Teacher Reading Academies—Online at Searchlight!

Developed at the Vaughn Gross Center with funds provided by the Texas Education Agency, the Teacher Reading Academies (TRAs) are scientifically based professional development courses designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of teachers, so they can effectively teach young students to read.

To increase access to these resources, each of the original TRAs has been revised and converted to an online version, the Online Teacher Reading Academies (OTRAs; 2009). The OTRAs can be accessed via the Searchlight Web site. Searchlight allows educators to take online courses for continuing professional education (CPE) credit* through its Go Learn feature. These academies are available to teachers across Texas, as well as other states, U.S. territories, and countries.

All five grade-level OTRAs—Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, Third Grade, and Fourth Grade—include explicit, systematic instruction in phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The OTRAs address this wide range of subjects so teachers can tailor their instruction to address the needs of all children who are learning to read. The OTRAs highlight effective instructional practices such as grouping, monitoring student progress to inform instruction, and providing interventions for struggling readers. Each OTRA offers engaging activities and videos of real teachers in their classrooms, as well as reference materials, lesson plans, and classroom resources. In addition, the 2009 edition of the K-4 OTRAs are aligned with the newly adopted Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

*Ask your state education board whether CPE credits transfer to your state.

Topics Covered	Grade Level
English Language Learners: Using the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)	K	1	2	3	4
Features of Effective Instruction	K	1	2	3	4
Phonological Awareness	K	1
Print Awareness	K
Read-Alouds	K	1
Alphabetic Understanding, Phonics, and Spelling	K	1	2
Word Identification and Spelling				3	4
Fluency		1	2	3	4
Vocabulary and Oral Language Development	K
Vocabulary		1	2	3	4
Comprehension	K	1	2	3	4
Wide Reading		1	2	3	4
Writing	K	1	2	3	4
Differentiated Instruction	K	1	2	3	4
Reading Instruction in the Content Areas: Math					4