Are you looking for literacy professional development that is approved by the Colorado Department of Education? Keys to Literacy has several options to choose from.
2021 READ ACT: Topic Specific Advisory List
Keys to Literacy has two professional development courses that are approved for the Colorado READ Act Advisory List of PD Programs: Keys to Beginning Reading and Keys to Early Writing (see details below).
Keys to Beginning Reading
This 36 to 48 hour course is organized into modules that cover every component of beginning reading instruction. It provides foundational knowledge about evidence-based instructional practices that are practical and applicable regardless of the reading curriculum or program being used in a school. Click here to learn more about the course. Contact us to schedule training (info@keystoliteracy.com).
Schools and districts can choose from these options for course delivery:
- Hybrid Online: Combines the use of the Keys to Beginning Reading online course (average time to complete is 36 hours) with 12.5 hours of live, virtual facilitation meetings (total = 48 hours). The online course is asynchronous – participants complete 1 to 2 modules at a time, followed by one-hour facilitation meetings. Course completion time is flexible and can be scheduled over weeks or months.
- Virtual-Live OR Onsite: The 36 hour PD course can be provided onsite or in virtual-live format using video conferencing over consecutive days or spread out. Cohorts are capped at 35.
Keys to Early Writing
This 15-hour course provides the background knowledge needed to teach all of the components of beginning writing instruction. The audience for the course is all teachers of grades kindergarten through grade 2, and teachers who provide intervention support to students in grades 3-4 who have difficulty with beginning writing skills. Click here to learn more about the course. Contact us to schedule training (info@keystoliteracy.com).
Schools and districts can choose from these options for course delivery:
- Online, Asynchronous Course: Participants complete the course at their own pace. Facilitated virtual-live sessions with a Keys to Literacy trainer are optional.
- Virtual-Live OR Onsite: The course can be provided onsite or in virtual-live format using video conferencing over consecutive days or spread out. Cohorts are capped at 35.
READ ACT K-3 Teacher Training Requirement
The READ ACT legislation requires Colorado school districts to ensure all K – 3 teachers complete evidence-based training in teaching reading. Please note that this training must be completed by August 1, 2022. Click here to learn more about the requirement.
Keys to Beginning Reading is the title of the 45.5 hour approved course. Keys to Literacy will contract with a school or district to provide this training following a customized schedule that is flexible to meet the PD time available. We can deliver this training using a virtual-live format (using Zoom video conferencing) or onsite. Keys to Literacy also has a train-the-trainer model for districts that are interested in training large numbers of teachers using district literacy trainers. Click here to learn more about Keys to Beginning Reading. Contact us to schedule training (info@keystoliteracy.com).
CDE Provided Training: In addition to being on the approved vendor list of PD that meets the READ ACT K-3 requirements, Keys to Literacy’s Keys to Beginning Reading course was selected as the live training course that is being provided by CDE staff trainers. Click here to access training provided by CDE.