COVID Recovery Instructional Materials Support Initiative

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is seeking applications from local education agencies (LEAs) and individual campuses who would like to join the COVID Recovery Instructional Materials Support Initiative (CRIMSI). This initiative is for districts, individual schools, or open-enrollment charter schools interested in piloting Texas Home Learning (THL) Instructional Materials with a subset of schools, grades, or teachers in the spring of 2021. THL Instructional Materials are designed specifically to meet the needs of an in-person, remote, and/or hybrid learning environment to prevent learning loss for students and to catch up those who have lost ground. This initiative provides remote learning training and support for teachers, extra materials like text sets for RLA, and stipends for participating educators. Initiative benefits include: 

• Teacher and administration stipends to plan and implement materials designed for remote and in-person instruction 
• Additional spring 2021 pilot unit materials including RLA trade books, text sets, or science kits for corresponding courses 
• Free onboarding and ongoing professional development that counts as continuing professional education credit for teachers 
• Access to an academic diagnostic and ongoing support from a THL Adoption Coach 
• Access to subject and grade level Communities of Practice 
• District supports including school board, community and family supports, and district administration supports 
• Opportunity to provide feedback on THL instructional materials 

To participate, LEAs must pilot at least one unit of a THL core product at a minimum of one campus, within targeted grade levels on that campus. Participating educators must also participate in a series of program activities designed to provide teachers with supports necessary to be successful in a flexible pilot structure. Activities include but are not limited to onboarding training, consultations with adoption coaches, academic diagnostics, and implementation of THL materials themselves. More details including expected time commitments can be found in the application linked below. 

Three Ways to Engage: 

1. Access CRIMSI Application Here and forward to relevant district or school personnel 
2. Submit questions to TexasHomeLearning@tea.texas.gov. 
3. Attend a Webinar or Office Hours to learn more about the initiative. Webinars will be recorded and posted for those who cannot attend. 

Interested LEAs and campuses should read the initiative application carefully and work closely with relevant stakeholders to apply. TEA will accept applications on a rolling basis until all positions are filled; however, applicants should prioritize submission by January 29, 2021. All initiative participants who submit a complete application before this date will be notified of acceptance within 2 – 5 business days. TEA will review and accept applications on a first come, first serve basis. Application components are outlined in the CRIMSI Application linked above.