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Jump to section: General | District Decision Making | Local Implementation | Cohort Leaders | Assessment and Exemption | Administrator Path | Biliteracy Path | Pre-K and 4-5
2. Do Librarians fall under literacy specialist and need to take Reading Academies?
3. Are non-certified K-3 teachers required to complete Reading Academies?
4. Do charter school teachers and principals have to complete Reading Academies?
5. What implementation options can districts choose from?Districts can select one of the following implementation options:
Note: Districts may wish to implement the blended model locally but use an Authorized Provider to provide the comprehensive model. In that case, districts need to enter into two separate MOUs/contracts with the Authorized Provider.
6. What is the difference between the Blended and Comprehensive Model?
Key differences between the models include:
For more information please download our Blended vs Comprehensive Model PDF.
7. What are the different pathways within Reading Academies?
Once registered, participants can enroll in one of three pathways:
For more information please download our Reading Academies Pathways PDF.
8. What is the deadline for current educators to complete Reading Academies?
9. How can I ensure that I receive updates on the Reading Academies when they are released?
10. What happens if a participant does not complete or pass a Blended cohort on the first attempt? (Updated 3-23-2021)If a participant does not complete or pass the Texas reading Academies on the first attempt, they can enroll again in a Blended or Comprehensive cohort.
11. Can an Authorized Provider be deauthorized?
1. What costs are associated with Reading Academies?
2. What funds can be used to pay for Reading Academies?
3. How will we know which Regional Educational Service Centers (ESCs), districts or other non-profit organizations are selected to be Authorized Providers?
4. How long will it take for a teacher/administrator to complete Reading Academies?
6. Will TEA provide a screening assessment for districts to determine which participants should be enrolled in a comprehensive versus blended model?
7. Can district administrators attend either the TEA Authorized Provider training or Cohort Leader training in order to gain deeper knowledge around Reading Academies?
1. If my district chooses the local implementation option, how/when will we pay the Authorized Provider flat fee?
2. If my district chooses the local implementation option, will TEA provide a job description to use for hiring cohort leaders?
3. If my district chooses the Local Implementation model, how should we determine whether to hire or use existing staff as cohort leaders?
3. What is the amount of time per week that a Local Implementation Cohort Leader should set aside for their cohort if they are doing this part-time?
1. What is a Cohort Leader?
2. What is the difference between a blended facilitator and a comprehensive coach?Blended Facilitators and Comprehensive Coaches rate artifacts and offer online content support through module discussions.
Comprehensive Coaches also provide four personalized, job-embedded coaching sessions per participant in their cohort. One of the coaching sessions can be virtual.
A full-time cohort leader can serve: (Must work a minimum of 40 hours per week)
OR
A part-time cohort leader can serve: (Must work a minimum of 25 hours per week)
3. If I want to enroll some of my teachers in a Comprehensive Model and some in the Blended Model, can I hire a single cohort leader to serve as blended facilitator and comprehensive coach?
4. I am considering using current district-level staff as cohort leader. Can they do this and keep other district duties?
For more information please download our Cohort Leader Roles & Responsibilities PDF.
5. What does the cohort leader screening process entail?
Prospective candidates must pass a three-step screening process to serve as a Reading Academies cohort leader.
Generally, APs or districts implementing locally may want to ensure that all cohort leader candidates have served as teachers in grades K-5 for three or more (non-consecutive) years across their careers (special education or general education). Graduate-level training and coursework (e.g., MRT, Reading Specialist Certification, CALT, CALP, LDT) may be substituted for K-5 experience.
6. Is there any way to exempt applicants from the course leader screening process?
7. How can someone prepare for the course leader screening process?
8. What training is provided for cohort leaders after they pass the screening process?
9. If an educator passes the Biliteracy Cohort Leader Screener will they be able to lead both ELAR and Biliteracy cohorts?
10. Does a Cohort Leader earn HB 3 credit?
Yes. A Cohort Leader will earn HB 3 credit if they led a cohort from beginning to course conclusion
Note: A Support Cohort Leader does not earn HB 3 credit.
1. Will there be an assessment to exempt participants from Reading Academies?
2. How will participants be assessed throughout the Reading Academies modules?
3. What if a teacher does not agree with a grade (rating) they receive on a Reading Academies artifact?
4. My teachers have attended previous Reading Academies. Can that count towards the HB 3 Reading Academies requirement?
5. My staff have recently participated in a related or similar training. Can this count towards the HB 3 Reading Academies requirement?
6. Will there be options for participants to test out of Reading Academies?
1. How does the Reading Academies administrator path differ from the two teacher paths?
2. Can my assistant principals/instructional coaches/district literacy staff attend Reading Academies?
For more information please download our Reading Academies Pathway PDF.
1. How will the biliteracy path be personalized for bilingual, dual language, or Spanish Language Arts and Reading (SLAR) teachers?
2. Are bilingual, dual language, or SLAR teachers required to take the English Language Arts path and the biliteracy path?
3. Does the biliteracy path include information regarding both the English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) and SLAR standards?
4. Will districts that implement locally need to hire separate cohort leaders for the English Language Arts and Biliteracy paths?
1. My campus serves grade levels outside the K-3 grade band. Are the rest of my teachers required to participate in Reading Academies along with my K-3 teachers?
2. Will there be TEA provided trainings for teachers outside the K-3 grade band?