MEd Reading Specialist

(Thesis option not available)

Degree Requirements

Available only to teachers already holding a Professional Educator License (PEL), this program offers teachers a reading specialist endorsement.

Note: All coursework must be completed with a grade of “C” or above.

The MAT Reading Specialist track at Rockford University adheres to the Illinois State Board of Education guidelines and has four parts:

  • Cornerstone courses in reading methods, literature for children and adolescents, and reading in content areas
  • Clinical sequence courses consisting of reading diagnosis, clinical reading methods, and clinical experience in reading
  • Capstone courses in leadership, curriculum, and research applications
  • Foundations courses

Cornerstone Courses

EDRD 502Literacy Methods and Beginning Reading: Primary

3

EDRD 523Content Area Literacy Instruction

3

EDSL 574Multicultural Children's Literature

3

Clinical Courses

EDRD 556Reading Diagnosis

3

EDRD 557Clinical Reading Methods

3

EDRD 559Clinical Experience in Reading

3

The above courses fulfill the course requirements for the Reading Teacher Endorsement.

Capstone Courses

EDRD 631Leadership Roles of the Reading Specialist

3

EDRD 632Reading Curriculum Design & Implementation

3

EDRD 633Research Applications in the Reading Program

3

Reading Electives

EDRD 504Guided Reading

3

EDRD 505Reading Interventions

3

EDRD 515Foundations of Literacy For Middle & High School

3

EDSL 573Teaching Reading to ESL

3

Foundations

EDUC 605Philosophical Foundations of Education

3

EDUC 615Introduction to Research

3

EDUC 620Psychological Foundations of Education

3

Note: Reading Teacher endorsement requires 18 credits in Reading and a passing score on the Reading Teacher Exam (222) or Reading Specialist exam (221). Reading Specialist endorsement requires completion of an approved Reading Specialist program, two years’ teaching experience, a Master’s Degree, and a passing score on the Reading Specialist Content Exam (221).