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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 by the 2022-2023 school year. 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.

Science of Teaching Reading Initiatives

Requirements for the Science of Teaching Reading (STR) certification exam and Reading Academies were established in 2019 by the 86th Texas Legislature with the passage of House Bill 3 (HB 3). Reading Academies and the STR certification exam are different requirements that complement each other.

The STR certification exam demonstrates a beginning teacher’s proficiency in the science of teaching reading. Reading Academies is an 11-month professional development program that continues learning and builds on knowledge of the STR in a school context. Together, these programs provide teachers with the foundational knowledge to teach reading and writing and to effectively apply that knowledge in a classroom setting.

For more information, click here.

Academy content wheel
  • Introduction, Overview, Scope, and Sequence 
  • Science of Teaching Reading
  • Establishing a Literacy Community
  • Using Assessment Data to Inform Instruction
  • Oral Language (English and Spanish)
  • Phonological Awareness (English and Spanish)
  • Alphabet Knowledge, Print Concepts, and Handwriting
  • Decoding, Encoding, and Word Study (English and Spanish)
  • Reading Fluency
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Composition (English and Spanish)
  • Tiered Supports and Reading Difficulties 

Comprehensive and Blended Delivery Models:

  • Cover the same content using the same learning management system
  • Provide a cohort leader (either a blended facilitator or a comprehensive coach) to guide participants through the process
  • Require submission of the same artifacts
  • Require moderated grading of artifacts • Are completed over a period of 11 months
Blended vs Comprehensive models

ELAR Pathway

Builds content knowledge in STR and the aligned evidence-based instructional practices that impact a student’s literacy achievement within the English language. This pathway also supports students learning English as a second language. May be led by a certified ELAR or biliteracy cohort leader.

 

Biliteracy Pathway

Builds teacher knowledge and skills on STR for Spanish-English bilingual classrooms. Participants master Spanish and English evidenced-based literacy pedagogy, cross-linguistic connections, and knowledge to support student literacy achievement in both languages. This path supports all four Texas Bilingual Education models. May only be led by a certified biliteracy cohort leader.

 

Administrator Pathway

This pathway is for campus or district administrators only. Builds content knowledge and skills in STR by using information from the ELAR and Biliteracy pathways filtered through a campus leader’s lens. Participants complete differentiated artifacts focused on identifying campus-level patterns and applying data-driven instructional change using Reading Academies concepts. May be led by a certified ELAR or biliteracy cohort leader. 

Texas Reading Academy Project Manager

Michelle Hilton

Coordinator, Literacy & Special Programs

mhilton@esc17.net

(806)281-5842

Texas Reading Academy Comprehensive Cohort Leader

Alyson Earhart

aearhart@esc17.net 

(806)281-5877

Texas Teacher Reading Academy Blended Cohort Leader

Cynthia Hobbs

chobbs@esc17.net

(806)281-5840

Texas Administrator Reading Academy Blended Cohort Leader

Jean Anne Williams

jwilliams@esc17.net

(806)281-5894