Reading Specialist Certificate Program to be offered at Radford University in fall 2020
Radford University’s Literacy Education Graduate Program will begin offering a certificate program this fall for teachers wanting to earn credentials for a reading specialist endorsement.
The new Reading Specialist Certificate Program is designed for educators with a graduate degree in the field of education who are ready to pursue an added endorsement as a reading specialist, said the program’s coordinator Jennifer Jones-Powell, Ed.D. The first cohort will begin coursework in the fall 2020 semester.
Information sessions concerning the new certificate program, as well as the Radford University Master of Science in Literacy Education, were held on Zoom in March and April.
The information sessions addressed the differences between the Literacy Education Graduate Program and the Reading Specialist Certificate Program. The sessions also addressed course requirements, program timelines, program costs and the application process.
Built for educators with a passion for literacy, the Literacy Education Graduate Program and Reading Specialist Certificate Program emphasize empowering learners, both students and teachers. Each has a focus on classroom and intervention instruction, as well as literacy coaching skills for reading specialists.
Both programs prepare students for advanced graduate study in literacy and related fields. “This opens numerous options beyond classroom teaching, such as Title 1 instruction, reading specialist, literacy coaching, consulting, literacy supervision and coordination, and working with literacy-related publishers, ” Jones-Powell said.
In Virginia, a graduate-level degree in an education discipline is required to become a reading specialist. The Reading Specialist Certificate Program is made for educators with a graduate degree who are ready to pursue the reading specialist endorsement.
The Radford University Master of Science in Literacy Education provides both a master’s degree and the required courses/competencies to earn a reading specialist endorsement.
Courses for the degree and certificate programs are developed to meet the needs of practicing teachers and offered both online and in a classroom setting. The Literacy Education Graduate Program can be completed in two years or less. The Reading Specialist Certificate Program can be completed in as little as four semesters.
The application process for both programs is streamlined and simple. Applicants for the Reading Specialist Certificate Program, as well as the Literacy Education Graduate Program, must be licensed teachers. Admissions requirements include:
- Minimum overall 2.75 GPA;
- Two letters of reference; and
- Submit official transcripts of past course work.
- Submit a writing sample
Application materials are available online at: https://www.radford.edu/content/grad/home/academics/certificates/reading_specialist_certificate.html
To learn more about Radford University’s Literacy Education Graduate Program, as well as the Reading Specialist Certificate Program, contact Jennifer Jones-Powell at 540-831-5311 or jjones292@radford.edu.