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Special Education Reading Project (SERP) Struggling Readers Institute™ Collection

Initiated to link special education with Texas statewide reading initiative activities, the Special Education Reading Project (SERP) was designed to identify effective reading and writing techniques that enhance the knowledge, skills, and practices of special education teachers in implementing and evaluating the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) with students with special needs. These instructional techniques for facilitating student access to the general education curriculum and for addressing students’ literacy needs can be found in six Struggling Readers Institutes™. The Elementary Institute draws upon the principles of the K-2 Teacher Reading Academies™ and has been expanded upon in separate Institutes for administrators, for teaching students who are blind or visually impaired, and for teaching students who are deaf and hard of hearing. The Secondary Institutes include an edition geared toward teachers who serve older students reading at the K-2 level and an Institute for secondary administrators.

Each Institute is an interactive workshop, containing materials for presenters (e.g., slide presentations, speaker notes, videos) and materials for participants (e.g., copies of presentations, handouts, resources). Although these Institutes were originally created for Texas curricula, the techniques and activities they describe have value for classrooms beyond Texas.

Contact licensing@texasreading.org if you are interested in obtaining a license to use one or more of these Institutes. Should you arrange a license, VGC will send you a master set of CD-ROMs from which you can produce all of the materials needed for your workshops. VGC will not grant permission to modify these materials or to post them on external Web sites. In 2006, two of the Institutes (the Elementary and Secondary Institutes) became available in convenient interactive CD-ROMs, or Online Institutes. The Online Institutes include all of the features of the “face-to-face” sessions — presentation slides, an online trainer, participant activities and handouts, and classroom videos — but can be accessed by an individual with just a CD-ROM and a computer, or online for free with Searchlight. For more information on how to order these products and for other related resources, e-mail licensing@texasreading.org.

The SERP Struggling Readers Institutes™ were developed by the Vaughn Gross Center for Reading and Language Arts with the support of the Texas Education Agency; The University of Texas at Austin, College of Education; and the Reading In Special Education (RISE) Task Force (also known as the Access to the General Education Curriculum Task Force).

For Elementary Teachers:

SERP Elementary Institute
Effective Instruction for Elementary Struggling Readers: Research-Based Practices (Rev. ed.)

A three-day interactive workshop for general and special education educators, this Institute offers special education adaptations of primary reading instruction. The Institute, designed for students in grades K-5 who are reading at the K-2 level, is based on the literacy content of the Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade Teacher Reading Academies. It covers topics such as phonological awareness, word study, spelling, fluency, and comprehension. Note: In addition to the face-to-face training, in 2005, this Institute will also be available in an online version.

SERP Elementary Institute for Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Effective Instruction for Elementary Struggling Readers Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Research-Based Practices

Along with information from the SERP Elementary Institute, this Institute offers specific adaptations for elementary reading instruction that are geared toward students who are deaf and hard of hearing. It is intended as a three-day interactive workshop for general and special education educators, particularly those who work with students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

SERP Elementary Institute for Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
Effective Instruction for Elementary Struggling Readers Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired: Research-Based Practices

Along with information from the SERP Elementary Institute, this Institute offers specific adaptations for elementary reading instruction that are geared toward students who are blind or visually impaired. It is intended as a three-day interactive workshop for general and special education educators, particularly those who work with students who are blind or visually impaired.

For Elementary Administrators:

SERP Elementary Institute for Administrators
Effective Instruction for Elementary Struggling Readers: The Administrator’s Role in Supporting Research-Based Practices

A three-hour interactive workshop for elementary school administrators, this Institute is linked to the Effective Instruction for Elementary Struggling Readers: Research-Based Practices, which offers specific adaptations for elementary reading instruction. The Institute includes topics such as curricula for an effective research-based reading program, critical features of effective reading instruction, student assessment, student characteristics, adaptations, instructional activities, challenges teachers face, support for teachers, and planning implementation.

For Secondary Teachers:

SERP Secondary Institute
Effective Instruction for Secondary Struggling Readers: Research-Based Practices

Intended as a three-day interactive workshop for reading, language arts, and special education teachers who serve students reading at the K-2 level, this Institute offers adaptations for secondary reading instruction. The Institute includes topics such as reading comprehension, vocabulary, word identification, and fluency. Note: In addition to the face-to-face training, in 2005, this Institute will also be available in an online version.

For Secondary Administrators:

SERP Secondary Institute for Administrators
Effective Instruction for Secondary Struggling Readers: The Administrator’s Role in Supporting Research-Based Practices

Intended as a three-hour interactive workshop for secondary school administrators, this Institute is linked to the Secondary Institute, which offers specific adaptations for secondary reading instruction. The Institute includes topics such as curricula for an effective research-based reading program, critical features of effective reading instruction, student assessment, student characteristics, adaptations, instructional activities, challenges teachers face, support for teachers, and planning implementation.

For information about obtaining a license to reproduce large quantities of Center products, please contact licensing@texasreading.org