Professional Learning

Why does this matter?

If teachers have the knowledge and skills to teach reading, they can have a greater positive impact on children’s literacy. Unfortunately, thousands of teachers are in classrooms right now without sufficient knowledge of the science of reading. States can help close the gap in teachers’ knowledge and skills by requiring and funding high-quality professional learning.

Why does Arizona stand out?

Arizona requires training for all elementary teachers in scientifically-based reading instruction. The state also allocates funding for training in scientifically-based reading instruction for in-service teachers. 

Arizona recently passed legislation requiring all elementary teachers (including special education teachers) to earn a K-5 literacy endorsement, which necessitates additional training. All elementary teachers must now complete literacy training (though in-service teachers have until 2028 to do so). In-service teachers can choose from a list of state-approved trainings to meet the 90-hour training requirement. To ease the burden of this policy, the state is aligning the required credit hours with the number of credits teachers already need to acquire for recertification during that time period, making the training free to teachers, and offering the training at a number of different times so that teachers can take the training on a schedule that works for them.