The commissioner of education recently announced updates regarding required reading academies.
House Bill 3 (HB 3), passed during the regular session of the 86th Texas Legislature, required all kindergarten through Grade 3 general and special education teachers and principals to attend a teacher literacy achievement academy referred to as the HB 3 reading academies. HB 3 was updated in the regular session of the 87th Texas Legislature to extend the completion deadline of the reading academies to the end of the 2022–2023 school year.
Year 3 adjustments
The commissioner’s updates make the reading academies more flexible, more efficient, and more effective.
Flexibilities include the following:
- Allow certain teachers to attempt to demonstrate knowledge without completing the reading academies’ modules first
- Reduce module content for individuals who passed the Science of Teaching Reading (STR) exam
- Provide an exemption waiver to teachers who passed the STR and only teach math
- Grant additional completion time for individuals with extenuating circumstances
Efficiencies include the following:
- Streamline content to ensure actual seat time reflects projected seat time
- Discontinue requirement for cohort leaders to grade artifacts
- Allow districts to verify completion of reading academies on the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website
Effectiveness is being increased by providing more resources and guidance to authorized providers to support strong local implementation planning.
Resources
See the TEA resources below to help navigate reading academy requirements.
Karen Dooley is an assistant director at TASB HR Services. Send Karen an email at karen.dooley@tasb.org.
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Tagged: "Professional development", "Teacher training"