Secondary Online Language & Literacy Academy
Helps 6–12 educators apply Structured Literacy across every subject
OL&LA Secondary is a comprehensive, online professional learning course grounded in the understanding that spoken language is the foundation of literacy. It helps middle and high school teachers connect language and literacy to deliver evidence-based instruction that supports all learners—including Multilingual Learners, English variety speakers, students with dyslexia, and more.
Your Structured Literacy Toolkit
Participant Outcomes:
Embed Literacy Into Every Subject
Apply Structured Literacy practices in science, social studies, math, and other content areas.
Teach Reading with a Strong Language Foundation
Understand how spoken and academic language shape how students read, think, and learn.
Support Students Who Are Reading Below Grade Level
Deliver instruction that helps more students engage with complex texts, while continuing to teach grade-level content.
Use Data to Target Support
Make responsive instructional decisions based on student data and classroom observations.
Build a Shared Foundation for Literacy
Create alignment across content-area teams, ELA teachers, and reading specialists.
Get a closer look at what makes OL&LA secondary different.
Evidence-based – built on what works.
Bite-sized – built for busy days.
Actionable – built to use right away.
Get in Touch
Get the answers you need to support educators with lasting, language-informed Structured Literacy professional learning
This course is for individuals or teams of educators who want to learn effective standards-aligned and scientifically research-based reading practices for all learners. Participants will need regular access to computers with an internet connection and proficiency with email and current internet browsers.
- 6 – 12 educators
- Special education teachers (6–12)
- Reading specialists (6–12)
- Paraprofessionals
- Preservice teachers or classes
At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Identify the five essential components of evidence-based reading instruction.
- Identify the best practices and explicit methods to develop phonemic awareness, phonics and irregular and multisyllabic word knowledge, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and literary and informational text knowledge.
- Understand the factors that contribute to and affect reading comprehension, including the influence of oral language development.
- Identify and use techniques to support oral and academic language development for linguistically diverse students, including Multilingual Learners, English variety speakers, and students with dyslexia.
- Explore the structure of English and other language systems, including Spanish.
- Understand the definition of dyslexia, common warning signs by grade level, and evidence-based instructional practices and accommodations to meet the educational needs of students with dyslexia.
- Learn how to use informal diagnostic measures of phonological awareness, decoding, fluency vocabulary, and comprehension as a basis for instructional decisions.
OL&LA is available in several format options to meet your preferred learning style and schedule, including:
- Fully asynchronous, self-paced
- Asynchronous cohort with three CORE facilitator-led virtual live sessions
Please contact us for pricing.
Participants may receive three (3) graduate-level semester extension units for an additional cost through Dominican University of California. These units are typically used for salary advancement. There are no additional requirements beyond the successful completion of the 50-hour course. Participants may register and pay for these units once the course has started.