edition (Module 2) PDF Family Guide Guía (ES) Visual Lab 🧱 Foundations
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
Module resources Student Edition (Module 3) PDF Family Guide Guía (ES) Visual Lab 🧱 Foundations
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
Module resources Student Edition (Module 4) PDF Family Guide Guía (ES) Visual Lab 🧱 Foundations
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
Module resources Student Edition (Module 5) PDF Family Guide Guía (ES) Visual Lab 🧱 Foundations
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.

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Assessment Calendar

Recommended unit-test windows, mid-module checkpoints, the benchmark, and the STAAR EOC — mapped to the calendar.

Daily

Do Now · warm-up

A 3–5 minute spiral warm-up opens every class — one item on yesterday's skill, one on a readiness standard already taught. It doubles as the daily check-for-understanding and surfaces re-teach needs early.

Mid-module

Checkpoint · low-stakes

A short formative checkpoint at each module's midpoint (between Topic 1 and Topic 2). Not heavily weighted — it tells us whether to keep moving or fold in a review-game day before the unit test.

End of module

Unit Test · graded

A cumulative unit test closes each module, scheduled so the day before is a deliberate review-game/check day — honoring the “more time before assessments” request.

Module · Unit Test window Recommended test window Mid-module checkpoint Grading period
M1 · Searching for Patterns Week of Sep 14–17 ~Sep 2 (after T1) GP1 · Aug 19–Oct 8
M2 · Exploring Constant Change Week of Oct 26–29 ~Oct 8 (after T1, spans GP1→GP2) GP1→GP2 · test in GP2
M3 · Linear Eq. & Inequalities Week of Dec 7–10 ~Nov 18 (after T1) GP2 · before Dec 17 close
Benchmark · Mock STAAR EOC Week of Feb 8–11 Cumulative M1–M4 (RC1–RC5) GP3 · mid-period diagnostic
M4 · Investigating Growth & Decay Week of Feb 22–25 ~Feb 4 (after T1) GP3 · Jan 5–Mar 4
M5 · Maximizing & Minimizing Week of Apr 19–22 ~Mar 30 (after T1), ~Apr 12 (after T2) GP4 · finishes before EOC
★ STAAR Algebra I EOC Early May (~Apr 27–May 6) State exam — all content complete GP4 · then review + capstone
Why these dates. Each unit-test week lands in the last days of its module so the prior session can be a review-game / re-teach day. The capstone module (M5, Quadratics) and its unit test are placed in mid-April — ahead of the early-May EOC — leaving the final weeks for the February benchmark's diagnosed gaps and a focused STAAR push. All windows are planning targets; shift them a few days with make-up Fridays and breaks on the live calendar.
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.