The Ohio Department of Education Creates a Credential for the State’s Early Learning Teachers

ATLANTA – Cox Campus, the online learning community of the Rollins Center for Language & Literacy at the Atlanta Speech School, has been selected by the Ohio Department of Education (DOE) to create a customized early learning credential to transform teaching practices and child literacy outcomes throughout Ohio.

“Our partnership with the Ohio Department of Education is a significant step toward providing early learning educators with free evidenced-based courses and resources that will help the teachers build a language-centered and culturally responsive foundation for every child,” said Dr. Ryan Lee-James, Chief Academic Officer of the Rollins Center. “Early learning teachers are among the first to plant the seed of literacy with our young children. This credential builds the knowledge, skills and agency each teacher needs to build relationships of care that make way for deep reading brain construction, paving the path to opportunity and a life of self-determination.”

Cox Campus will provide three levels of credentials for Ohio teachers: emergent literacy aware (5 hours), emergent literacy informed (10 hours) and emergent literacy competent (15 hours).

Dr. Nadia Jones, Director of Partnerships at the Rollins Center, is enthusiastic about what the Ohio model represents for the nation: “The partnership between Ohio and the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy and its free online Cox Campus represents the best of public-private collaboration. Ohio DOE has leveraged our grant-funded learning community that is internationally accredited and open to all educators, delivering best-in-class professional development while being responsible stewards of public dollars.”

Explicit and systematic instruction puts reading within reach for all children, and language-centered classrooms are the first critical step. The Rollins Center, through its online Cox Campus, is providing the support every educator needs in the implementation of healthy brain development, language acquisition and early literacy instruction. Because their teachers can access this best-in-class training through a free platform, states and districts have the opportunity to strategically reallocate public funding into teacher stipends, instructional coaching and classroom materials.

“Learning to read is a skill that is built on a continuum,” said Lee-James. “Science tells us that beginning in the third trimester before birth, the adults in a child’s life help construct language pathways that allow for the formation of the foundation for learning to read. It is critical that our early learning educators have access to the resources that improve reading outcomes for all children.”

To learn more about Cox Campus and the comprehensive, free literacy resources available, visit www.coxcampus.org.

ABOUT COX CAMPUS

The Rollins Center for Language & Literacy, and its online Cox Campus, are part of an 84-year-old success story that began in 1938 with the Atlanta Speech School. The Atlanta Speech School transforms the lives of children and the adults they become through research-based practices, innovation, advocacy, and partnerships with other organizations so that each child at the Atlanta Speech School and every child beyond the campus can acquire the language and literacy foundation essential for deciding their own future. Cox Campus, our FREE online learning community, offers IACET-accredited coursework, content and community-building to educators, families and healthcare providers. In partnership with the nation’s top experts, Cox Campus brings science-backed practices front and center to classrooms across the nation. Our team works diligently with childcare centers, schools, districts and state agencies to customize professional development plans that radically improve teaching practices and support every child. 

Today, Cox Campus provides literacy resources to more than 220,000 members across all 50 states and in more than 80 countries globally. In 2021, more than 99,000 courses and videos were completed, which is equivalent to approximately $15M in accredited professional development courses.

eSchool Media staff cover education technology in all its aspects–from legislation and litigation, to best practices, to lessons learned and new products. First published in March of 1998 as a monthly print and digital newspaper, eSchool Media provides the news and information necessary to help K-20 decision-makers successfully use technology and innovation to transform schools and colleges and achieve their educational goals.

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• Source: https://www.eschoolnews.com/newsline/2023/03/02/the-ohio-department-of-education-creates-a-credential-for-the-states-early-learning-teachers/