Frequently Asked Questions

The Science of Reading Fundamentals course is a curriculum-agnostic look at the building blocks of literacy education and is designed to be a valuable complement to any P-12 literacy program. This course introduces participants to innovative, evidence-based tools and concepts, and provides a useful starting point for anyone interested in the latest research about how children learn to read. At the core of this course is a foundational survey of the five pillars of effective reading instruction on which the Science of Reading is based. These pillars are:

  1. Phonemic Awareness
  2. Phonics (Part 1: Alphabetic Principle and Part 2: Orthography)
  3. Fluency
  4. Vocabulary
  5. Comprehension

This program is fully online and asynchronous, meaning the modules can be completed at any time – there are no synchronous, real-time meetings or assignments required.

Yes, high-quality research shows that ELLs benefit from instruction aligned with the Science of Reading, including components like phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, which constitutes how the five modules of the Science of Reading Microcredential are structured. The Science of Reading principles in the course are considered highly supportive for English Language Learners (ELLs) and Fluent English Language Learners (FELLs) as they emphasize explicit phonics instruction, which is particularly beneficial for students navigating the complexities of English pronunciation, decoding, and encoding words, allowing them to build a strong foundation for reading proficiency. A core component of the Science of Reading, explicit phonics teaching helps ELLs learn the sound-letter relationships in English, which is crucial for decoding words. The Science of Reading emphasizes developing phonological awareness, which is also important for ELLs to identify and manipulate sounds in words, even if they are not native English speakers.

Participants will have access to the course for six months from their date of registration with the flexibility to make progress at a pace that works for them.

Participants will have six months from the day they register to complete the course. At the conclusion of the six-month period access to the course will expire.

Sorry! We are not able to grant extensions.

Some documents in the course are downloadable, but video lesson content is not. Participants who complete the course will also gain access to a library of resources related to the course. Access to the resource library does not expire with your course access.

Kathleen Lord

  • Master’s in Educational Psychology (Columbia University, 2000)
  • Ph.D. in Cognitive Studies—Reading (Columbia University, 2008)
  • Literacy Education professor at SUNY New Paltz since 2009
  • Former Regional Manager, Office of Literacy,  Massachusetts 
  • Department of Elementary &  Secondary Education (2004–2009)
  • Completed professional development for trainers to
    teach LETRS in Massachusetts
  • Literacy Consultant: New York State Migrant Education
    Program (2016–present)
  • Areas of research: comprehension, learning and
    conceptual knowledge

Sarah Holbrook

  • Master’s in Special Education (SUNY New Paltz, 2006)
  • Master’s in Literacy Education (SUNY New Paltz, 2017)
  • CAS in Administrative Education (SUNY New Paltz, 2019)
  • Ed.D. in Special Education, Literacy Instruction, Dyslexia (University of Florida, expected 2026)
  • Director of Humanities, Kingston City School District (2024-present)
  • Middletown Enlarged City School District, Humanities Instructional Leader (2022-present)
  • New Paltz Central School District, Specialized Reading Teacher, Literacy Coach and Team Leader (2007-2022)
  • Adjunct Professor of Literacy Education, SUNY New
    Paltz (2021-present)

Certain states, school districts, and schools purchase groups of licenses that entitle their educators access to the course for free or at a discount. If you are unsure whether you are eligible for free or discounted access, please check with a local administrator.  If you are not part of a participating state, district, or school you can pay the course fee of $50.00 USD and register as an individual learner at any time.

You will take a required quiz at the end of each of the five course modules. You must score at least 80% on each module quiz to progress to the next module. You will be allowed multiple opportunities to achieve an 80% score on module quizzes.

In addition to the module quizzes, you will take a pre-course test and a post-course test. Only one attempt is permitted and stored for both the pre-course test and post-course test. The scores for these tests do not impact your ability to proceed to the end of the course and receive the Microcredential, provided you have achieved mastery on the module quizzes.

No. Since this course is asynchronous, the only time limit you have is the course end date.

Certain states, school districts, and schools purchase groups of licenses that entitle their educators access to the course for free or at a discount. If you are unsure whether you are eligible for free or discounted access, please check with a local administrator.  If you are not part of a participating state, district, or school you can pay the course fee of $50.00 USD and register as an individual learner at any time.

The course content for both individual learners and those with state, district, or school access is the same.

From start to finish, sign-up, payment, and enrollment takes under 5 minutes.

If you have been given access to the microcredential for free as a part of a cohort, please sign up with your district email address.

You can reset your password with this link (opens in a new tab).

Once you've done so, you'll get an email at the email address you registered with.

If you are still having issues, please fill out this form to contact our support team (opens in a new tab).

  1. Check to make sure the messages aren’t going to your junk or spam folder.
  2. If you don’t see messages there, reach out to your IT contact to make sure external email addresses are not being automatically blocked.
  3. If neither of the above helps, reach out to our support team by filling out this form (opens in a new tab).

Your Science of Reading Fundamentals course certificate can be accessed through our credentialing service, Credly.  Please choose one of the following options based on your Credly status.

  1. If you have already accepted your Credly badge: Log into your Credly account [opens new tab] and then download the certificate by following the instructions in this video [opens new tab].

  2. If you have not already created your Credly account: If you have not already created your Credly account and claimed your badge for the Science of Reading course, you will need to do so before you can download your certificate.  If it is helpful, here is a brief video that explains how to accept your badge [opens new tab].  If you no longer have the Credly invitation email, we will be happy to send you a new one; please let us know you need the invitation resent. After you accept your Credly badge, you will be able to download the certificate by following the instructions in this video [opens new tab]. 

Yes. This learning platform works on all modern browsers and devices.

If you encounter an accessibility issue, please fill out this form to get in contact with our support team (opens in a new tab).

E.g. a link does not work, a video will not play, you are having trouble enrolling, etc.

Please fill out this form (opens in a new tab) and let us know what is giving you trouble.

Follow these directions to access your receipt:

  1. Make sure you are signed into the course.
  2. Navigate to your order history page (opens in a new tab)
  3. Select the order you would like to view for Order and Payment details

Optional: Click Print Receipt for a physical copy of your order



Certain states, school districts, and schools purchase groups of licenses that entitle their educators access to the course for free or at a discount. If you are unsure whether you are eligible for free or discounted access, please check with a local administrator.  If you are not part of a participating state, district, or school you can pay the course fee of $50.00 USD and register as an individual learner at any time.

Certain states, school districts, and schools purchase groups of licenses that entitle their educators access to the course for free or at a discount. If you are unsure whether you are eligible for free or discounted access, please check with a local administrator.  If you are not part of a participating state, district, or school you can pay the course fee of $50.00 USD and register as an individual learner at any time.

Sorry. We cannot offer refunds at this time.

SUNY New Paltz encourages educators working together to improve literacy in their schools/districts or organizations to take the microcredential together. Orders of 20 or more licenses can be purchased directly from the Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz using a purchase order. Interested groups can email [email protected].

Individual educators can purchase licenses directly on the Science of Reading Center home page.
Important! Please ensure you are using the appropriate enrollment link and that your work email address is used.

Learners who complete the Science of Reading Fundamentals microcredential certificate earned from SUNY New Paltz, as of April 15, 2025, or later, are eligible to apply for 1 credit hour, at no cost. At the conclusion of the course, learners will receive information on how to request Credit for College-Level Learning (CCLL). If you have questions about Credit for College-Level Learning, please contact the Office of Records and Registration at [email protected] or 845-257-3100.

Learners who complete the Science of Reading Fundamentals microcredential certificate earned from SUNY New Paltz, as of April 15, 2025, or later, are eligible to apply for 1 credit hour, at no cost. At the conclusion of the course, learners will receive information on how to request Credit for College-Level Learning (CCLL). It is at the discretion of your home institution if the credit is transferable. If you have questions about Credit for College-Level Learning, please contact the Office of Records and Registration at [email protected] or 845-257-3100.

Yes! Participants who complete the Science of Reading Fundamentals microcredential are eligible to claim continuing education units in the following states:

  • New York State: 35 Continuing Teacher & Leader Education (CTLE) credits hours
  • Maryland: 3 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits

Upon completion of the microcredential, participants from these states will be provided with documentation for submission to their state education departments.

Once you complete the course, you will also receive a Credly badge that you can publicly display to show your accomplishment in completing this course. Claiming the Credly badge is optional, but it does have the advantage of being available to you as confirmation of your achievement after your cohort ends and you lose access to this course. You will receive an email invitation to accept your badge within 24 hours at the email address that you used to sign up for this microcredential.

The badge invitation will arrive from the sender SUNY New Paltz via Credly <[email protected]> and the subject line will read "[Your Name]! You just received a badge from SUNY New Paltz."

To learn more about how to accept your digital badge, please watch this brief tutorial from Credly:




How to Accept Your Badge from Credly Academy on Vimeo.


Visit the Science of Reading Center website.

Send us a message.

Certain states, school districts, and schools purchase groups of licenses that entitle their educators access to the course for free or at a discount. If you are unsure whether you are eligible for free or discounted access, please check with a local administrator.  If you are not part of a participating state, district, or school you can pay the course fee of $50.00 USD and register as an individual learner at any time.

The course content for both independent learners and those with state, district or school access is the same.

SUNY New Paltz encourages educators working together to improve literacy in their schools/districts or organizations to take the microcredential together. Orders of 20 or more licenses can be purchased directly from the Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz using a purchase order. Interested groups can email [email protected].


Individual educators can purchase licenses directly on the Science of Reading Center home page.
Important! Please ensure you are using the appropriate enrollment link and that your work email address is used.