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Texas Reading Academy
Texas Reading Academies
The Region 9 Reading Academy supports K-3 teachers, special education teachers, and principals in meeting the requirements of the Texas Reading Academies, as outlined in House Bill 3 (HB 3). The program combines online modules, in-person learning sessions, and coaching to help educators apply effective literacy practices in the classroom.
Please check back regularly for updates on the Texas Reading Academies and Region 9 Reading Academy cohorts. For more information, contact Shane Porter at (940) 322-6928.
HB 3 Reading Academies
Per House Bill 3 (HB 3), passed by the 86th Texas Legislature in June of 2019, all kindergarten through third grade teachers and principals must attend a teacher literacy achievement academy. For simplification and to avoid confusion with other grant programs and past literacy achievement academies, the Texas Education Agency is referring to this latest requirement as the HB 3 Reading Academies. All K-3 teachers, including special education teachers and principals are required to attend the HB 3 Reading Academies.
Texas Reading Academies Compliance Rules:
- All educators who are currently teaching students in Kindergarten – Grade 3, and principals at campuses with K-3 students, are required to have a HB 3 Reading Academies certificate of completion on file in the Searchable Database for TRA completions by the end of the 23-24 school year.
- After the 23-24 school year, educators who are employed in their first year in a Texas public school or charter school are required to enroll and actively participate in the Reading Academies course during their first year of employment.
- This includes all certified and pre-certified educators who are new to teaching/administering K-3 students, new to Texas, or new to a public school or Texas open-enrollment public charter school.
The Texas Reading Academies requires implementation of the Comprehensive facilitation model for all ELAR and STR pathways.
- The Texas Reading Academies comprehensive model is a face-to-face, in-person learning experience. This includes a combination of:
- online modules
- in-person literacy community and learning sessions
- coaching support to promote classroom application of Reading Academies instructional practices.
- Participants must complete online module assignments and artifacts in the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) through in-person learning sessions and demonstrate mastery of Reading Academies content during classroom observations and coaching by a Comprehensive Cohort Leader.
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The purpose of the Reading Academies is to guide educators to implement the Science of Teaching Reading in their daily instructional practices. The Science of Teaching Reading (STR) is the body of scientific, evidence-based research on what students need to become proficient readers and how to teach students to read.
The Reading Academies are aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) which include the elements of the STR. Teachers who apply STR research teach the TEKS using highly effective instruction that is data-informed, explicit and systematic, and differentiated to meet the needs of all learners in their classrooms.
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Required by HB 3
- K-3 general education classroom teachers
- K-3 special education classroom teachers
- Principals who have K-3 classrooms on their campus
General rule of thumb – “teacher of record”
”Strongly Encouraged”
- Assistant Principals
- Reading Interventionists
- Literacy Coaches
- Special Education teachers who are not teacher of record
- Dyslexia teachers
- Speech Pathologists
- Librarians
- Full-time employees who tutor students in ELAR
- 4th and 5th grade teachers (all content areas)
- District ELAR coordinators
Local District Decision
- Pull out GT teachers
- Part-time tutors
- Math interventionists
- Hourly interventionists
- STEM teachers
- Pull out TVI teachers
- Superintendents
- Health, Art, PE, and Theatre teachers
Do K-3 teachers who only offer instruction in math and/or science need to complete Reading Academies?
- Yes, math and science teachers of record must complete Reading Academies because literacy plays an important role in math and science instruction, and all K-3 teachers will benefit from the information learned in the Texas Reading Academies.
- Teachers must understand the science of teaching reading to effectively support learner needs, especially those with reading difficulties.
- An application is available through the Texas Education Agency website for districts that wish to request a waiver for reading academies for mathematics teachers. Districts will need to provide basic information in the application, a screenshot showing the teacher’s STR certification, and an assurance that the teacher will only teach mathematics in the current school year.
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Please use this link to access more information provided by TEA about the Texas Reading Academies requirements through House Bill 3.
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- The administrator path covers very similar content to the ELAR pathway. However, the administrator path is streamlined and modified to highlight the specific role of the administrator within the literacy community.
- The administrator pathway is approximately 42 hours of seat time and is designed only for current district and campus administrators.
- Administrators will be able to choose which pathway in which they enroll: the administrator path – Blended/online path – or the ELAR pathway – Comprehensive/in-person path – and work along with their teachers.
- Once a pathway has been selected, the administrator must remain in the course for its entirety.
Region 9 ESC does not offer the Blended Pathway for Administrators. You will go through Region 16 ESC for the Blended Administrators Pathway.