Reading Specialist License
Develop additional expertise in literacy instruction and leadership.
Reading specialists are critical to supporting the sustainability of teacher development and quality literacy programming in today’s schools and districts. The reading specialist program at Carroll University is designed to extend the reading teacher license for educators wishing to pursue additional expertise in literacy instruction and leadership. The program reflects the Wisconsin Administrator (WA) and the International Literacy Association (ILA) Standards. The program contains project-based and performance-based learning opportunities to support candidate knowledge, skills and dispositions for reading specialist. Successful completion of the reading specialist coursework will result in the credentials and qualifications to obtain a License: Reading Specialist from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
The reading specialist program is designed to provide candidates with two options:
- A Master of Education with a concentration in Literacy includes the requirements for licensure #316 and #17. The M.Ed. is a 30-hour program. The graduate program in education requires the completion of research related to the course of study. This experience allows candidates to study an issue in greater depth that is important to their professional interest or to improve practice.
OR
- Certification for licensure as for candidates who currently hold a Reading Teacher license and a master degree or the equivalent
The reading specialist program is delivered through a learning community model. The learning community is a program in which participants meet together one weekend a month over a 10 month period. While learning communities come together on a regular, scheduled basis, each learning community and the nested groups within this structure often create supplementary group time beyond the scheduled meeting times. In the reading specialist program each learning community is co-facilitated by two instructors who follow the cohort through the entirety of the program.
The learning community model provides a setting for teaching and learning culminating in enhanced performance in the workplace. Learning communities are viewed by school leaders as the preferred model as they create a social, collegial, learning culture which promotes reflective practice leading to deeper understanding and solutions for PK-12 schools.
Content courses for licensure only (9 credits)
- EDU672: Literacy Program Evaluation and Implementation
- EDU673: Leadership in Literacy
- EDU679: Literacy Leadership Practicum
Research courses for M.Ed. (additional 6 credits)
- EDU607: Introduction to Educational Research
- EDU616: Research Seminar II
Meeting Dates
Fridays 5–9 p.m. | Saturdays 8 a.m.–12 p.m.
2024 Cohort
- Fall 2023 (EDU672, EDU673)
- September 15,16
- October 13,14
- November 10,11
- December 8,9
- Spring 2024 (EDU679, EDU607)
- Summer 2024 (EDU 616)