Candidates for the Sixth Year Professional Diploma Program in Reading are already certified teachers (elementary education, special education, 7-12 social studies, English, etc.) who are seeking to further develop their professional knowledge and practice in literacy. Our candidates build on their expertise as they study typical and atypical literacy development; best practices in intervention; instruction for students with learning difficulties or disabilities, including dyslexia; discipline-specific literacies; the literacy acquisition of English learners; adult learning theory; school-wide literacy leadership, and school-wide literacy intervention. There are 13 courses/39 credits in this program. Upon completion of the program, students will have the necessary coursework to be eligible for certification as a remedial reading and language arts specialist (102) as well as a reading and language arts consultant (097). Further requirements for the 102 CT certification are 30 months of full-time teaching and a passing score on the Literacy Specialist Test. Ten months of teaching experience under the 102 (Reading Specialist) is additionally required for the 097 CT certification. The Graduate Reading Program is accredited by the International Literacy Association and the International Dyslexia Association.
