Originally posted on March 11, 2025

Walk into this classroom at Hatley Elementary School, and it looks like any other classroom in the school. The walls are lined with posters, books stacked neatly and students engaged in learning. But these students aren’t children. They’re EMS ISD elementary teachers participating in the Texas Reading Academies, a state-mandated, 60-hour program designed to enhance literacy instruction for kindergarten through third-grade and special education teachers.

The Reading Academy is required for all K-3 and special education teachers in Texas, often completed outside of school hours. However, EMS ISD provides an in-person cohort during the workday, ensuring teachers can focus on learning without sacrificing personal time.

“In-person sessions allow us to create a common language among all our teachers and ensure they understand how to apply the strategies using our district resources,” said Carlynn Briley, EMS ISD’s Reading Academy instructor. “It also gives me the opportunity to observe them in action, seeing firsthand how they implement what they’ve learned to help students become stronger readers.”

Briley, who must recertify every year with a three-day training, leads teachers through modules covering essential reading skills. The group recently completed a module on comprehension, culminating in a post-test assessment and a hands-on artifact demonstrating how they use student data to drive instruction. 

 “The Reading Academy gives us an extended explanation of how these skills work and the different strategies we can use,” Abigail Guerra, a teacher at Remington Point Elementary School, said. “It’s crucial for teachers to understand these foundations so we can help close reading gaps. Having this course in person makes a huge difference. It allows us to engage in meaningful discussions rather than just completing assignments online.”

Another benefit of the district-led, in-person reading academy is the ability to collaborate with peers and an experienced instructor to make the content more manageable.

“The course has helped me pinpoint the reading needs of my students and apply effective strategies,” said Stephanie Snow, a teacher at Remington Point Elementary School. “Having guided lessons and the chance to ask questions makes the material more digestible. As a new teacher, I’ve had several ‘aha’ moments during the course.”

It even helps that Briley set up a classroom to model for the teachers in the "class."

“It was so rewarding to set up a physical classroom modeled after an elementary setting,” Briley said. “Some teachers even invited me to demonstrate lessons with their students.”

Since the district began offering the program, more than 500 EMS ISD teachers have completed the academy, with 36 participating this year and around 50 expected next year.

“The impact is clear. Our teachers are gaining valuable strategies, and our students are becoming stronger readers,” Briley said. “That’s what this is all about.”

We are #EMSproud of the world class educators in EMS ISD for their dedication to ensuring our students are strong readers during their most foundational reading years.