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Upcoming Professional Learning
The AIU's Reading Achievement Center (RAC) provides services designed to increase student learning and achievement in reading. Teachers and administrators gain access to research-based professional development, materials and resources to transform and sustain effective literacy instruction. Courses are available for pre-K through grade 12 educators.
Select a grade band tab below to view professional development opportunities.
Primary School
Just for primary teachers, these Reading Achievement Center courses help educators build the foundation for lifelong literacy:
The K-3 Reading Apprenticeship Model
Option 1: $3,800 per participant (includes 1-on-1 support)
Option 2: $2,800 per participant (no 1-on-1 support)
Series Length: 12 modules
Delivery Mode: Face-to-Face - 12 in-person sessions at the AIU on scheduled dates listed below
Developed with the primary teacher in mind, the Reading Achievement Center's K-3 Reading Apprenticeship Model consists of 12 intensive, comprehensive training in reading pedagogy, theory, research, and proven instructional practices; meets requirements for PDE Chapter 49 Structured Literacy.
Option 1 only: Individualized data-driven planning and coaching to support teachers with meaningful implementation of content and strategies from sessions; virtual informal observations with feedback.
Administrators may accompany their registered participants to any or all sessions at no cost.
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
September 16, 17; October 14, 15; November 17; December 8, 9; January 13; February 10; March 10; April 15; May 13
Comprehension, Close Reading, and Complex Text:
Laying the Foundation K-2
Price: $600 per participant, K-2 teachers
Series Length: 4 modules
Delivery Mode:
Option 1: Face-to-face – Four in-person sessions at the AIU on scheduled dates listed below.
Option 2: Fully online, asynchronous – Work at your own pace through four online course modules.
Transitioning students to the demands of the PA Core Standards is not a job just for teachers in the tested grades! Participants will learn a variety of techniques and how to implement comprehension concepts into everyday practice through close reading of complex text.
- All materials are included
- Administrators may accompany their registered participants to any or all sessions at no cost
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
February 1, March 1, April 1, May 1
Decoding the Science of Reading Module 1 (Building Blocks for the Foundational Skills)
Price & Delivery Mode:
Option 1: Register for all 5 sessions. Cost is $599 - Invoiced after first session. 25 Act 48 hours will be awarded.
Option 2: Register for individual sessions at a cost of $150.
Deepen your knowledge and application of teaching and assessing the foundational skills. Unpack the research and learn program agnostic strategies to develop accurate and automatic readers in whole and small group settings. This RAC series provides the content offered in other national training programs but delivered in a more efficient and flexible manner.
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
- Session 1 - How the Brain Learns to Read | October 6
- Session 2 - All About the Sounds - Phonology and Sound Walls | November 19
- Session 3 - Phonics Trifecta - Decoding, Encoding and Transfer to Text | December 16
- Session 4 - Advanced Phonics, Spelling and Orthography | January 14
- Session 5 - The Science of Writing: Syntax Writing and Developing Syntactic Awareness | February 11
Decoding the Science of Reading Module 2 (Teaching the Upper Strands of the Reading Rope)
Price & Delivery Mode:
Option 1: Register for all 4 sessions. Cost is $599 - Invoiced after first session. 20 Act 48 hours will be awarded.
Option 2: Register for individual sessions at a cost of $150.
Move beyond the foundational skills to develop strategic thinkers, readers and writers ready to engage with complex text and academic vocabulary. This RAC series provides the content offered in other national training programs but delivered in a more efficient and flexible manner.
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
- Session 6 - Unpacking Language Comprehension
- Session 7 - Vocabulary & Language Structures
- Session 8 - Developing Knowledge and Thinking Through Text
- Session 9 - Literacy Structure - Working with Fiction & Nonfiction Structures & Genres
Elementary & Middle School
Perfect for elementary and middle school teachers, these sessions will help educators empower their students and ignite their passion for reading:
Keys to Comprehension
English Language Arts (Grades 3-8)
Targeted for teachers in grades 3 to 8, this Reading Achievement Center series focuses on the literacy domain of reading comprehension. Participants learn instructional techniques to unlock reading comprehension, applicable to both literature and informational text.
Price: $600 per person
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
September 23, October 28, December 15, February 11
Text Dependent Analysis:
Effective Instructional Practices
English Language Arts (Grades 4-8)
This Reading Achievement Center series focuses on effective teaching practices that help teachers help students overcome some of the biggest struggles with the text-dependent analysis portion of the PSSA, including instructional practices to support students with composing TDA on the online PSSA.
Price: $600 per person
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
September 16, October 20, December 9, January 28
Text Dependent Analysis Part 2:
Effective Instructional Practices
English Language Arts (Grades 4-8)
This three-module Reading Achievement Center series is open to participants who attended “TDA: Effective Instructional Practices” during a previous school year. In this series, participants will deepen their understanding of the reading, thinking, and writing processes necessary for TDA success.
Price: $450 per person
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
September 24, February 2, March 3
Thinking through the Pencil
English Language Arts (Grades 4-8)
Thinking Through the Pencil is designed to build students’ critical thinking skills through writing. Participants engage in instructional practices based on current research in this Reading Achievement Center series.
Price: $600 per person
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
October 8, November 17, January 12, February 23
Adolescent Literacy Institute:
Middle and High School English & Reading Teachers
Specifically aligned with brain research on how adolescents learn, this Reading Achievement Center workshop series engages participants in the research behind and modeling of effective reading and writing instruction for the secondary grades.
Price: $600 per person
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
September 30, November 10, January 27, February 25
Word Wizards:
English Language Arts (Grades 3-12)
Build your students into word wizards! This Reading Achievement Center series presents teachers in grades 3-12 with research and practical strategies to strengthen students' word knowledge, through both indirect vocabulary exposure and direct vocabulary instruction.
Price: $450 per person
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
October 22, December 8, February 9
English Language Arts Symposium
2026-27 Topic: Movement in the ELA Classroom
The English Language Arts (ELA) Symposium is the Reading Achievement Center's annual workshop addressing a critical need for strengthening teacher practice that improves student achievement.
Price: Free
ELA Symposium (Grades 3-5)
Date: November 11
ELA Symposium (Grades 6-8)
Date: January 13
High School
The following RAC offerings will help students become college and career ready:
Adolescent Literacy Institute:
Middle and High School English & Reading Teachers
Specifically aligned with brain research on how adolescents learn, this Reading Achivement Center workshop series engages participants in the research behind and modeling of effective reading and writing instruction for the secondary grades.
Price: $600 per person
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
Sept. 30, Nov. 10, Jan. 27, Feb. 25
Word Wizards:
English Language Arts (Grades 3-12)
Build your students into word wizards! This Reading Achievement Center workshop series presents teachers in grades 3-12 with research and practical strategies to strengthen students' word knowledge, through both indirect vocabulary exposure and direct vocabulary instruction.
Price: $450 per person
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
October 22, December 8, February 9
Decoding the Science of Reading Module 1 (Building Blocks for the Foundational Skills)
Price & Delivery Mode:
Option 1: Register for all 5 sessions. Cost is $599 - Invoiced after first session. 25 Act 48 hours will be awarded.
Option 2: Register for individual sessions at a cost of $150.
Deepen your knowledge and application of teaching and assessing the foundational skills. Unpack the research and learn program agnostic strategies to develop accurate and automatic readers in whole and small group settings. This RAC series provides the content offered in other national training programs but delivered in a more efficient and flexible manner.
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
- Session 1 - How the Brain Learns to Read | October 6
- Session 2 - All About the Sounds - Phonology and Sound Walls | November 19
- Session 3 - Phonics Trifecta - Decoding, Encoding and Transfer to Text | December 16
- Session 4 - Advanced Phonics, Spelling and Orthography | January 14
- Session 5 - The Science of Writing: Syntax Writing and Developing Syntactic Awareness | February 11
Decoding the Science of Reading Module 2 (Teaching the Upper Strands of the Reading Rope)
Price & Delivery Mode:
Option 1: Register for all 4 sessions. Cost is $599 - Invoiced after first session. 20 Act 48 hours will be awarded.
Option 2: Register for individual sessions at a cost of $150.
Move beyond the foundational skills to develop strategic thinkers, readers and writers ready to engage with complex text and academic vocabulary. This RAC series provides the content offered in other national training programs but delivered in a more efficient and flexible manner.
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
- Session 6 - Unpacking Language Comprehension
- Session 7 - Vocabulary & Language Structures
- Session 8 - Developing Knowledge and Thinking Through Text
- Session 9 - Literacy Structure - Working with Fiction & Nonfiction Structures & Genres
Administrators & Specialists
Join administrators and reading specialists from throughout the region for these professional development opportunities:
Science of Reading for Administrators
(Act 45 Course)
This course is designed to provide administrators with in-depth knowledge and skills to support teachers with effective, evidence-based instruction aligned to principles of Science of Reading using a structured literacy approach. Participants will learn the big ideas of reading instruction, how to use tools in classroom observations to discover strengths and gaps in instruction at the classroom and school/district levels, implement structures that support student growth and achievement, and problem solve steps to enhance teaching and learning.
The 6-session course will provide administrators with a total of 41 Act 45 hours (21 in-class hours, 20 hours of outside assignments). Online synchronous only.
Price: $300 per person
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
Coming Soon!
Contact Lisa Yonek if you have any questions.
RAC Reading Specialists’ Network
Join the RAC Reading Specialists' Network for an opportunity to connect with other reading specialists in Allegheny County. Each online session will feature research-based best practices and strategies that specialists need in order to be 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 past networks as well as new participants.
Price: Free
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
September 18, November 20, February 5, April 9
Instructional Coaches’ Network
Network Series Length: 9 sessions
Join a network of fellow instructional coaches for monthly professional learning workshops provided by Heather Moschetta, instructional coach mentor for the PA Coach-Mentor Collaborative, and Rachel McVeagh, AIU instructional innovation coordinator. Sessions will feature professional learning specific to the needs of instructional coaches, on topics determined by the network group and supported by PDE initiatives. The network is open to all coaches in the AIU's member districts, including literacy coaches, math coaches, technology coaches and instructional coaches. Contact Heather at heather.moschetta@aiu3.net for information on how to join.
Price: Free
2026-27 Meeting Dates:
September 9, October 15, November 5, December 17, January 20, February 17, March 16, April 15, May 12
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.
RAC Contacts
Dr. Heather Moschetta
Curriculum & Instruction Coordinator
412-394-4919
Dr. Lisa Yonek
Curriculum & Reading Coordinator
412-394-1370
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