This graduate certificate program is designed for PreK-12 teachers working in schools supported by Maine Partnerships in Comprehensive Literacy (MPCL) coaches. Teachers interested in improving their knowledge and skills with respect to literacy instruction in the classroom. It is a hybrid program involving fact-to-face, on-site and online coursework. Some coursework in this certificate may be applied to the M. Ed. program in literacy education. It consists of 15 credit hours of coursework, and includes the following courses:

EEL 543 Literacy Teaching and Learning I (2 credits)1

EEL 544 Literacy Teaching and Learning II (1 credit)1

EEL 552 An Exploration of the Writer’s Workshop in PreK-12 Classrooms (3 credits)

EEL 554 An Exploration of the Reader’s Workshop in PreK-12 Classrooms (3 credits)

EEL 556 An Exploration of the Language Workshop in PreK-12 Classrooms (3 credits)

EEL 570 An Exploration of Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Word Study in PreK-6 Classrooms (3 credits)

This graduate certificate is intended to meet the increasing, and well documented demand in Maine for teachers to implement research led literacy curriculum in the classroom. A recent report documented 29% of Maine’s fourth grade students are proficient readers as measured by the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) assessment (NCTQ, 2023). The target audience is classroom teachers who work with MPCL coaches. Leveraging the MPCL school improvement model, teachers will be better prepared to meet the needs of their students and thereby increase student achievement. It is important to note that the need for appropriately trained literacy educators is a shortage area not only in Maine, but also across the nation.