Coordinators:
Dr. Erica Boling (848-932-0774; email: erica.boling@gse.rutgers.edu)
Please visit the website.
This program is designed for individuals who wish to
receive the Reading Specialist Certification to work as a reading/literacy
specialist in public and private schools grades K through 12. Individuals
applying to the program must already have an initial teaching certification.
Upon completion of the program, students will receive their Ed.M. degree. Two
years of full-time experience as a classroom teacher are required in order to obtain
state certification.
The program is designed to enable teachers to plan
programs appropriate for children of differing abilities and diverse cultural
backgrounds based on research and theory, and to foster a vision of literacy
learning as an active social process in which students become engaged readers
with strategies for independent reading, and the motivation to read for
pleasure and for information.
The program requires 36
credits of study. Students develop a broad understanding of literacy issues by
taking core courses on the development of literacy, on the diagnosis and
remediation of reading problems, on curriculum development and supervision of
literacy programs, and on research in the field of literacy. Additional credits
include courses dealing with strategies for literacy instruction, with
administration and supervision, and with learning cognition and development.
Courses outside the program are taken to develop an understanding of how
literacy relates to other areas of the school curriculum. In addition, students
take a comprehensive exam or an alternative project to complete the program.
Core Courses (12 credits)
15:299:561 Theoretical Foundations of Literacy - Research, Policy, and Practice (3)
15:299:564 Diagnosis and Correction of Reading Difficulties (3)
15:299:565 Clinical Practicum in Reading (Laboratory in Remedial Reading) (3)
15:299:566 Literacy Research and Supervision (3)
Literacy Methods (9 credits)
Select three courses from the following:
15:250:592 Summer Institute in Literacy (3)
15:252:517 Teaching the Language Arts (3)
15:252:519 Teaching Writing for Children and Adolescents (3)
15:252:521 Teachers as Writers (3)
15:252:522 Digital Literacies (3)
15:252:525 Writing Project Workshop: Bringing Research and Theory into Practice (1,3, or 6)
15:252:592 Teaching Struggling Readers (3)
15:299:514 Literacy Development in the Early Years (3)
15:299:516 Literacy Development in the Elementary and Middle School (3)
15:299:533 Coaching: Leadership, Supervision, and Professional Development (3)
15:299:562
Reading and Writing Across Content Disciplines (3)
Materials for Children and Adolescents (3 credits)
Select one course from the following:
15:252:520 Adolescent Literature (3)
15:299:509 Children's Literature in the Early Childhood and Elementary School Curriculum (3)
17:610:548 Materials for Young Adults (3)
17:610:547 Materials for Children (3)
Study in Each of the Following Departments (6 credits):
-
Educational Theory, Policy, and Administration (3 credits):
Select course related to administration and supervision of curriculum and instruction in consultation with an adviser.
-
Educational Psychology (3 credits): Select course related to learning, cognition, and development in consultation with an adviser.
Electives from Outside the Program (6 credits)
Select courses in related areas (e.g., English, language education, special education, and women's studies) in consultation with an adviser.
Additional Requirements
A portfolio project is a required culminating activity for the program. More information about this requirement is available from the program faculty.
