Is the curriculum free?
Yes! The CIRCLE Pre-K Curriculum is available at no cost in its digital version on the CLI Engage platform.
Who can use the curriculum?
Anyone with a CLI Engage account can freely access the digital pre-K curriculum.
How can I access the digital curriculum?
The CIRCLE Pre-K Curriculum is available online on the CLI Engage platform. If you already have an account on CLI Engage,
login and look for the “CIRCLE Pre-K Curriculum” button on the dashboard (See additional instructions above). If you don’t have an account on CLI Engage yet, please
sign up to create your free account to access the curriculum and many other tools.
Is the curriculum available in Spanish?
Yes. The curriculum is available in both English and Spanish versions.
What are the differences between the English and Spanish curricula?
Research drove the development of all aspects of the curriculum. Although the Spanish and English curricula are very similar and mirror one another in many ways, they diverge as needed when addressing particular skills and concepts. This is sometimes a result of differences in the English and Spanish guidelines. For example, Texas Prekindergarten Guideline II.E.2 includes irregular plurals in the English guideline, but not in the Spanish guideline. For this reason, the Spanish curriculum addresses plurals, but does not include lessons on irregular plurals that are included in the English curriculum. Another difference can be found in the phonological awareness domain. As onset-rime skills are not considered essential for developing Spanish literacy, some differences in the curriculum can be found related to these skills. In the Spanish curriculum, lessons addressing onset rime are included in Spanish when the concept is first introduced. Subsequent onset rime lessons are included in English to support the development of literacy skills in English. You can read more information about the research used for each of the domains in the
Teacher’s Manual.
Can I get a printed copy of the curriculum?
Yes. Print versions of the English and Spanish curricula are available for purchase. You can find ordering information for the print edition on the CLI Solutions Group’s website:
CIRCLE Pre-K Curricula Print Editions.
Is it necessary to buy the print version?
No. Everything you need to use the curriculum is available in the free, online version. Just login to CLI Engage to access! The print version offers conveniently bound editions and it is a great complement to the online version.
What domains are covered in the curriculum?
The CIRCLE Pre-K Curriculum addresses all ten domains of the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines with comprehensive support of cognitive and social and emotional development.
Is there a lesson plan that can be printed out each week?
Yes. You can access and download sample lesson plans for all 35 weeks of the curriculum in
English and
Spanish on the curriculum’s Resources and Support pages.
What books are used with the curriculum?
Book and Print Reading lessons within the curriculum often suggest book titles to use with particular objectives. In all lessons, teachers may substitute a different book for the suggested title. This flexibility is intentional since we aren’t telling teachers they should use that particular book. Instead, it’s used to walk teachers through the lesson to help them see how the lesson unfolds and key strategies to address before, during, and/or after reading. Although great attention was given to the quality of books suggested for lessons, themes, and lesson plans we also recognize that teachers have different titles available to them in their personal and school libraries. When you do not have one of the suggested titles in a theme topic, please refer to the Book Club/Club de lectura for additional options. The Book Club/Club de lectura lists were created to offer an expanded list of books that support thematic content.
Does the English curriculum support English learners?
Specific English Learner supports are featured in the curriculum, including: creating a safe environment for language learning, providing academic supports, and building vocabulary and early literacy skills. English Learner guidelines are comprehensively addressed across the curriculum―embedded in both the Scope and Sequences and Theme Guides. There is an intentional focus on children’s active engagement through playful and purposeful learning activities. Theme Guides are filled with opportunities for children to explore high-interest topics through language-rich experiences throughout the prekindergarten day. This design fosters meaningful, lasting connections as children hear and practice new vocabulary across settings and contexts. Lessons and activities include Scaffolding and Teacher Tips that can be helpful as teachers support English learners. Recommended language scaffolds are often included at different levels (e.g., less support, more support, or most support) to offer the “just right” support needed for success. Teacher Tips suggest ways of adapting or modifying activities to achieve particular goals. Please see the English Learner section of the
Teacher’s Manual to learn more.
Is there a component to address differentiation for children that need more support?
The CIRCLE Pre-K Curriculum was designed with flexible features to allow teachers greater ease as they plan and provide instruction best suited to the individual learner.
The flexible design of the weekly Scope and Sequence allows teachers to easily make choices for supporting children’s individual needs to meet learning goals. This includes:
- Teaching any of the week’s Target Lessons more than once for reteaching or additional practice.
- Selecting from the Additional Lessons to reteach, revisit, or reinforce skills from a previous week of instruction.
- Selecting from Step It Up! lessons to offer more advanced or challenging instruction than those indicated in Target Lessons while addressing the same focus skill.
- Adapting lessons to tailor them to an individual child’s needs:
- Upward and Downward Scaffolds within individual lessons provide ideas such as prompts, visual cues, or extensions to adjust the level of challenge depending on the child’s needs.
- Teacher Tips within individual lessons provide ideas for extensions and changes, which suggest ways to adjust lessons based on children’s individual needs.
These ideas for how to differentiate instruction help teachers deliver lessons that are appropriate and targeted for the children in their group or class, whether children are three- or four-years-old, or need more foundational or more advanced support.
Is there testing that goes with the curriculum?
The
CIRCLE Progress Monitoring System (CPM), also available on CLI Engage, is a technology-driven tool that enables teachers to quickly assess a child’s progress in a particular skill area. This online tool allows teachers to assess children’s progress in all areas addressed in the curriculum. CPM uses both direct, teacher-administered assessments, and observation-based assessments to identify areas where children need extra supports or where they may benefit from more challenging instruction. CPM automatically groups children and links directly to lessons in the
CIRCLE Activity Collection that match the instructional needs of the different groups. No matter where a child falls on the spectrum of growth, the CIRCLE Pre-K Curriculum provides teachers with resources for adjusting instruction, including Scaffolding, Step It Up!, and Additional Lessons.
How was the CIRCLE Pre-K Curriculum designed?
Read the
article published in the Learning Leader to learn about how the curriculum was developed, and to find a list of some of the research referenced and included during the design process.
Has the State of Texas adopted the CIRCLE Pre-K Curriculum?
Yes! The State Board of Education (SBOE) issued
Proclamation 2021 in June 2019 to call for English and Spanish prekindergarten systems. In November 2020, the SBOE voted to adopt the CIRCLE Pre-K Curriculum. Implementation officially began during the 2021-2022 school year.
Has the curriculum been updated to reflect the 2022 Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines?
Yes. The English digital and print curriculum was updated in 2023 according to the 2022 Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines. Spanish updates were submitted to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in the first window made available to publishers. Once approved, the Spanish curriculum will also be updated.
Does the curriculum support the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF)?
Yes. The curriculum comprehensively addresses the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF).
