Information on the Texas Teacher Reading Academies is available here.

In 2002, with a grant from the United States Department of Education, the University of Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts made the Teacher Reading Academies (TRA) professional development materials available to all fifty states and the United States territories. The goals of the Teacher Reading Academies Project were to:

Promote the widespread use of effective reading instruction
Minimize the time and effort states expend creating effective professional development packages
Expedite the dissemination process

FAQs

What are the Teacher Reading Academies?

How are the Teacher Reading Academies implemented?

How can I ensure that the Academies meet my state's needs?

What materials did my state receive?

What software will I need to customize the TRA guides?

How do I use the different CD-ROMs?

What can I do if I’m having problems with the Academies’ electronic files?

Who do I contact to answer questions about the Academies?

What are the Teacher Reading Academies?

The Teacher Reading Academies (TRAs) are professional development materials that enhance teachers’ knowledge and skills so they can effectively teach young students to read. Three grade-level Teacher Reading Academies packages—Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade—were distributed to representatives from each U.S. state and territory at regional meetings in August and September, 2002.

The TRAs are built on scientifically-based components that include explicit and systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. An extensive research base was used in the development of the Teacher Reading Academies. For example, over 175 references are cited in the Second Grade Teacher Reading Academy.

The Academies highlight instructional practices such as grouping, monitoring student progress to inform instruction, and providing interventions for struggling readers. The Academies’ content addresses the needs of ALL children who are learning to read, including English language learners, students with learning disabilities, and those at risk for dyslexia and other disorders.

How are the Teacher Reading Academies implemented?

The Academies are comprised of eight, three-hour interactive sessions that are presented in a suggested sequence but may be modified to meet state needs. The sessions may be implemented in a variety of ways (e.g., one 4-day academy, four 1-day sessions, eight ½-day sessions). During these sessions, teachers collaborate with colleagues, design action plans, discuss key concepts and skills, and evaluate the reading programs they are using.

Sessions include a variety of hands-on activities and video segments featuring classroom instruction. Participants also have opportunities to practice using formal and informal assessment data to group students, monitor student progress, and inform their instruction.

How can I ensure that the Academies meet my state’s needs?

The Teacher Reading Academies can be customized easily to address the diverse needs of different states. Areas of customization include inserting state standards and guidelines, addressing state demographics, and referencing state documents.

What materials did my state receive?

Academy materials were sent to the Reading First or Reading Excellence Act coordinator in each state or territory. States received one master set per grade level (K–2). Each set included video segments featuring classroom instruction, CD-ROMS to aid in presentations and printing, and presenter and participant notebooks.

The presenter notebooks include presentation transparencies, detailed presenter notes, handouts, reprints, references, and print masters for activities. Participant notebooks have notes pages of presentation slides, activity handouts, and classroom masters for duplication.

What software will I need to customize the TRA guides?

For information regarding software, please see the Technical Manual. Because the TRA guides involve cross-references to handouts and linked images, a person trained in technical layout and design software may be the best qualified to directly customize the files found on the Development Files CD-ROMs.

Note: In addition to the native files on the Development Files CD-ROMs, which are created with special design software, electronic copies of the files also exist in PDF format on the Print Masters CD-ROM. Although these “print masters” PDF files are not intended for customization, they can be easily opened by any computer with Acrobat Reader installed on it. If Acrobat Reader is not already installed on your computer, it can be downloaded from the Adobe website for free: www.adobe.com.

How do I use the different CD-ROMs?

With the academy materials, your state received three different CD-ROMs for each grade level (K–2):

Electronic Presentations
Print Masters
Development Files (For additional information on these CD-ROMs, please refer to the Technical Manual.)

Electronic Presentation CD-ROMs

Offered as an alternative to color transparencies, the Electronic Presentations CD-ROMs contain full-screen, Adobe PDF slide shows of the presentation slides. In order to utilize these CD-ROMs in training sessions, you will need to have an LCD projector and a computer with Acrobat Reader installed on it.

Print Masters CD-ROMs

For ease in duplication, the Print Masters CD-ROMs contain PDF files of all of the printed material in the guides as well as masters for additional materials, such as video and CD labels, binder covers, and special activities. Although the PDF files found on this CD can not be easily customized (for customization, you will need the Development Files CD-ROMs), they can be opened by any computer with Acrobat Reader installed on it. Therefore, individuals who do not have the software necessary to open documents on the Development Files CD-ROMs may still be able to open, view, and print the corresponding print masters for those documents, found on the Print Masters CD-ROMs.

Development Files CD-ROMs

In order to physically customize the TRA materials, a graphic designer will need to use the Development Files CD-ROMs, which contain all of the TRA’s native files. To open and work with most of the files on this CD, it is necessary to have certain graphic, layout, and design applications installed on your computer, such as Adobe FrameMaker. For more information, please see the Technical Manual.

What can I do if I’m having problems with the Academies’ electronic files?

Included with the TRA materials is a Technical Manual that offers an overview and instructions for working with development files.

This manual provides support for:

the technical aspects of customizing the TRA guides, including information on software;
using electronic presentations as an alternative to color transparencies;
setting up customized documents for print duplication; and
printer specifications for duplicating the TRA guides.

Who do I contact to answer questions about the Academies?

Questions regarding academy content can be answered by e-mailing info@readingacademies.org.