Ed.M. in Reading (Certification: Reading Specialist)

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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 - Theory, Research, Professional Development, and Curriculum (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  Seminar in Reading Research, Curriculum, and Supervision (3)

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.