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Adolescent Literacy: State Offers Specialized Certification/Endorsement in Adolescent Literacy for Content Area Teachers

Reading difficulties at the upper elementary and secondary grades may be beyond what traditional content area teachers are able to address.  A specialized certification/endorsement may provide a teacher with the tools to diagnose and respond to an adolescent learner's specific literacy needs.

Why does it matter?

  • Specialized training allows teachers not only to pick up on a student's reading difficulties, but also to catch the teacher or the teaching methods that might be contributing to the problem.

    • Highlights:

  • Only one state, Florida, has a specialized certification/endorsement in adolescent literacy.

    Methodology: The information was collected from state statutes, recently enacted legislation (session laws), and rules and regulations. Where necessary, statewide initiatives created outside of policy were collected from state agencies. The information will be updated as changes occur.

    Sources for all data points are available through this link.

    Last updated: June 2008

    Research was conducted by Melodye Bush. Please contact Bush at 303-299-3631 or mbush@ecs.org with comments or questions about this database.

    • State offers specialized certification/endorsement in adolescent literacy for content area teachers
    Florida Yes, while the reading endorsement covers grades K-12 it is specifically targeted at the needs of teachers serving middle and high school students in need of intervention.  In addition, Content Area Reading Professional Development (CAR-PD) is targeted at improving the literacy instruction - specifically vocabulary and comprehension - of middle and high school content area teachers.


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