Home » News
February 2005 News Briefs
Educators from 15 states to attend CRRFTAC meeting
Central Regional Reading First Technical Assistance Center members are gearing up for a meeting Feb. 28-March 1 at the Renaissance Austin Hotel involving Reading First directors and staff members from the 15 states for which CRRFTAC provides technical assistance.
Participants will take a field trip to see the 3-Tier Reading Model in action at local campuses. Isabel Beck, a University of Pittsburgh professor and senior scientist with its Learning Research and Development Center, will speak at the event.
On Feb. 4, CRRFTAC's Ann Fiala and Pam Bell Morris spoke at a West Virginia Department of Education Reading First Conference, working with instructional leaders to examine the 3-Tier Reading Model. Approximately 150 principals and reading coaches learned how this process emphasizes providing quality core reading instruction for all students (Tier I); using data to inform teachers of instructional needs that can be met through intervention (Tier II); and/or through intensive small-group intervention (Tier III). While the all-day professional development laid the groundwork for the implementation of the 3-Tier Reading Model in West Virginia Reading First classrooms, district and campus leaders indicated they might want further training as they plan to implement the model.
HEC seminars set
The Texas Higher Education Collaborative Orientation Seminar for new members will be held Feb. 22-23 in Dallas. Presenters include Jan Hasbrouck, consultant for Washington Reading First, speaking on fluency and Candace Anderson of Region 20 Education Service Center speaking on the Center's First Grade Teacher Reading Academy.
On Feb. 24, a seminar providing an overview of the Elementary and Secondary Special Education Reading Project (SERP) Institutes will be held at the Doubletree Hotel Dallas. Bettye Kuehler, an educational consultant from Region XI ESC, will facilitate the seminar. More than 70 teacher educators from across the state are expected to attend.
On March 11, a seminar on English Language Learners featuring Alba Ortiz of UT Austin and Javier Ayala of UT Brownsville will be held in San Antonio.
Only HEC members and Vaughn Gross Center employees can attend the seminars.
Texas Reading First to unveil 3-Tier simulation
Desiree Pallais , Alejandra Rodriguez-Galindo, and Thea Woodruff are the creative forces behind 3-Tier Decision-Making: A Simulation, which will be unveiled Feb. 23 at the Reading Technical Assistants monthly meeting in Austin. During the session, the Center will present and discuss the many questions that each Reading First school must address while implementing the 3-Tier Reading Model. To illustrate the process, participants will be taken through a simulation using sample assessment data and addressing many issues that can arise during such implementation.
Earlier that month, the TRF-TA team head out across the state on technical support visits to schools in need of help with implementing their Reading First grants.