This self-paced course was updated in the spring of 2023. It serves as a prerequisite introduction for a pathway of courses on Reading Foundational Skills. Through this pathway, participants will develop an understanding of the foundational reading skills in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), how these standards connect to the Science of Reading, and what instruction of each of the following foundational skills should entail: print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency.
NOTE: This course does not fulfill the Right to Read professional learning mandate.
At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Become familiar with reading research (the Science of Reading).
- Clarify common misconceptions about foundational skills in the Common Core State Standards.
- Analyze the Common Core State Standards Foundational Skills progression to illustrate its connection with the Science of Reading in preparation for deeper exploration of each component (print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency) in future pathway courses.
- Illustrate how various staff roles can support students’ reading development.
Intended Audiences
- K–12 Educators
- Related Service Providers
- Administrators
- Coaches
- Paraprofessionals
Course Type
- Self-Paced
Recommended # of PLUs
- 2 PLUs
Prerequisite: Introduction to Reading: Foundational Skills is required prior to enrolling in this course.
This self-paced course, updated in the spring of 2023, is part of the Reading: Foundational Skills pathway. Through this pathway, participants will develop an understanding of the foundational reading skills in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), how these standards connect to the Science of Reading, and what instruction of the following foundational skills should entail: print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency. This course provides a deeper exploration of Print Concepts.
NOTE: This course does not fulfill the Right to Read professional learning mandate.
At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Understand how Print Concepts relates to a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and the Science of Reading (SoR).
- Clarify what to teach to address print concepts and how to teach these skills.
- Clarify how to assess whether students have developed Print Concepts skills.
Intended Audiences
- K–12 Educators
- Related Service Providers
- Administrators
- Coaches
- Paraprofessionals
Course Type
- Self-Paced
Recommended # of PLUs
- 3 PLUs
Prerequisite: Introduction to Reading: Foundational Skills is required prior to enrolling in this course. Recommended prerequisite: Reading Foundational Skills: Print Concepts, as these courses form a pathway.
This self-paced course is part of the Reading: Foundational Skills pathway. Through this pathway, participants will develop an understanding of the foundational reading skills in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), how these standards connect to the Science of Reading, and what instruction of each of the foundational skills should entail: print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency. The goal of this course is for educators, paraprofessionals, or anyone supporting students in reading to understand what phonological awareness is and how to support its development. Improving students’ phonological awareness improves reading ability—and the earlier, the better!
NOTE: This course does not fulfill the Right to Read professional learning mandate.
At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Understand and explain what phonological awareness is and why it is a critical foundational skill for all students.
- Understand how phonological awareness relates to the Science of Reading and Structured Literacy.
- Build awareness of the progression of foundational skills in the CCSS (including phonological awareness) as Tier 1 instruction in a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).
- Clarify what to teach and how to teach phonological awareness.
- Clarify how to assess whether students have mastered phonological awareness to inform instruction.
Intended Audiences
- K–12 Educators
- Related Service Providers
- Administrators
- Coaches
- Paraprofessionals
Course Type
- Self-Paced
Recommended # of PLUs
- 3 PLUs
This course explores best practices for supporting young children experiencing writing difficulties through an evidence-based approach called Data-Based Instruction. Participants will learn about the key elements of writing and how both curriculum-based measurement and explicit writing instruction are systematically used to support young writers.
At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Define Data-Based Instruction.
- Describe the key components of writing.
- Describe Curriculum-Based Measurement for beginning writers (CBM-W).
- Identify explicit instructional approaches that align with the Simple View of Writing.
Intended Audiences
- K–3 General and Special Educators
- Interventionists
Course Type
- Self-Paced
Recommended # of PLUs
- 2 PLUs
Are you interested in learning more about an evidence-based way to improve your students' writing? This course on Self-Regulated Strategies Development (SRSD) for writing will introduce participants to this highly effective, evidence-based approach for teaching writing. A brief overview of the SRSD process will be provided, along with firsthand data and reports from local educators that demonstrate its effectiveness and ease of implementation. While this is a stand-alone course, it also serves as a prerequisite to the facilitated course, Writing: Teaching Informational Writing with SRSD, where educators learn how to implement SRSD.
At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Identify outcomes demonstrating the effectiveness of Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD).
- Recognize the practical possibilities and potential of SRSD.
- Identify the six explicit routines of the SRSD Framework.
- Express confidence that SRSD is doable.
- Identify next steps to access free, in-depth SRSD professional learning.
Intended Audiences
- Teachers
- Literacy Coaches
- Building Administrators
Course Type
- Self-Paced
Recommended # of PLUs
- 1 PLU