Oklahoma has raised the bar on literacy education, and Oklahoma State University faculty are rising with it.

In April 2026, the state House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 1778, expanding the Strong Readers Act to address the statistically low reading levels throughout elementary-aged students in Oklahoma.

The legislation recognizes the critical role early literacy plays in student success and invests in Oklahoma teachers by providing high-quality professional learning grounded in the Science of Reading.

OSU was ready to meet the state's need for further early literacy training.

Eight higher education institutions statewide are offering academy sessions, with the OSU team leading the charge to prepare curriculum and expand class offerings to help in-service teachers seeking to fulfill their requirements.

Faculty in the OSU School of Teaching, Learning and Educational Sciences have been instrumental in developing and hosting Early Literacy Teacher Academy sessions this summer, with seven cohorts registered with OSU, beginning July 6.

The academies consist of 40 hours of professional development conducted over one to two weeks, in one of three formats: fully in-person, a hybrid mix of in-person and synchronous online meetings, or fully online in a synchronous format.

The core elements [of the academies] include vocabulary, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency and comprehension; more specifically, how to use them to assess and particularly when core instruction has not been enough. The goal of the academies is to learn to identify students who need additional support through assessment and plan evidence-based lessons to support them.

Academy instructors are full-time and adjunct OSU faculty who have current classroom experience working with K-3 students.

Dr. Sheri Vasinda — professor, program coordinator for Reading / Literacy Specialist Master’s Program, and director of the Randall and Carol White Reading and Mathematics Center at OSU — played a pivotal role in constructing the content and requirements of the professional development courses across the state, alongside her colleague, Dr. Donita Shaw — professor of reading and literacy education and director of the Oklahoma Literacy InnoVation in Education, which is CEHS' Tulsa-based center — and the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability.

OSU has committed to training nearly 200 teachers this summer through the Early Literacy Teacher Academy sessions.

“This is not a one-size-fits-all training,” OEQA Executive Director Michelle Seybolt said.

“OEQA intentionally partnered with several Oklahoma universities because they understand the needs of Oklahoma educators, schools and communities. While all academies address the core requirements established in statute, each university brings its own expertise and strengths to the learning experience.

“Oklahoma State University's academy is distinguished by its faculty expertise, research-based approach to literacy instruction, and commitment to providing teachers with practical strategies they can immediately implement in their classrooms.”

Teachers who complete the training will receive a micro-credential in early literacy and a $3,000 stipend funded by the state.

STLES school head Dr. Stephanie Hathcock notes this is a great example of how the university continues to step up to meet state needs, including offering the course online so that teachers from across the state can more easily access it.

OSU is the No. 1 producer of teachers in the state and offers a host of graduate programs designed for continued learning. In addition, the university offers professional development to over 300 teachers across the state each year.

“We take our mission as the state's land-grant university seriously and continually strive to meaningfully impact communities across the state through our work,” Hathcock said.

Coincidentally, Vasinda and Shaw’s team had begun designing a Science of Reading Academy, utilizing resources from some existing master’s courses. After noticing that most professional development on this topic was provided by commercial companies, they saw an opportunity to support and equip teachers seeking to build their capacity in this subject area, and plan to offer the training in early June.

Clinical professor Amy Dunn and doctoral student Faith Winslow collaborated in the development of the academy, and the application was submitted to the state department in late April.

“We called the state department to determine [our standing] and found that the state-approved vendor applications were removed in the new bill, so we pivoted our efforts to focus on the state initiative. When we got the invitation, we were delighted," Vasinda said.

“As a land grant institution charged to bring education to the people of our state, this invitation made it easier to reach the goal we had already determined — of serving and supporting teachers who, in turn, serve children.”

Her team later learned that more than 300 of the 500 teachers who applied to the academies requested an online format. OSU was the only university to propose an online format.

When learning of the high demand for an online option, the OSU team stepped up to accommodate nearly 200 teachers.

“We understand engaging online formats are best when everyone is online, so we offered to serve those remaining teachers through seven online sessions, running two at a time, morning and afternoon, with two new academies beginning each week. These sessions will serve about 200 teachers,” Vasinda said.

The Early Literacy Teacher Academies at OSU capitalize on the curriculum taught in their teacher preparation programs.

“Our regular coursework [in the Reading and Literacy Education degree program] is organized around the same reading elements as this new institute, but we also teach our future educators how to teach writing — which few universities do — and how to select and teach with high-quality children’s literature," Vasinda said. "We teach additional strategies for motivation and engagement, executive functioning, and how to leverage technology to support literacy. Our undergraduate and master’s program capstone courses focus on learning about assessments, how to administer them by working with a student (for undergrads) or a small group of students (for master’s) plan tailored interventions based on the assessment data for the student(s) they are assigned to work with."

The Early Literacy Teacher Academies represent a collaborative effort among the Oklahoma Legislature, the OEQA, educator preparation programs and classroom teachers. The initiative reflects a statewide commitment to ensuring that every child has access to effective literacy instruction during the most critical years of reading development.

“Research consistently shows that early literacy is one of the strongest predictors of long-term academic success. At the same time, many teachers have expressed a desire for additional support and professional learning opportunities related to evidence-based reading instruction,” Seybolt said.

“These academies help address that need by providing Oklahoma educators with access to intensive, high-quality training focused on the Science of Reading, early intervention, assessment practices and effective literacy instruction."

Hathcock expressed appreciation for the legislature's goal of ensuring Oklahoma teachers receive advanced training in the Science of Reading, either through the early literacy micro-credential offered this summer or through comprehensive reading specialist programs, such as the one OSU offers at the master's level.

“The conversation around early literacy is so important. We are poised to continue to offer advanced training to teachers across the state after this summer's initial offerings,” Hathcock said.

Story By: Annie Ross | annie.ross@okstate.edu