National Reading Month is celebrated every year in March to emphasize the importance of reading across the United States. Books have always been the bedrock of a great life and a great future. The simple act of opening a new book expands our knowledge, transforms our minds, and inspires strong leaders and thoughtful citizens. National Reading Month is an opportunity to encourage reading and foster a love of books for parents, caregivers, educators, and students alike.   

What are some activities that you can enjoy during national reading month? 

• Visit a local bookstore 
• Read a print or audio book 
• Start a book club 
• Donate used books
• Volunteer at your local library

Celebrate National Reading Month by spending some quality time with a book today! 

To support Texas reading language arts educators and stakeholders, the English language arts newsletter will occasionally highlight a commonly asked question and response focused on a timely reading language arts topic. This edition’s timely topic question is below.

Question: Can Advanced Placement (AP) innovative courses be used as a substitute for English III and IV courses?

Answer: No, Advanced Placement innovative courses such as AP Seminar and AP Research cannot be used as a substitute for English III and IV courses.

With the approval of the local board of trustees, school districts and open-enrollment charters may offer any state-approved innovative course for state elective credit only. Innovative courses may not meet any other specific graduation requirement. LEAs do not need to apply to TEA to offer an approved innovative course. Innovative courses are approved to meet certain endorsement requirements on the Foundation High School Program.

 Need help meeting a student’s course needs?

The Texas Virtual School Network (TXVSN) can help meet students’ needs through TEA-approved online courses. The TXVSN statewide course catalog provides English language arts courses that may meet a student's graduation requirement.

The TXVSN courses are aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and taught by Texas-certified teachers trained in best practices in online instruction. Schools can use the TXVSN courses to create flexibility in a student’s schedule, allow a student to accelerate their learning, or address local teacher shortages. Students enrolled in a TXVSN course can generate funding regardless of whether the student is physically present at school while participating in the course. For more information about the courses offered through the TXVSN, please visit the TXVSN website or contact the TXVSN Help Desk.