Since the Texas Legislature passed a 2019 law requiring many educators to attend a Reading Academy, ATPE has received considerable feedback from concerned educators, and we conducted a survey of our members to gather more detail. Between Dec. 1-17, 2021, nearly 1,000 K-3 teachers and administrators completed the survey to share their experiences, allowing us to provide a picture of implementation and implications for policy change.

 

Background

In 2019, the 86th Texas Legislature passed House Bill (HB) 3 by Rep. Dan Huberty (R-Kingwood). The bill required that every K-3 classroom teacher and principal attend a Reading Academy “not later than” the 2021-22 school year, which was extended to “not later than” the 2022-23 school year by HB 1525 subsequently passed by the 87th Legislature in 2021.

There are few exemptions for educators required to complete the Reading Academies, and there is no “test-out” option. All K-3 teachers, including special education teachers, librarians who provide core instruction or intervention to K-3 students, and literacy specialists who see students in small groups are required to receive the training. Assistant principals, instructional coaches, educators who completed the requirements of the 2018-19 READ Grant, and “specials” teachers who hold an “all-level certification in art, health education, music, physical education, speech communication and theatre arts, or theatre” may be exempted.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) suggests that school districts can use a variety of funding sources, such as the Early Education Allotment, to pay for the Reading Academies training and compensate teachers for their time. According to TEA, the training is designed to be 60 hours and completed in no more than 10 full days over an 11-month period.

Additionally, as of January 2021, all aspiring PK-6 teachers must pass the new Science of Teaching Reading (STR) exam for certification. TEA asserts that the Reading Academies content is meant to build upon the STR content a new teacher learns in their educator preparation program (EPP). Thus, teachers who took the STR exam and began employment in the 2021-22 school year would have to complete the Reading Academies training by the end of their second year of teaching in 2022-23.

 

ATPE’s Survey

ATPE’s Reading Academies survey was completed by 975 educators who indicated they serve students in grades K-3. Respondents included all core subjects, special education, gifted and talented, ESL, Pre-K, and specials teachers, as well as dyslexia therapists, reading interventionists, principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, librarians, social and life skills teachers, and other educators.

ATPE asked a variety of questions about the Reading Academies and analyzed the results based on whether the respondent had completed the training, was still working on it, or had not started yet. Approximately 20% of respondents had completed the training, 65% were still in the process, and 15% had not yet started.

Here are the highlights of the survey results:

Questionable value and not enough money for the time it takes to complete:

• Sixty-five percent of those who had completed the Reading Academies training and 54% of the partial completers found the content of the training valuable. However, the value was hindered by the volume of content included, an online format that restricted collaboration, and its duplicative or repetitive nature for a veteran teacher or those with a master’s degree in similar content.

• Of completers, nearly half (48%) reported that the training took more than 120 hours to complete; only 18% reported that the training took them between 60-80 hours; and 95% said they worked after hours or weekends to finish the training.

• Fifty-eight percent of completers said they were not paid for their time, and of those who were paid, stipends ranged from $200 to $7,600. Others said they were allowed substitutes for a given number of days. Sixty-seven percent of partial completers said they were not being paid for their time, and those who were paid experienced a similar range to those who had already completed the training.

School districts are still requiring a 2022 completion date:

• Partial completers or those who had not yet started the Reading Academies training typically reported that their school district expected completion by Spring/Summer 2022, while some of those who hadn’t started yet reported a district-expected completion by Spring/Summer 2023.

The “specials” exemption does not help many educators:

• ATPE’s survey indicates that only 11 of our 975 K-3 educator respondents hold an all-level certification in a “specials” subject (art, health, etc.) and could therefore be exempt from the training requirement. Unfortunately, this suggests that many “specials” teachers are being asked to spend valuable teaching and planning time completing the Reading Academies with likely little effect on student reading outcomes, since they are teachers who do not focus on teaching reading or literacy concepts.

The STR content is very similar to the Reading Academies training:

• As expected, only 85 respondents had taken the STR exam, as that requirement has only been in effect since January 2021. Of those who took the STR exam and also completed the Reading Academies training, 51% reported that the Reading Academies content was the same as what they had already mastered, and 40% reported that the Reading Academies content was more rigorous and/or in-depth.

Turning Feedback into Action

ATPE’s survey sheds light on how educators are experiencing the Reading Academies requirement. While many respondents shared that they found the content of the training very valuable and helpful, the volume and expectations of the training overshadowed its usefulness and created immense stress that has undoubtedly had a negative impact on students. Based on the feedback from our members, ATPE offers the following policy recommendations:

• Timing. ​​The 120+ hours required to complete the Reading Academies (equivalent to at least three full-time, five-day work weeks) experienced by many respondents, combined with the widespread lack of compensation and questioning of the training’s value, is disappointing many educators. Districts should allow educators the full statutory timeline through the 2022-23 school year to satisfy the Reading Academies requirement.
• Compensation. As many educators as possible should be paid for their time, whether by additional state funding or grants and/or by guidance and best practices shared by TEA.
• Value. A differentiation structure is needed to ensure that the Reading Academies are a good use of time for all educators, both new and veteran. Prior content knowledge should determine the depth and extent of Reading Academies training an educator must take.
• Specials. Any educator who teaches specials should be exempt from the Reading Academy requirements, particularly since some the “all-level” certifications have only been in existence since 2008. This means a 15-year specials teacher may have to attend a Reading Academy simply because an all-level certification wasn’t available at the time of their certification.

ATPE is committed to being the ally and voice for Texas educators and was privileged to receive such a robust response to our Reading Academies survey. We sincerely appreciate the opportunity to share these results and recommendations with Texas leaders, legislators, and agency staff. ATPE members are also invited to contact their own lawmakers directly to share their experiences with the Reading Academies using our Advocacy Central tool.

For additional information, contact ATPE Governmental Relations at government@atpe.org or (512) 467-0071.