The mission of the Reading Specialist program is to prepare teachers who effectively lead and provided targeted reading instruction with confidence and flexibility, to individuals who display reading, speaking, listening, and writing difficulties. This program is designed to is designed for educators or others wishing to expand upon their knowledge of literacy with special emphasis on multi-sensory-based instructional practices. This is accomplished by incorporating field-based experiences, coursework includes early and emergent literacy, word structure knowledge, phonology, morphology, orthography, semantics and syntax, delivery of reading assessments with resulting targeted interventions, advanced literacy instruction in comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary acquisition, developmental writing, and spelling.
West Virginia certification as a reading specialist requires completion of the six reading courses, a master’s degree, and a passing grade on the WV state licensure test. Graduate students can earn their master’s degree and complete the foundational courses through the MAEd program.
Required courses in Education Common Core (12 hours):
- EDUC 502 Professional Writing (online every semester)
- EDUC 507 Research Methods (online every semester)
- EDUC 512 Assessment and Data Literacy (online every semester)
- EDUC 581 Capstone (16-week course during Fall or Spring only)
Required courses for this area of emphasis (18 hours):
- READ 562 Foundations of Structured Literacy (Fall I)
- READ 563 Multi-sensory Teaching Methods (Fall II)
- READ 565 Advanced Methods of Multi-Sensory Instruction (Spring I)
- READ 512 Advanced Literacy Assessment (Spring II)
- READ 575 Advanced Literacy Instruction (Summer I)
- READ 564 Structured Literacy Practicum (Fall I & Fall II, if needed)
Total academic hours required for degree: 30
The West Virginia Department of Education offers stand-alone certification as a Reading Specialist, which requires completion of six reading courses, a master’s degree, and passing the WV state licensure test.
Advisor:
Dr. Nicole Ennis
MAEd Program Director
Main Hall 308B
227 WLU Highlands Center
304-336-8486
nicole.ennis@westliberty.edu
Admissions
- Official transcripts of any bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university, with a 3.0 GPA.
- Start the Program in January, March, May, June, August, or October