The AIU's Reading Achievement Center (RAC) provides services and support designed to increase student learning and achievement in reading. The center's programs and services provide Allegheny County educators access to high quality professional development,  materials and resources to transform and sustain effective literacy instruction in grades pre-K to 12. RAC offers cohort based professional development at the AIU, as well as customized, onsite curriculum support and professional development.

2019-2020 Professional Learning Opportunities

 The K-3 Reading Apprenticeship Model

12 day series – $3,800 per participant

• An initial session of intensive, comprehensive training in reading history, pedagogy, theory, research and proven instructional practice
• Monthly follow-up trainings to build depth and breadth of professional knowledge and application
• All materials (including student materials and professional resources)
• Monthly (or as needed) on-site technical assistance and corrective feedback
• Administrators may accompany their registered participants to any or all sessions at no cost

Dates:

September 23-24
October 24-25
November 20
December 10-11
January 21
February 20
March 19
April 16
May 14

Registration:  https://rac2019k-3.eventbrite.com

Text Dependent Analysis: Effective Instructional Practices

4 day series – $600 per participant, 4th-8th grade ELA teachers

This four-day series focuses on effective teaching practices for helping students overcome some of the biggest struggles with the text dependent analysis (TDA) portion of the PSSA. Sessions will focus on teaching students how to understand the prompt, read and write for analysis, determine the best evidence, and craft the essay. Participants will engage in modeled research-based and classroom-tested activities to strengthen their own instruction.

• All materials are included
• Administrators may accompany their registered participants to any or all sessions at no cost

Dates:

September 18
October 24
December 5
January 23

Registration: https://rac2019TDA.eventbrite.com

PART 2: Text Dependent Analysis: Effective Instructional Practices

3 day series – $450 per participant, 4th-8th grade ELA teachers who have taken Text Dependent Analysis:  Effective Instructional Practices during the 2017-18 or 2018-19 school year

This three day series is open to participants who attended “TDA: Effective Instructional Practices” during the 2017-18 or 2018-19 school year. In this series, participants will deepen their understanding of the reading, thinking, and writing processes necessary for TDA success, examine student work, and use the TDA Learning Progressions to make instructional decisions.

• All materials are included
• Administrators may accompany their registered participants to any or all sessions at no cost
• Must have participated in the first TDA series to be accepted into this series

Dates:

September 19
January 23
March 3

Registration: https://rac2019TDApart2.eventbrite.com

 Keys to Comprehension ***NEW***

4 day series - $600 per participant, 3rd-7th grade ELA teachers

This professional development series consists of four full days of training that focus exclusively on the literacy domain of reading comprehension. Targeted for teachers in grades 3 to 7, the content is directly aligned with the PA Core standards and state test expectations.  Participants learn instructional techniques to unlock reading comprehension, applicable to both literature and informational text.

• All materials are included
• Administrators may accompany their registered participants to any or all sessions at no cost

Dates:

October 8
November 12
December 12
January 30

Registration:  https://rac2019KeystoComp.eventbrite.com 

Thinking through the Pencil ***NEW***

4 day series - $600 per participant, 4th-8th ELAteachers

Thinking Through the Pencil is a four-day workshop series designed to build students' critical thinking skills through writing. Designed for practical application in grades 4-8 ELA classrooms, participants engage in instructional practices based on current research on what makes a difference in student writing. Topics include teaching academic form, increasing the frequency of writing opportunities, providing effective and timely feedback, incorporating writing into reading, incorporating grammar instruction into reading and writing, conducting document reviews of student work, and teaching mode-specific writing to meet the writing requirements of the PA Core Standards.

• All materials are included
• Administrators may accompany their registered participants to any or all sessions at no cost

Dates:

October 17
November 21
January 7
February 11

Registration:  https://rac2019ThinkPencil.eventbrite.com 

Adolescent Literacy Institute

4 day series – $600 per participant, middle and high school English and Reading Teachers

The Adolescent Literacy Institute is a series of workshops for middle and high school teachers focused on research-based literacy practices that support students as they become college and career ready. Specifically aligned with brain research on how adolescents learn, this workshop series engages participants in the research behind and modeling of effective reading and writing instruction for the secondary grades.

• All materials are included
• Administrators may accompany their registered participants to any or all sessions at no cost

Dates:

October 30
December 17
January 14
February 26

Registration:  https://rac2019AdLit.eventbrite.com 

Comprehension, Close Reading and Complex Text: Laying the Foundation K-2

4 day series – $400 per participant, K-2 ELA teachers

Transitioning students to the demands of the PA Core Standards is not a job just for teachers in the tested grades! This four-day series will support teachers in the primary grades in aligning their instructional practices to the PA Core. Participants will engage with teaching informational text, text dependent questions, close reading, scaffolding instruction using complex text, annotating text, designing rigorous tasks, and incorporating academic vocabulary into students’ vocabularies, specifically focusing on how to implement these concepts into everyday practice.

• All materials are included
• Administrators may accompany their registered participants to any or all sessions at no cost

Dates:

January 14
February 12
March 11
April 7

Registration: https://rac2019k-2Foundation.eventbrite.com 

 English Language Arts (ELA) Symposium

2 days (no cost) 

2019-20 Topic: Close Reading

The Reading Achievement Center provides two annual symposiums that focus on expert literacy practices aligned to the PA Core standards along with modeled instruction that meets the rigor of the standards.

Dates:

November 14 (3rd - 5th ELA Teachers)  Registration:https://rac3-5symposium2019.eventbrite.com
January 28 (6th- 8th ELA Teachers) Registration: https://rac6-8symposium2020.eventbrite.com

 Act 45 Course: Supporting Teacher Growth with ELA Common Core Shifts

6-day series – No cost for administrators in Allegheny County schools

• The targeted audience for this course is school-based administrators who are seeking additional professional learning to support teacher practice in the area of literacy as it relates to the Common Core Shifts, specifically in the elementary grades.
• The six-session course will provide administrators with a total of 41 Act 45 hours (21 in class hours, 20 hours of outside assignments).
• Free for administrators in Allegheny County schools;  $150.00 for administrators outside of Allegheny County 

Dates:  October 2 & 29, December 6, January 9, February 6, March 5

Registration:   https://rac2019act45ela.eventbrite.com

Role Alike Groups

RAC Reading Specialists’ Network

4 sessions – No Cost

Join the RAC Reading Specialists’ Network for an opportunity to connect with other reading specialists in Allegheny County.  Each session will feature research-based best practices and strategies to support reading specialists in being effective in their role as they work with students, teachers, and parents in all three tiers of literacy.  The network is open to Reading Specialists who have participated in the 2017-18 Network as well as new participants. 

Dates:  October 1, November 6, January 8, March 10

Registration:  https://2019racreadingspecialist.eventbrite.com

PIIC Instructional Coaches’ Network

9 sessions – No Cost

Join a network of fellow instructional coaches for monthly professional learning workshops provided by Heather Moschetta, Instructional Coach Mentor for the PA Institute for Instructional Coaching (PIIC), and Kevin Conner, Instructional Technology Coordinator. Sessions will feature professional learning specific to the needs of instructional coaches, on topics determined by the network group and supported by PIIC and PDE. The network is open to all coaches in AIU3, including literacy coaches, math coaches, technology coaches, and instructional coaches. Email heather.moschetta@aiu3.net or kevin.conner@aiu3.net to join our network email list and receive registration information for each monthly session.

Dates:     

September 12
October 9
November 13
December 11
January 22
February 20
March 12
April 15
May 19

Reading Achievement Center Resources:

The RAC room has limited samples of effective commercial programs and other educator resources to supplement and enhance classroom instruction and out-of-school learning. Reading Achievement Center staff are available to assist districts in reviewing curricular and instructional materials.

Contact heather.moschetta@aiu3.net or lisa.yonek@aiu3.net for more information.