The Texas Reading First Initiative, funded by the Texas Education Agency, provides on-site technical assistance and professional development on using research based strategies and components to improve reading instruction in Texas public schools. More than 700 schools and their 180,000 students are beneficiaries of this service.
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The US Department of Education describes the focus of Reading First as “putting proven methods of early reading instruction in classrooms.”1 Reading First grants were awarded to State Education Agencies (SEAs) following an extensive application process. These grants provided states with support for implementation of a system providing assessments, materials, and professional development to ensure that all children read at grade level by 3rd grade. In turn, SEAs awarded sub-grants to eligible Local Education Agencies (LEAs) for implementation in grades K-3.
The Texas Reading First Initiative (TRFI) is funded at IPSI by a $43 million TEA grant over a five-year period. The heart of the TRFI plan is to “provide focused, data-driven professional development and site-specific technical assistance to funded LEAs” to ensure that proven methods of early reading instruction are in place in classrooms across the state.2 Eligible LEAs were determined based on 2002 Texas Assessment & Academic Skills Reading Scores.
Currently, 688 campuses and 217,000 children are served by the TRFI. Five university partners/agencies provide the leadership for creating, delivering, and evaluating professional development and technical assistance for each Reading First Campus to include:
TEA coordinates the administration of the grant and the work of the Partners. CLI and VGCRLA are responsible for the development of statewide training and technical assistance. VGCRLA also houses the successful Higher Education Collaborative, a 300-member (91 institutions) group of teacher educators dedicated to preparing teachers for effective reading instruction in public schools. TIMES’ primary function is data management and reporting. The UT System is responsible for statewide service delivery, including site-based implementation support and dissemination of professional development at the campus level.
1 Guide to U.S. Department of Education Programs, August, 2007
2 Texas Reading First plan, April, 2003
Five Project Managers and 62 Reading Technical Assistance Specialists (RTAs) are directly involved in the statewide service delivery for UT System. Since the inception of the TRFI in 2003, RTAs have received over 350 hours of professional development that are, in turn, delivered to the local campuses through the Local Campus Coaches (LCCs) whose salaries are funded by the grant.Five Project Managers and 64 Reading Technical Assistance Specialists (RTAs) are directly involved in the statewide service delivery for UT System.
While much has been accomplished, there is still work to be done in Texas. Many of the districts who qualified for Reading First funds in the first 5 years of the initiative did not apply. While National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores for 4th graders increased overall between 2003 and 2007, they remained relatively flat between 2005 and 2007. The future of the Texas Reading First Initiative is focused on using data to create campus-wide plans for student achievement, sustaining the progress that has been made, and identifying those schools in Texas where students are not making gains. Targeted technical assistance, including data-informed professional development for teachers and principals, site-based classroom support, and district support, is planned for schools involved in TRFI who have made the smallest gains. Emphasis on the role of the campus leadership in institutionalizing science-based reading instruction is critical. Reauthorization of Reading First would mean additional resources for schools which were not part of the original cadre.
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TRFI has made a difference for boys and girls in Texas as well as for teachers and administrators. Scores for third grade students on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) in Reading First schools are significantly higher than in the spring of 2003, prior to the implementation of TRFI. Many individual Reading First campuses have attained Recognized or Exemplary status within the Texas Accountability System (see success stories following). In addition, NAEP scores for Texas fourth graders from 2003 (prior to Reading First) to 2007 increased significantly in all percentile ranges.
The TRFI goal for the 2007-2008 school year is to ensure sustainability of the infrastructure, process, and instruction that have led to increased reading achievement for boys and girls in our state. In August 2007, TRFI hosted a Superintendent’s Summit, focusing on sustaining Reading First as an institution, rather than as a data stream. Continuing in the fall of 2007, the TRFI has instituted Strategic Leadership meetings targeted to the lowest-performing 33% of RF schools. Reading First Partners have facilitated these meetings in which campus leadership teams have collaborated with their peers to examine student data to determine needs and develop instructional plans aimed at increasing student achievement.
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Following are only a few of the many success stories for Reading First schools in Texas:
Beacon Hill Elementary, San Antonio ISD: Under the strong leadership of principal, Jose Moreno (former RTA), and his dedicated staff, Beacon Hill Elementary earned Exemplary Status (90% passing all subjects, all grade levels in all subpopulations) under the Texas Accountability System for the 2006-2007 school year. In 2003, Beacon Hill had 67% passing in English and 73% passing in Spanish. Beacon Hill, a Cycle 1 Reading First campus, has achieved this outstanding status through the implementation of effective teaching strategies and embracing the Reading First framework.
United ISD, Laredo, TX: Based on the Texas Accountability System, during the 2005-2006 academic year, one of the nine United ISD Reading First campuses earned Recognized status. During the 2006-2007 academic year, three of the campuses earned Recognized status and the remaining six campuses earned Acceptable status. At the beginning of the grant in 2003, United did not have any Recognized campuses and had three Unacceptable campuses. These accomplishments can be attributed to a combination of consistent implementation of the RF program, effective assistance from all partners and commitment from campus and district leadership at every level.
Tarkington ISD: All four of the district campuses received a Gold Star Performance Acknowledgement from the state in 2007. These are TEA designations indicating that 25% or more of the students in a tested area were recognized as Commended on the TAKS test. For a student to be Commended, he or she must answer 90% of the questions correctly. Tarkington Primary School (a Reading First campus) received the Gold Star Award for Reading. Last year at the Beginning of Year (BOY), in 2006 the Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI) data showed that 61% of the first grade students were on grade level. BOY data in 2007 for these same students now in 2nd grade show that 92% are on grade level.
Clardy Elementary, in El Paso ISD: Led by Raquel Fraga, principal, and Sheri Berry, local campus coach, all instructional enhancements and professional development sessions are based on data and designed to target the areas of need. With a 90.5% first round passing rate on third grade reading TAKS in 2006-2007, Clardy staff members have shown their dedication and commitment to students. The campus leaders and K-3 staff consistently collaborate, monitor, and evaluate the reading progress of students in Tiers I, II, and III. If results are not showing growth, then adaptations and/or enhancements are made to strengthen and refine instructional strategies being used. Clardy Elementary can be proud of the many aspects of Texas Reading First that have been successfully implemented: strong classroom management, workstations in all K-3 classrooms, fidelity to the core reading program, instructional decisions based on data, professional development targeting areas of need, and an established collaborative culture that focuses on students.
Highland ISD: TAKS scores have increased over the last 5 years showing 89%, 90%, 100%, 100%, and 100% for 3rd grade respectively. The number of students identified as needing Tier II instruction shows a slight decrease. However, teachers are now providing intervention to “border-line” students, making a big difference as they approach 4th and 5th grade. Effective core reading instruction and intervention has decreased the number of students identified as Tier III to zero. In addition, since the inception of Reading First, there have been no Special Education referrals in K-3.
Paint Creek ISD: This West Texas district has 100% of its 3rd grade students passing TAKS in 2006-07 and has seen no new Special Education referrals since 2003. For example, a student served in Special Education in 2nd grade during the 2006-07 school year was struggling to read Grade 1 Story 1 on the TPRI, vut is now in 3rd grade and reading on grade level.
Olney ISD: With intensive intervention through the 3-Tier Model, Olney dropped the Special Education referrals from 9 students at the beginning of the school year to 2. Olney credits the drop in referrals to the “Response-to-Intervention (RTI)” model and to the success of the core program and use of the 3-Tier model of instruction and intervention. The principal developed graphs from progress monitoring data for teachers that have been shared across the state.
Rio Grande City: In 2007, 8 campuses earned Recognized status in the Texas Accountability System, and one campus was rated as Exemplary. Rio Grande City ISD is a TEA Recognized District, and Mr. Roel Gonzalez was named Superintendent of the Year 2008 for Texas by AASA. Mr. Gonzalez puts emphasis on early reading assessment outcomes (TPRI, Tejas Lee, Aprenda, SAT 10), holding principals accountable for gains in the lower grades, which creates a domino effect for increased student achievement.
Beaumont ISD: Of Beaumont’s 11 Reading First schools, five achieved Recognized Status in 2007, and three schools were rated Exemplary in the state’s Accountability System.
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Texas Reading First Initiative
Karen Nelson, Director
702 Colorado Street, CLB 5.200
Austin, TX 78701
512-499-4245
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