The Master of Science degree in Reading and Language Arts is designed to prepare literacy professionals who are knowledgeable and competent in providing quality literacy instruction, who can enhance students' literacy learning, and who meet the standards for reading professionals as defined by the International Literacy Association and by state mandates. The master's program offers three strands:
Strand I: Reading Specialist (30 credits). It is designed to prepare teachers to become reading specialists in compliance with the state standards for advanced certification in Remedial Reading and Remedial Language Arts (102 certification).
Strand II: Literacy Education (30 credits). It is designed to prepare teachers for teaching reading and language arts to diverse groups of students in a classroom context.
Strand III: Literacy & Mathematics Education (30 credits). It is designed to prepare teachers to teach both literacy and numeracy to diverse groups of students in a classroom context.
Program Learning Outcomes
The Master of Science degree program in Reading and Language Arts follows the International Literacy Association's standards for reading professionals. Students in the program are expected to:
-Meet the International Literacy Association's standards for reading professionals.
-Provide leadership, through modeling and mentoring of colleagues, and acquire a wide range of instructional practices to facilitate their reading and writing instruction.
-Be knowledgeable in selecting, administering, and interpreting various assessments appropriate for a wide range of diversity in the classroom, and in communicating results to education stakeholders.
-Create a literate environment to facilitate successful reading and writing for all children.
-Continue to be lifelong learners and scholars, through reading, research, and professional development, and leaders in advocating to advance the professional research base to expand knowledge-based practices.