This self-paced course is one of the courses in the Reading: Foundational Skills pathway. Through this pathway, the goal is to 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 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.  
  

The goal of this course is for any educators, paraprofessionals, or anyone who supports students in reading to understand what phonological awareness is and how to support its development.   When we improve students phonological awareness skills, we improve their reading ability -- and the earlier, the better!

After completing this course, you will:

• Understand and be able to explain to others what phonological awareness is and why it is a critical foundational skill for all students to master
• Understand how phonological awareness relates to the Science of Reading and Structured Literacy
• Continue to build awareness of the progression of foundational skills in the CCSS (including phonological awareness) as Tier 1 instruction for all students in a Multi-Tiered System of Supports
• Clarify the what and how in teaching phonological awareness
  
• Clarify how to assess if students have the skills of phonological awareness mastered to inform instruction

Please note that Introduction to Reading: Foundational Skills is a prerequisite for enrolling in this course and Reading Foundational Skills: Print Concepts is a recommended prerequisite as these courses make a pathway.