Explore Our Graduate Certificate in Elementary Reading and Literacy

Discover how to design, deliver, and assess developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive elementary reading and literacy instruction for students of diverse backgrounds and abilities.

Using the five pillars of reading—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension—as a framework, you’ll examine specific strategies to engage P–3 and intermediate (grades 4–6) readers as well as English language learners (ELLs) and struggling and gifted readers. Recognizing the emergence of “new literacies” and technology, this graduate certificate program provides tools for creating 21st-century literacy experiences that instill today’s students with a love of reading.

Our Graduate Certificate in Elementary Reading and Literacy (Non-Licensure) is part of a full suite of programs in The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Human Sciences, a Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)–accredited college.

The Graduate Certificate in Elementary Reading and Literacy focuses on practical strategies you can use immediately in your classroom:

• Design literacy instruction and assessment to meet the learning needs of all children including linguistically, culturally, and academically diverse learners.
• Address the challenges and opportunities of implementing the Common Core State Standards and other state standards.
• Use research-based instructional practices to support reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
• Help students to comprehend complex texts.
• Make connections between reading and writing, using informational/expository texts and other genres.

If getting to the next level is part of your plan, Walden is committed to helping you earn credit for your foundational knowledge. Find out how you can apply up to 25 credits earned from this certificate program toward Walden’s MS in Education with a specialization in Elementary Reading and Literacy (P–6).