Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Education

Department of Teaching and Learning

Reading Specialist K-8 Path to Certification, Graduate Certificate


Academic Information

This plan is replacing the Reading Specialist Endorsement beginning fall 2024.

This graduate certificate program provides you with in-depth skills and tools to diagnose and remediate reading difficulties in students K-8 classrooms. In addition, the program also prepares students to lead school and district wide reading programs. The required course work leading to the certificate is approved by the Arizona Department of Education for ADE’s Reading Specialist Endorsement.

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Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Education

Department of Teaching and Learning

Reading Specialist K-8 Path to Certification, Graduate Certificate


Careers

What Can I Do with a Reading Specialist K-8 Certificate?

This certificate program provides teachers with knowledge of student reading disabilities and challenges students face learning to read.  Diagnostic tools are covered in detail and are used as part of an intervention plan developed to maximize student success in learning to read. Reading Specialists can custom design interventions that work with students.  While the course work has a K-8 focus, reading specialists provide leadership and technical knowledge in classrooms, schools, districts, committees and community organizations.    

Career opportunities that might be pursued:
  • reading specialist at a district, school, or classroom level
  • providing leadership tgo community literacy groups

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Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Education

Department of Teaching and Learning

Reading Specialist K-8 Path to Certification, Graduate Certificate


University Requirements

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Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Education

Department of Teaching and Learning

Reading Specialist K-8 Path to Certification, Graduate Certificate


Overview

In addition to University Requirements:

Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

Minimum Units for Completion 24
Additional Admission Requirements

Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

Arizona Endorsement

May prepare student for Arizona Endorsement.

Fieldwork Experience/Internship Fieldwork Experience/Internship is required.
Some online/blended coursework Required

Purpose Statement

This new academic plan is within the continuing professional master’s in education elementary level coursework. Reading, along with math, is one of the most important skills being taught in elementary school classroom.  Due to a number of challenges such as second language learners, low socio-economic families with limited resources, and learning disabilities, many young children experience a great deal of difficulty breaking the “code” of reading.  The demand for reading specialists in Arizona is very high.  The course work provided in this certificate program provides skills for diagnosis and remediation as well as reading program supervision for a school wide effort. ECI 551 Clinical Practice in Reading is a hands-on practical component that requires working with students in classrooms through the diagnosis and remediation process. Courses are taken in a sequential order because the theoretical as well as foundational background must be mastered before these teacher graduate students can effectively identify, diagnose and apply effective remedies for students who are struggling to read.  The capstone, ECI 687 requires a Reading Action Research project in each teacher’s classroom. Practicing elementary and middle school teachers and their students are the populations best served by this program.  

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will: 

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Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Education

Department of Teaching and Learning

Reading Specialist K-8 Path to Certification, Graduate Certificate


Details

Graduate Admission Information
Additional Admission Requirements
Certificate Requirements
Additional Information
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Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Education

Department of Teaching and Learning

Reading Specialist K-8 Path to Certification, Graduate Certificate


Campus Availability

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