PALO ALTO, Calif., August 22, 2018 – BloomBoard, the leading platform for enabling educator advancement via micro-credentials, and OpenLiteracy, a company dedicated to improving reading and writing outcomes in grades K-6, have partnered to make high-leverage elementary literacy teaching practices accessible and learnable to educators. Through a new professional learning program called Teaching Literacy in the Elementary Grades, educators will be able to experience competency-based learning and earn micro-credentials in six key areas of literacy instruction, including:

• Interactive Read Alouds
• Text Based Discussions
• Guided Reading
• Teaching Phonics
• Teaching Phonological Awareness
• Beginning Writing Instruction

“Teachers are the key to student success, and preparing teachers with the knowledge and skill to implement high quality literacy instruction every day is the strongest lever we have towards improving student achievement outcomes,” said Sarah Scott Frank, founder of OpenLiteracy. “We are excited to partner with BloomBoard to offer this innovative program that provides educators with job-embedded opportunities and best practices for improving their instruction.”

As part of the program, teachers will have access to high-quality curated learning resources, the opportunity to participate in growth-oriented dialogue with peers, and be able to earn a micro-credential after successfully providing evidence of learning in their practice. The program will be facilitated by OpenLiteracy’s founder, Sarah Scott Frank, PhD who will leverage her 16 years of instructional expertise to guide participants through the program while sharing relevant, practical, and research-based knowledge of the literacy teaching practices.

“The Teaching Literacy in the Elementary Grades program provides a unique learning experience for educators that is self-paced, focused on specific skills, and grounded in application of learning in the classroom,” said Sanford Kenyon, CEO of BloomBoard. “Unlike traditional online courses, educators in the program will have a clear picture of what their end goal is and can personalize their learning pathway to achieve that goal.”

OpenLiteracy’s new professional learning program will be available starting this fall including a national cohort launch the week of October 8th. For more details about the program, including pricing and registration, visit https://bloomboard.com/program/openliteracy/ Administrators interested in bringing this micro-credential-based program to their school or district can contact BloomBoard at hello@bloomboard.com.

About OpenLiteracy

Founded in 2013, OpenLiteracy has a strong reputation of providing practical, relevant, and high- quality professional development that empowers teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to be excellent reading and writing teachers. OpenLiteracy is led by Sarah Scott Frank who has over 16 years experience as a teacher, teacher educator, and researcher. Her experience includes assessing the implementation of state policy mandates such as Reading First and innovative summer reading programs. She holds a master’s in Language and Literacy from Harvard University and a PhD in the same topic from The University of Michigan. For more information, visit www.openliteracy.com.