Courses

Courses

Course Requirements

The curriculum for the Reading Specialist Certificate (K-12) is designed to provide candidates with opportunities to build specialized knowledge, engage in principled practice in supervised settings, and prepare for leadership roles in schools and school districts. The curriculum addresses the International Reading Association's Standards for Reading Professionals (2010) in the areas of:

  • Foundational Knowledge
  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • Assessment and Evaluation
  • Diversity
  • Literate Environment
  • Professional Learning and Leadership

Prescribed Core Course Requirements (21 credits)

  • LLED 445 Teaching English in Bilingual/Dialectical Education (3)
  • EDUC 477 Teaching Struggling Readers and Writers (3)
  • EDUC 565 Literacy Leadership (3)
  • EDUC 561 Psychology of Reading (3)
  • EDUC 562 Diagnostic Evaluation of Reading Problems (3)
  • EDUC 563 Advanced Methods in Teaching Reading (Capstone course A) (3)
  • EDUC 564 Reading Clinic (Capstone course B) (3)

Note: Capstone courses A and B (EDUC 563 and EDUC 564 must be taken consecutively). Candidates who entered the program prior to summer 2015 will take EDUC 564 in the original format as a 6-credit course.

Electives (3 credits)

Select one (1) of the following Literacy Course options:

  • EDUC 422 Literature for Children and Adolescents (3)
  • EDUC 432 Children’s Literature and Writing (3)
  • EDUC 452 Teaching Writing (3)
  • EDUC 472 Teaching Reading through the Content Areas (3)

Many of the literacy courses are offered via hybrid and traditional formats. Please contact the program coordinators for more information.

Important note: The following courses have been approved by The Pennsylvania Department of Education, July 2012, to meet Accommodations and Adaptations for Diverse Learners in Inclusive Settings and English Language Learners: EDUC 477 & EDUC 466/LLED445.

Transfer Credits

Subject to the limitations given below, a maximum of 10 credits of high-quality graduate work done at an accredited institution may be applied toward the requirements for the certification program. The student should distinguish carefully between the transferability of credit and its applicability in a particular program. Approval to apply any transferred credits toward a  program must be granted by the student's academic adviser, the program head or graduate officer, and the Graduate School. Transferred academic work must have been completed within five years prior to the date of first degree registration at the Graduate School of Penn State, must be of at least B quality (grades of B- are not transferable), and must appear on an official graduate transcript of an accredited university. Pass-fail grades are not transferable to an advanced degree program unless the "Pass" can be substantiated by the former institution as having at least B quality.

Forms for transfer of credit can be obtained from the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services, 114 Kern Building.

Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 599 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit courses below the 400 level in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.

This page is not a part of the official Penn State University Bulletin.