Reading Academy Information

General Education Comprehensive Path:
General & Special Ed teachers, and Admin, NO bilingual content.

Comprehensive Dates at ESC Region 18:
July 27th, 28th, 29th; Sept. 15th & 16th; Jan. 12th & 13th; June 8th, 9th, & 10th

General Education Blended Path:
General & Special Ed teachers, and Admin, NO bilingual content.
Blended cohort dates: July 13th Cohort or August 10th Cohort

Blended Biliteracy Path:
Bilingual General and Bilingual Special Ed teachers providing Spanish instruction (dual or bilingual).
Blended cohort start dates: July 13th Cohort or August 10th Cohort

Blended Administrators:
Principals and any other leadership staff.
BLENDED cohort start dates: July 13th Cohort or August 10th Cohort

Fast Track Option:
ESC 18 has applied to offer this, more details coming soon.

Local Implementation Model:

Enter an MOU with Region 18 as your Authorized Provider & provide your own district cohort leader. District cohort leader provides content support to Reading Academy participants.
MOU information will be provided during the month of April by Nicole Gabriel

Registration for Academies begins:

July 1, 2020

All districts have preregistered their teachers and Region 18 will send a link to each participant to enroll in the course to their individual school email account on July 1st.

Prospective Cohort Leaders:

Reading Academies Cohort Leader Screener Registration

Plan to take the cohort leader screener in the window below
*Revised Cohort Leader Screening Dates

After the Screener is completed, results will be shared with the applicants and Authorized provider (ESC 18)
Applicants can re-apply in another window, applicants can only apply 3 times in a year
Authorized Providers (ESC 18) will be responsible for ensuring leaders hired for the local implementation model have met necessary requirements. The ESC 18 interview team will host interviews virtually the weeks of April 20th and April 27th, 2020.
Cohort leaders can only lead one path, blended or comprehensive

*Revised Cohort Leader Training Dates

Virtual trainings will help address capacity concerns.

Pre-Work may be assigned once a Cohort Leader is registered.

District Decision Making FAQ

1. What costs are associated with Reading Academies?
Costs are dependent on the implementation structure your district chooses. For more information, please see our implementation structure overview.

2. What funds can be used to pay for Reading Academies?
New reading funding sources, such as the Early Education Allotment, the Dyslexia Allotment, and/or the Basic Allotment increase can be utilized. In addition, you may consider Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) funds, the Bilingual Allotment, or Compensatory Education funds. The decision of which funds to utilize, or to use funds outside this list, is at district discretion.

3. How will we know which Regional Educational Service Centers (ESCs), districts or other non-profit organizations are selected to be Authorized Providers?
The list of Authorized Providers for 2020-2021 are on the TEA website above. It includes all 20 Regional ESCs. Authorized Providers are approved in an annual cycle.

4. How long will it take for a teacher/administrator to complete Reading Academies?

It is designed to be completed in no more than 10 full days over an 11-month period. Districts can personalize time frames for teachers, as long as the teachers are able to complete the full training within 11 months of beginning online content.

5. Is TEA planning to release a professional development schedule that districts should follow in order to ensure participant completion of the Reading Academies?
TEA will not release a required professional development schedule. Districts entering into a MOU/contract with an Authorized Provider should work with the Authorized Provider to determine scheduling. TEA is pleased to provide sample schedules as they come available that can be used to begin planning.

6. Will TEA provide a screening assessment for districts to determine which participants should be enrolled in a comprehensive versus blended model?
There will be no screening assessment provided before teachers begin Reading Academies content. For more information on Reading Academies assessments, please see the Assessment and Exemption section of this FAQ.

7. Can district administrators attend either the TEA Authorized Provider training or Cohort Leader training in order to gain deeper knowledge around Reading Academies?
Unfortunately, due to space and time constraints, TEA will only be able to offer training to selected Authorized Providers and Cohort Leaders. However, we will release general information included in these trainings for district use and are always available to answer questions.