Reading Specialist Certification

Program Description | Admission | Certificate Requirements | Courses

Program Description

The Reading Specialist Certification is designed for applicants desiring to work as an all-level Reading Specialist. Students must successful complete a departmental comprehensive and/or portfolio examination before taking the Reading Specialist Exam.

This certification is also offered in coordination with the M.Ed. in Reading/Language Arts.

Admission

To be regularly admitted to the graduate school, applicants must submit to the Office of Graduate Admissions:

Graduate Application
Application fee
Official transcript from the baccalaureate degree granting institution
Two letters of recommendations with recommendation checklists
A copy of applicant’s teaching certificate
A teacher service record with at least two years of successful teaching experience
Interview with writing sample
Official GRE or MAT scores, if GPA in last 60 hours is below a 3.0

For information regarding the recommendation checklists, interview, and writing sample, please contact the Department of Language, Literacy and Special Populations at (936) 294-4045.

In addition, applicants must complete an online questionnaire that shows that (1) they are presently teaching (or have access to a class) so that assignments can be applied and (2) they possess the necessary technology skills for graduate work/research.

NOTE: Candidates may be permitted to enroll for one semester while their admission file is incomplete.

Applicants with completed files are reviewed for regular admission by graduate faculty in each program area and are selected by faculty based on information in the completed file.

Certificate Requirements

The Reading Specialist Certification requires the completion of 36 credit hours and is designed for those holding a valid Elementary or Secondary teaching certificate. The candidate must have two years successful teaching experience and successfully complete a departmental comprehensive and/or portfolio examination before taking the Reading Specialist Exam. Candidates must be enrolled in coursework during the semester they submit their comprehensive portfolio. The certification program originates in the Department of Language, Literacy, and Special Populations.

Reading Specialist Certification

Item	Requirement	Options	Hours Required
1	Specified Courses	Choose all* from:* READ 5306 <RDG 530> Foundations of Literacy READ 5330 <RDG 590> Literature and Instructional Materials in Reading Programs READ 5335 <RDG 598> Cognition and Emergent Literacy READ 6310 <RDG 675> The Administration and Supervision of Literacy Programs¹ BESL 5302 <BSL 571> Social, Cultural and Language Influence on Learning READ 5315 <RDG 561> Language Arts: Theory and Instruction READ 5307 <RDG 532> Practicum in Literacy Assessment and Instructional Strategies I² READ 5308 <RDG 533> Practicum in Literacy Assessment and Instructional Strategies II³ READ 5325 <RDG 589> Improvement of Literacy in Secondary Schools and Adult Populations READ 7330 <RDG 638> Research in Language and Literacy I⁴ READ 7310 <RDG 688> The Politics of Literacy READ 6320 <RDG 690> Internship in Reading Supervision ⁵	36
TOTAL			36

Notes:

¹	Prerequisite: READ 5306 <RDG 530>
²	Prerequisite: Enroll concurrently with READ 5308 <RDG 533>
³	Prerequisite: Enroll concurrently with READ 5307 <RDG 532>
⁴	Prerequisite: READ 5306 <RDG 530>, READ 5307 <RDG 532>, READ 5308 <RDG 533>
⁵	Prerequisite: READ 7330 <RDG 638>