Return to: Curry School of Graduate Education
Reading Specialist Certificate - (post-graduate, non-degree)
Program Overview
The Reading Specialist post-graduate certificate is a non-degree program of studies designed to give practicing teachers who hold a master’s degree the opportunity to add the state’s reading specialist endorsement to their teaching license. In the program of studies, individuals will gain the knowledge and skills needed to support struggling readers from differing cultural, social, and linguistic backgrounds. The curriculum is designed to provide candidates with current research on literacy development, engage in principled reading instruction and intervention practice in supervised settings, and prepare for leadership roles in schools and school districts as literacy coaches.
Teachers who already hold a master’s degree can take advantage of this certificate program in order to add the Commonwealth of Virginia’s K12 reading specialist endorsement to their teaching license. Teachers can finish the certificate program in 2-3 years’ time as part-time students while they teach or they can enroll as full –time students in Charlottesville.
Total number of credits:
The post-graduate Reading Specialist Certificate is a 30-hour program of studies and holds the Commonwealth of Virginia’s requirements for the K12 reading specialist endorsement.
Required Reading Core (24 hours)
EDIS 7700 Foundations of Reading Instruction (3 credits)
EDIS 7710 Reading in the Content Areas (3 credits)
EDIS 7720 Word Study: Language Structures and Phonics (3 credits)
EDIS 5730 Reading Diagnosis and Remediation, Part 1 (fall semester) (3 credits)
EDIS 5740 Reading Diagnosis and Remediation, Part 2 (spring semester) (3 credits)
EDIS 7730 Practicum in Reading Diagnosis (summer) (3 credits)
EDIS 7740 Remedial Practicum (summer) (3 credits)
EDIS 7751 Literacy, Leadership, and Coaching (3 credits)
Cognates (6 hours)
EDIS 7310 Children’s Literature; or EDIS 5410 Young Adult Literature (3 credits each)
EDLF 5010 Child Learning and Development OR EDLF 5160 Lifespan Development OR EDLF 5011 Adolescent Development (3 credits each)
Culminating Experience:
All students must take and successfully pass the Praxis: Reading for Virginia Educators: Reading Specialist (5304) test before program completion.
