The Mississippi Department of Education’s Office of Elementary Education and Reading, Division of Literacy, awarded Jackson State University (JSU) and William Carey University (WCU) the first Science of Reading Excellence Award on Nov. 9. This award was presented to exemplary Educator Preparation Providers committed to developing pre-service teachers’ knowledge and skills to effectively deliver instruction aligned to the science of reading.
JSU is one of 48 exemplary schools identified by the National Council of Teacher Quality for its work in preparing pre-service teachers to teach students to read day one. In addition, the faculty participated in ongoing science-aligned professional learning and created a Structured Literacy Lab for students.
WCU redesigned courses and coursework to align to the science, participated in ongoing professional learning, and developed programs to advance structured literacy practices.