Texas Commission on Public Schools noted that only 58% of Texas students come to school Kindergarten ready, and only 4 out of 10 students met the state’s 3rd grade reading standard in 2018.  With these alarming facts, House Bill 3 was passed by the 86th Texas Legislature in 2019.  The mission of Texas Reading Academies is to, "equip educators with the knowledge and skills needed to implement evidence-based literacy instruction, assess student progress, and use data to inform instruction so that all Texas children develop a strong foundation in reading and writing."  (TEA, 2019)

Reading Academies are a transformative experience to equip teachers and administrators with evidence-based literacy content and instructional strategies that support the science of teaching reading. It is required that all administrators and K-3rd grade teachers, including interventionists and special education teachers, attend the Texas Reading Academies by the end of the 2022-2023 school year.  Reading Academies are comprised of twelve learning modules covering an array of literacy content totaling 60 hours of professional development hours in The Science of Teaching Reading.  (Reading Academies, TEA, 2019)