Designed for:

Reading Endorsement: Licensed teachers desiring a reading specialist/interventionist credential who want to enhance and broaden both reading specific knowledge, instructional practices and strategies, and other responsibilities in the classroom.

Certificate: Newly licensed teachers who wish to gain advanced literacy training, without pursuing an add-on endorsement to their teaching license.

To start, you need:

• A bachelor’s degree
• Valid teaching License
• Recommended 3 years of teaching experience

Licensing required:

Must hold a valid teaching license in order to be recommending for endorsement.

Finishing will take:

• Completion of 24 credits (including a 6 credit practicum)
  • 15 credits are required for the Reading Specialist Certificate only
• Passing scores on the PRAXIS Reading Specialist (5301) (Endorsement Only)

Begin your Reading Endorsement/Certificate program:

Next term

Where you will take classes:

• Online Reading Endorsement: fall, winter, spring, and summer

Technology you will need:

• Computer with internet connection
• Video conferencing capability (e.g., Skype)

Where this program can take you:

• Reading Endorsement:
  • Reading Specialist/Interventionist
  • Literacy Coaches
  • Curriculum Administrators
  • Research on Literacy and Literacy Education
  • Advanced Literacy Classroom Practitioner
• Reading Certificate:
  • Demonstration of Advanced Knowledge in Literacy
  • Research on Literacy and Literacy Education
  • Can be converted to Endorsement by meeting with a Program Advisor to provide evidence of 3 years teaching experience and passing scores on the PRAXIS Reading Specialist test (5301).

What you will learn:

Participants in the WOU Reading Program will learn the skills and dispositions of a literacy leader who may want to be reading specialist and/or coach This 24-credit graduate post licensure program focuses on connecting reading theory, curriculum, assessment, and strategies to enhance and broaden literacy specific knowledge, instructional practices, and other responsibilities encountered by classroom teachers, resource teachers, and/or reading specialists. The reading specialist certification leads to an add-on endorsement to a teaching license.

Learning outcomes:

• Demonstrate knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for effective education practice in the specific role of the reading specialist as outlined by the International Literacy Association’s standards for reading professionals.
• Understand and embrace a holistic approach to reading instruction and assessment that considers the social, cultural, cognitive, and linguistic aspects of literacy.
• Able to locate, incorporate and utilize multiple sources of authentic methods and materials for theoretically, culturally, and developmentally appropriate instruction.

Program Start Dates:

You may apply to start the program in the fall, winter, spring, or summer terms.

Application Deadlines:

• Fall Term: September 1st
• Winter Term: December 10th
• Spring Term: March 10th
• Summer Term: June 1st

Detailed application requirements:

Application materials required for WOU Graduate admission:

• Application Fee $60
• Transcripts
  • You can upload an unofficial copy of your transcript to complete your application for admission. Save as a PDF with your first and last name in time from all previous colleges. We will require an official transcript from the Colleges or Universities you have attended for formal admission.
  • Transcripts are used as Evidence of completion of a four-year baccalaureate degree (or international equivalent) from a regionally accredited institution as defined by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars, with a cumulative B average (equivalent 3.00 on a U.S. 4.00 grading scale) on the most recent baccalaureate degree. Applicants who hold a master’s degree will have the 3.0 GPA requirement waived. Students with less than 3.0 can also provide passing MAT/GRE scores to be fully admitted.

• Current Resume
  • Save as a PDF with your first and last name in the title.
• Personal Statement
  • Please provide a brief statement explaining your interest in a graduate degree in education, the content specialty area you are interested in pursuing, and how it will help you meet your current and/or future professional goals.
• Professional Characteristics Form
  • Review the professional characteristics document and upload it.

Process: Applications will be reviewed once all application materials have been submitted. Please refer to the Application Checklist in your Graduate Application Portal to confirm the status of your submitted materials. The Graduate Application Portal will also provide additional details about the checklist items for further clarification. You will be notified via email regarding changes in the status of your application or if you are missing any application components.

Reading Endorsement/Certificate curriculum overview:

Courses in this program will enhance and broaden both reading specific knowledge and other responsibilities encountered by the classroom teacher, resource teacher, and reading specialist. Participants wishing to add an endorsement to their license will need to pass PRAXIS test for Reading Specialist (5301).

Endorsement/Certificate Contract:

Once admitted to Reading Program you will work with an advisor to plan the courses you will take and how you will complete the academic requirements of the program. By filing this Reading Endorsement Contract or Reading Specialist Certificate Contract (PDF form), you have a road map for completing your program and clarity on what to expect.

*Students completing an endorsement, certificate, or specialization only are not eligible for federal financial aid.

ED 655 Foundations of Literacy, K-Adult (3) – Foundations of Literacy is a study of concepts and processes related to developmental instruction in elementary, middle, secondary, and adult education. This course will explore literacy and the variables and procedures related to the process of literacy learning.

RECOMMEND course to be taken in the first two quarters of beginning of the reading endorsement/certificate.

ED 667 Supporting Language and Literacy Development (3) – This introductory course examines theories of language acquisition, functions of language and the role of culture and power in developing language. Participants learn the importance of oral language to the development of successful reading and writing, develop diagnostic and intervention strategies that support students with literacy difficulties or differences, and demonstrate qualities of teacher as language researcher.

ED 668 Assessment and Reading Instruction (3) – This course will examine how to evaluate teaching and students’ learning for the purpose of connecting meaningful instruction determined from assessments and standards. In addition, we will explore the political and ethical issues related to assessment, accountability, and testing their effects on the teaching profession. PREREQ: Six-nine hours of reading instruction or consent of instructor.

ED 680 Psychology of Literacy Learning (3) – This advanced courses in literacy instruction examines the fundamental nature of the literacy learning process and the causes of difficulty in learning to read and write. An examination of current issues in teaching children to read. PREREQ. ED 667

ED 689 Contemporary Issues in Literature (3) – Participants will be invited to read, discuss, and engage with a wide range of current, excellent books for children and adolescents. Emphasis will be on how to use literature effectively and authentically in the classroom.

The Practicum begins with ED 672, then ED 609 Practicum II, and finally ED 609 Practicum III.

ED 672 Leadership in the School Reading Program: Practicum I (3) – This course will examine the multiple roles of a reading specialist, such as: mentoring, coaching, effectively supporting struggling readers, and providing resources to classroom teachers.

ED 609 Practicum in Reading II (3) – This is part one of the final course (ED 609) in the reading endorsement program. Students will design a cumulative project to demonstrate proficiencies outlined in the International Reading Association Standards for a reading specialist.

ED 609 Practicum in Reading III (3) – This is final course in the reading endorsement program.

** Pre-Req: It is recommended that students in the MSED program must have taken one or both research classes with the
MSED program ED 633 Research and Writing and ED 635 Action Research