Structured literacy professional learning · AB 121 · CDE-approved
Let's meet teachers where they're at.
A best-in-class model for professional growth: teachers acquire critical Structured Literacy skills and actively apply them in their own classrooms as part of the course.
CDE-approved literacy PD provider
#1 online program
Top 20% of all 31 State Board–approved AB 121 programs
70%+ of the funding stays in the district
15 or fewer hours online (under 30 hrs total)
The moment
California districts are committed to strengthening Structured Literacy. AB 121 funding arrives this fall.
Sources: CDE Literacy PD Programs (AB 121) and the 2025–26 apportionment letter (EC 33319.6; EC 44320.3).
$1,686.82
per TK–5 teacher FTE, allocated by the CDE for Science of Reading professional learning
Oct–Nov 2026
the full allocation lands directly in district accounts
June 2030
spendable through the four-year window, with priority for teachers not yet through the literacy assessment
Many districts have already adopted a structured literacy curriculum. The harder part is what comes next: teachers short on time, implementation that drifts, and the largest gaps still sitting with students in special education and multilingual learners. Spread thin, the money buys a course and little else. LearnSync is built so it reaches classrooms and keeps working for four years.
Why LearnSync for California?
Professional learning that respects teachers' time and districts' budgets.
Among the shortest programs on California's approved list, because classroom practice counts.
<30 hrs
Short by design
Under 30 hours in total, 15 or fewer online, and designed to fit inside the PD days and PLC time districts already have. Most approved programs ask for 15–20 hours of teachers' evenings and weekends before a single lesson changes.
Real cases
Scenarios, not quizzes
Course 1 builds knowledge through authentic classroom vignettes from the California ELA/ELD Framework, and checks understanding in an instructional context.
In class
Classroom practice is the course
Course 2 is applied practice with teachers' own students, analyzed with coaches and peers. That instructional time is credited toward required hours.
CDE-reviewed and approved
Both courses on the state's approved provider list.
Aligned to California's expectations
ELA/ELD Framework and the California Dyslexia Guidelines.
Implementation support
Role-based tools for coaches, principals, and district leads.
Flexible for district context
Roll out by grade band, by site, or countywide.
What we're hearing from California leaders
Three things superintendents keep telling us, and what LearnSync does about each.
From our conversations with district leaders across the state this fall.
"Teachers tell me: I don't know what to do, I don't have the materials, and I don't have time outside the PD windows to go and find it on my own."
What LearnSync does
Runs inside existing PD days and PLC time, with lesson materials and a resource library built in, so it never feels like another initiative.
"Our biggest gaps are with students in special education and our multilingual learners. That's where the money needs to go."
What LearnSync does
In Course 2, every teacher names three to five focal students and applies the strategies to their lessons, so the training lands on the children with the biggest gaps first.
"Fidelity is our biggest risk. Teachers are still using a little of this and a little of that, and a structured literacy program has to be done in a structured way."
What LearnSync does
Builds common language across every site, gives coaches an operating system for PLCs, and captures what teachers are noticing about students so leaders can see practice shift.
Swap in the platform's scenario video; a PK–3 classroom is preferred so leaders see their own schools in it.
In the classroom
Meeting teachers where they are, and moving practice forward.
Rather than rote quizzes or completion checklists, each module ends with an Instructional Scenario Review built from the published California ELA/ELD Framework vignettes: an authentic classroom scenario grounded in real teacher moves.
Before
A second-grade teacher sees students guessing at words from pictures and context.
With LearnSync
She analyzes a vignette of explicit, systematic decoding instruction, chooses an anchor strategy, and names three focal students, two of them multilingual learners.
In her classroom
She teaches the lesson Tuesday, brings student work to her coach and peers, and the time counts toward her hours.
The LearnSync Literacy Program
Two CDE-approved courses, built around real classrooms.
Course 1
Introduction to Structured Literacy
Real scenarios, not cartoons and quizzes.
Teachers learn the anchor strategies of structured literacy by analyzing authentic instructional vignettes: what a strong decision looks like in a real lesson, and why. About an hour per module.
Six modules
1 · The Science of Reading
2 · Phonological & phonemic awareness
3 · Phonics & decoding
4 · Fluency
5 · Vocabulary & comprehension
6 · Differentiation & equity
Course 2
Launch into Structured Literacy
Practice in your own classroom, counted as PD.
Each teacher names three to five focal students, applies the anchor strategies to targeted lessons with them, then brings the student work back to coaches and peers. The in-class practice is the course, and it is credited toward required hours.
What teachers walk away with
- Lessons taught with their own students
- Student work analyzed with peers
- Certificate and achievement badging
- Completion data for every cohort and site
What leaders and educators are saying
We were skeptical about the reliance on multiple-choice quizzes to assess educator skill. The LearnSync model let our educators take the strategies directly into their classrooms as part of the course, and we've seen a huge difference in immediate implementation.
Beth Johnson · Director of Professional Learning Services
We piloted several of the popular Science of Reading programs. LearnSync was the only one that gave us flexible pathways through the content and let us demonstrate our skills by analyzing scenarios and applying our learning in classroom practice.
Gabe Ortiz · K–2 ELA Teacher & Reading Coach
AB 121 funding math
Train in waves, keep the money local, and the same dollars go much further.
Spread thin
~$450
per teacher per year if every TK–5 teacher trains at once. Most goes to provider fees; little is left for coaches.
In waves
$900–1,500
per trained teacher per year: PK–1 in year one, grades 2–3 in year two, and on through the window.
With LearnSync
$350
per teacher through a county partnership ($450 direct). Well over half of the allocation stays with the district for its own coaches and TOSAs.
Our pricing rests on one belief: the money should pay for coaching and classroom practice, not provider fees. Illustrative figures from the CDE allocation schedule; a worked example for your district is available on request.
How LearnSync compares
Top 20% on the state's review. Among the lowest cost per teacher. Districts keep most of their money.
The State Board of Education approved 31 AB 121 literacy programs. Here is the top 20% side by side, using the state's own review scores and each provider's published pricing.
#1
Online program
Highest-rated online program on the approved list.
47 / 54
CDE review score
Top 20% of the 31 approved programs.
$350–450
per teacher
$350 through a county partnership, $450 direct. Published prices across the list run from $199 to $3,237.
73–79%
of AB 121 funding retained by the district
One of only four top-20% programs where districts keep 70% or more.
Swipe sideways to see the full table →
| Rank | Program (top 20%) | CDE score | Cost / teacher | District keeps | Hours | Classroom application |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CABE — BEACONS | 53 | Not published | — | 84 | Year-long cohort with coaching cycles |
| 2 | SchoolKit — Customized PD | 53 | Not published | — | Varies | Custom coaching |
| 3 | Keys to Literacy — Comp. Literacy K–5 | 50 | $450 | 73% | 50 | Modules, four delivery formats |
| 4 | LACOE — Getting Reading Right | 50 | $300 | 82% | 20 | Live seminars with follow-up tasks |
| 5 | Literacy Squared | 48 | $1,800 / hr + travel | — | Varies | Learning labs |
| 6 | One Learning CA — LearnSync Literacy | 47 | $350–450 | 73–79% | <30 | In-class applied learning, credited as PD |
| 7 | Sacramento COE — California READS | 47 | $500 | 70% | 40 | Live modules, 33 hrs live |
Source: California Department of Education, Literacy Professional Development Program List & Memos. Scores out of 54. "District keeps" is the share of the $1,686 per-FTE allocation left after the provider's per-teacher cost. Ties are ordered by published cost per teacher. LearnSync's row reflects current pricing and hours; other rows are as submitted to the CDE in February 2026.
Two ways to partner
Counties lead, districts keep their funds, and support lasts four years.
County offices of education
Lead the rollout with the districts you already serve. Convene role-based networks for teachers, coaches, principals, and literacy leads, and give site coaches a ready-made operating system for their PLCs. Lead staff accounts are free.
Join as a founding county partnerDistricts
Contract directly, or at the county partnership rate, and keep well over half of your allocation for your own coaches. Every partnership starts with a four-year implementation plan.
Ask for a worked funding example Read the CDE's AB 121 guidance →
Science of Reading resources & articles from the field
A growing library of structured literacy resources. Open to everyone.
Recent resources, articles, videos, and emerging models of practice, curated from national providers including Reading Universe. Counties, districts, and sites can add their own for targeted distribution to their educators.
California Literacy
AB 121, the ELA/ELD Framework, and the Dyslexia Guidelines in one place.
Structured Literacy
Explicit, systematic, cumulative instruction, explained and modeled.
Science of Reading
The research base, in plain language, for teachers and leaders.
Implementation, Coaching & Instruction
Routines, agendas, and tools for coaches and site leaders.
About LearnSync
Built by people who have spent careers inside and alongside California's school system.
LearnSync Literacy is a fully online, California-approved Structured Literacy professional development program built to satisfy AB 121's Science of Reading training requirement for TK–5 teachers. It comes from One Learning Community, and we built it because this funding should become lasting literacy infrastructure, not another round of compliance training.
Learn more about LearnSync and our mission →
Robert Sheffield
Co-Founder
Robert brings more than 30 years of experience improving teaching and learning, from the classroom to executive leadership at College Board, WestEd, and CORE Learning. Throughout his career, he has focused on building and scaling systems that translate research into effective classroom practice. He co-founded LearnSync to address a challenge he has encountered throughout his career: making high-quality professional learning accessible, actionable, and sustainable at scale. His experience shapes LearnSync's approach to connecting the science of reading with the everyday work of teaching, helping educators strengthen instruction within the curricula and classrooms they already use.
Brian Ausland
Co-Founder
Brian has built online learning for California educators since 1994, when he worked on some of the state's earliest online coursework. As founder of Navigation North Learning he authored the Smarter Balanced Technology Strategy Frameworks and has helped education agencies across the state get real use from their learning platforms. He leads the LearnSync platform and its resource library.
Garla Jalloh
President
Garla brings more than 30 years of experience in education, to include school and district leadership, professional learning, and organizational development. Garla has supported educators and school systems across California and nationally. She joined LearnSync with a commitment to translating literacy research into effective implementation, strengthening educator capacity, and achieving lasting literacy impact for all students.
Let's build it together
California can lead the country on literacy.
District leaders: ask us for a worked funding example for your district. County leaders: join us as a founding county partner.
Not sure what AB 121 means for your district yet? Start with the CDE's guidance.