A coaching-and-implementation model, vetted against 18 evidence criteria and approved by California’s State Board of Education.
The California State Board of Education has placed the Teaching Lab + Relay: TK-5 Structured Literacy Professional Learning Program in Tier 1 of California’s new Literacy Professional Development Programs List. An independent review committee evaluated the program against 18 evidence criteria and approved it at the Board’s September 9, 2026 meeting.
A coaching-and-implementation model, not a course to complete
The program is a coaching-and-implementation model, not a course to complete. Teachers move through sustained cycles of studying evidence-based practice, planning, teaching, and analyzing student work together. In parallel, school and district leaders use needs assessments and instructional walkthroughs to keep the shift going after the training ends.
The program leverages the best of what the combined organizations offer through academic rigor and innovative approaches to development and learning. Teaching Lab’s Multilingual Learner Action Guide for Literacy essential actions makes it so that language development is planned alongside decoding and comprehension, not bolted on afterward.
Why the timing matters for California districts
For California districts, the timing is practical. AB 121 appropriated $200 million for local educational agencies to train TK-5 staff in evidence-based literacy instruction, and those funds can go toward programs that meet the state’s criteria.
Tier 1 gives district leaders a shorter, evidence-ranked starting point as they weigh options and budgets this year.
Support for multilingual learners
Support for multilingual learners was the concern California educators raised most often in public comment on the list. The Teaching Lab + Relay program treats it as central: language development is planned alongside decoding and comprehension throughout the literacy block, with sessions dedicated to integrated and designated ELD and scaffolds for oral language, vocabulary, and access to grade-level texts, all aligned to the state’s ELA/ELD Framework and WIDA standards.
The program will appear on the CDE’s Literacy Professional Development Programs web page as the state completes its updates.
Deciding which approved program fits your district? Contact Wesley Kline, Managing Director, at partnerships@teachinglab.org. We’re glad to think it through with you.