The Rollins Center for Language & Literacy’s Cox Campus has been awarded accreditation from the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), for the Cox Campus Structured Literacy Certificate Program. This unprecedented milestone makes Cox Campus the only free, nationally accredited Structured Literacy program for educators. IDA is the gold standard educator training in Structured Literacy. Cox Campus is already an IACET Accredited provider and is approved in a growing number of states.
Cox Campus, an online learning platform designed to provide free and open access to the Science of Reading coursework, content, and professional learning resources, serves teachers and other providers across the learning continuum – prenatal through literacy. This year, Cox Campus celebrates 10 years of service, while the Rollins Center will celebrate 20 years of service.
When asked about the impact of IDA accreditation Salley Edwards, Georgia educator and Content Specialist for Cox Campus said, “Only about 33% of 4th graders in our country read on grade level. The vast majority of teachers and leaders working in our schools were trained to teach reading in a way that works for a select few, not for all students. IDA-accredited training teaches teachers to reach the most children through proven, science-based practices that ensure literacy for all.”
The Georgia Early Literacy Act (HB538) passed in 2023, requires all Kindergarten through 3rd grade teachers in Georgia to be trained in structured literacy, and with this powerful legislation, Georgia is already gaining traction. Further, the implication of this accreditation extends beyond the State of Georgia and is aligned to legislation passed in more than 30 states nationwide.
This work has been made possible by the support of local and national foundations committed to literacy and justice for all. Cox Campus provides language and literacy resources to 280,000 members across all 50 states and in more than 80 countries globally at no cost. Cox Campus has delivered more than $82 million worth of professional learning coursework – completely free.
This story began more than 85 years ago with the opening of the Atlanta Speech School, originally a free school for children who were deaf or hard of hearing. Since that time, the Speech School has been evolving and expanding in line with advances in language and literacy research, technology, instruction, and therapy. In 2004, the Rollins Center was founded to extend the science-based instruction received by each child at the Atlanta Speech School to every child with the singular purpose of breaking the cycle of illiteracy for those whose families have been denied educational access for generations. The Rollins Center does this through facilitation, professional development and coaching in regional schools and on a global scale through its free online Cox Campus.
