Where reading science meets real-world teaching.

Foundational Literacy Practicum: 2026-2027

Move beyond the theory. Gain the hands-on, expert skills you need to confidently support every student.

✨ 100% Virtual • Nationwide Cohort Now Forming ✨

LET'S CHAT ABOUT YOUR GOALS

Move from literacy theory to practice with full support.

You’ve learned about the science of reading and foundational literacy. Now it’s time to put your new knowledge into practice.

and you’re wondering where to begin.

  • What instructional materials should you use? 

  • What routines should you build? 

  • What happens when you encounter an unexpected struggle with a student? 

You don’t have to do it alone. And you’re not meant to.

Learn alongside a supportive cohort of educators just like you.

“I sought the guided Practicum because I felt like I knew what needed to be taught and why it needed to be taught but I wasn’t quite sure how to start teaching it.” - Morgan, Middle School Reading Interventionist

PRACTICUM OVERVIEW

The Foundational Literacy Practicum transitions K-12 educators into expert clinical providers. Fully aligned with the International Dyslexia Association’s (IDA) Knowledge and Practice Standards, this program serves as the critical bridge between theoretical linguistic knowledge and expert clinical delivery. Candidates move beyond rote implementation to achieve a high level of instructional reasoning and data-driven clinical responsiveness.

6-Person Cohorts

So you receive individualized attention, deeper collaboration, and true community support.

Expert Practitioners

Practicum Supervisors are current educators who have walked in your shoes and successfully navigated real-world classroom transformations.

80+ Clinical Hours

Intensive, high-touch clinical fieldwork consisting of 55 diagnostic-prescriptive lessons, 12 individual 1:1 coaching cycles, & 3 formal observations.

Full Toolkit Included

Includes a 1-year subscription to the Root Compass diagnostic digital assessment platform, plus a curated box of teaching tools found in our store.

Accreditation Status: This comprehensive pathway is built to prepare candidates for the prestigious Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist (SLDI) credential through CERI. We have submitted our Foundational Literacy Training and Practicum to the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) and are currently awaiting final accreditation approval.

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Meet Your Practicum Supervisors

Our Practicum Supervisors are national literacy experts and current educators who act as your dedicated personal mentors—delivering your private 1:1 coaching cycles, providing live mastery modeling, and conducting your formal evaluative observations.

Read Amy’s Full Bio

Read Heather’s Full Bio

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Is This Practicum Right for You?

This clinical program is open to any K-6 classroom teacher and K-12 special educator, reading specialist, instructional coach, MLL teacher, interventionist, or private tutor who has completed a comprehensive, foundational Science of Reading framework and is ready to put that theory into master-level clinical practice.

Prerequisite Check: You are welcome to enroll in this practicum to gain high-touch coaching and classroom implementation mastery if you have completed a foundational training, including:

⚠️ Important Certification Track Note:

While any educator with foundational training from the list above can enroll in our Practicum for professional development, national credentialing boards require a fully unified pathway. To be eligible for the official Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist (SLDI) track through our program, candidates must complete BOTH Root Literacy Design’s Foundational Literacy Training AND this clinical practicum.

Find out if it's a fit

2026–2027 COHORT SCHEDULE

12 Live Saturdays: 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM EST

All cohort sessions run synchronously for 90 minutes via Zoom. Following the group block, you will participate in your dedicated 30-minute 1:1 clinical coaching session scheduled within the 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM EST window. All sessions are recorded for personal review and scheduling flexibility.

  • Dive into the clinical launch, ethics, and the initial data inquiry phase. Learn how to evaluate student profiles to build a strong clinical rationale for targeted baseline testing and administer diagnostic literacy assessments.

  • Interpret assessment data, establish measurable literacy instructional goals and map out a structured student entry point.

  • Master the architecture of a diagnostic-prescriptive lesson plan using the gradual release framework. Practice systematic, multimodal phoneme segmenting and blending routines.

  • Learn explicit multimodal VAKT instructional routines for manuscript/cursive handwriting, alphabet, and cognitive syllabication decoding strategies.

  • Master the "Heart Word" routine for irregular words along with explicit phoneme-grapheme mapping routines for single and multisyllable word spelling.

  • Move your student seamlessly from word-level spelling to sentence-level composition using structured scaffolding, sentence frames, and editing checklists.

  • First Evaluative Milestone. Learn before-reading cognitive routines using decodable text to activate schema and background knowledge. Includes your first full formal clinical review.

  • Explore cognitive strategies that promote active reading metacognition alongside evidence-based repeated reading routines to build oral text fluency.

  • Second Evaluative Milestone. Master explicit routines for summarizing, retelling, text-dependent analysis, and transitioning verbal discourse into writing. Includes formal evaluation review.

  • Advance instruction beyond basic phonics. Teach students to use structural morphemes (prefixes, bases, suffixes) to unlock complex multisyllabic decoding and word meanings.

  • An intentionally open, fully responsive session designed by the supervisor to target specific diagnostic-prescriptive instructional adjustments based on cohort fieldwork needs.

  • Final Evaluation. Synthesize student baseline and post-intervention data. Review professional reporting protocols for families and complete the digital capstone portfolio.

Review the Complete Course Syllabus

Inside the complete syllabus, you'll find our comprehensive grading rubrics, extensive evidence-based research bibliography, and detailed session outlines. Download it to share with your school administration for professional development funding approval.

View the Practicum Syllabus

DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES

WATCH STUDENTS BECOME READERS

GAIN CONFIDENCE

 

Making Your Clinical Growth Accessible

  • Rhode Island residents who complete our Practicum with a RITES student receive an $1,100 scholarship. Click here to learn more. 

 
 

Testimonials

  • Morgan Baskett

    “During the Practicum we make our first lessons together. I’ve had a lot of supports and I feel really confident with the lessons I’ve created and the way that I taught them.”

    -Morgan Baskett
    Middle School Interventionist

  • Christin L. Goff, literacy tutor

    “I cannot emphasize enough how much the practicum helped me. I became hyper-aware of instructional nuances and saw firsthand how learning to read impacts a student's life.

    -CHRISTIN GOFF
    Literacy Tutor

  • Testimonial by Gerri Lallo Reading Specialist

    “RLD provides a tremendous amount of ready-to-go materials. They fill the gap for the non-reading specialist teacher who doesn't have a literacy background.”

    -GERRI LALLO
    Reading Specialist
    High School

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