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Teaching Literacy (All Grades)

Literacy is at the heart of all educational growth. Building the foundational skills of reading and writing lay the groundwork for a successful education and a promising career. With a focus on preparing teachers to be literacy specialists, our Advanced Certificate in Teaching Literacy (All Grades) equips educators with the skills to assess, diagnose, and support the reading and writing needs of diverse leaners.

This 15-credit Advanced Certificate is designed for flexibility and delivered online. Classes are primarily asynchronous so they accessible to working professionals. The clinical experience component includes synchronous seminars. The program includes five key courses from our MS in Teaching Literacy, and you can seamlessly apply these credits toward the MS program if you choose to continue your education.

The asynchronous online format allows you to engage with materials at your own pace, balancing professional responsibilities with academic growth. To ensure a high-quality learning experience and personalized attention, enrollment for each class is capped at 20 students.

Coursework typically requires two semesters or one year to complete. Upon successful completion of the program, candidates are awarded an Advanced Certificate in Teaching Literacy (All Grades), which makes you eligible for an annotation on your license.

What You'll Learn

Our curriculum meets and exceeds New York State Education Department standards, offering a comprehensive and holistic approach to literacy and reading. You’ll build skills in diagnosing and remediating literacy challenges, understanding socio-cultural influences, and implementing inclusive strategies to support learners from various backgrounds.

After earning this certificate, you’ll learn to adjust your teaching to meet the unique needs of all students, including English language learners and those with special needs. As part of this advanced certification program, you will:

  • apply national and state standards to design effective literacy lessons.
  • develop teaching methods that help students read, understand, and communicate information across various content types.
  • gain expertise in diagnosing and addressing reading disabilities.
  • implement balanced literacy approaches and analyze the role of children's literature in developing early literacy skills.
  • work directly with students, using case studies to identify and tackle reading challenges.

Required Courses

After being enrolled in the certificate program, you can expect to take the following courses.

  • EDDN 618: Literacy Curriculum: Research Evaluation
  • EDDN 605: Literacy Instruction Grades Birth-6
  • EDDN 609: Literacy Instruction Grades 5-12
  • SEDN 667: Diagnosis and Remediation of Reading Disabilities
  • EDSN 695: Clinical Practicum and Capstone: Diagnosing and Treating Reading Disabilities PreK-12

Upon completion, you will be eligible for Literacy (All Grades) certification in New York, recognizing your specialized expertise and commitment to improving literacy education.

Clinical and Internship Placements

Admission to the program requires an initial teaching certificate, so we expect you are a current teacher looking to build your skills and have access to schools for this purpose. If a candidate cannot secure a placement, our practicum coordinator will help arrange one at a school that has a partnership with Touro GSE.

Apply for the Teaching Literacy Certificate

In order to apply you must:

  1. Hold an initial or professional New York Teaching Certificate. Career and Technical Certificates are not accepted.
  2. Have a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum GPA of 3.0. If you have not yet completed a master’s degree you may still be admitted to the Advanced Certificate in Literacy program but will need to submit your MS transcripts upon completion to be eligible for Touro’s institutional recommendation for the literacy certification.
  3. Two letters of recommendation
  4. A 300- to 500-word essay outlining your personal philosophy of education, statement of intent, and rationale for pursuing the degree.

Applicants will also need to complete an interview with a faculty member from the Graduate Program and provide an in-person writing sample.

Apply Now

If you have questions or would like to learn more, contact us.

You can apply the advanced certificate credits to a MS in Teaching Literacy if you would like to continue your studies and further advance in the field of literacy education.