index

READING

The graduate program in reading is designed for classroom teachers seeking greater expertise in the teaching of reading or wishing to qualify for reading teacher, reading specialist, or reading coordinator positions. Certification (or certifiability) to teach at either the elementary, middle, or secondary level is required for entry into the program. To complete degree requirements, students must elect one of the following program options:

Thesis Option — 30 semester credits including completion of a Master’s Thesis (RDG 799, Master’s Thesis)
Seminar Paper — 30 semester credits including completion of a Seminar Paper (RDG 761, Seminar Paper)
Comprehensive Examination — 36 semester credits and successful completion of a three-hour compre-hensive examination.

At least one-half of all credits (Options A–C) must be earned in 700-level courses. Candidates selecting the thesis or seminar paper option must begin work on their papers with an adviser at least two terms prior to the term in which they expect to graduate. Candidates selecting the 36-credit option should schedule their comprehensive examination with the program director for the term in which they expect to graduate.

CONCENTRATIONS

Three instructional emphases or concentrations are available in the graduate reading program. Concentration I meets the requirements for Wisconsin’s DPI 316 Reading Teacher license; Concentration II meets the requirements for Wisconsin’s DPI 317 Reading Specialist license; and Concentration III is designed for classroom teachers uninterested in 316/317 licensure but desiring greater expertise in developing literacy skills. All candidates for licensure (Concentrations I and II) must meet designated course requirements and must have two years of classroom teaching experience. Since classroom teaching experience can be interpreted in various ways, the program director should be consulted if there are any questions.

Concentration I — Reading Teacher

Required Courses			Credits
(listed in preferred sequence)
RDG	741	Reading in the Elementary School	3
* RDG	528	Reading in the Content Areas	3
* EDM	510	Children’s Literature	3
		or
* EDM	515	Adolescent Literature	3
		or
EDM	773	Current Trends in Literature for Children and Young Adults	3
RDG	730	Assessment and Instruction of Students with Reading Difficulties	3
RDG	733	Advanced Assessment and Evaluation of Reading Difficulties	3
* RDG	747	Reading Practicum	3
RDG	762	Reading Theory and Research	3
RDG	761	Seminar Paper (not required for Plan A or C)	2
		or
RDG	799	Master’s Thesis (not required for Plan B or C)	3-6

Concentration II —Reading Specialist

Required Courses			Credits
(listed in preferred sequence)
RDG	741	Reading in the Elementary School	3
* RDG	528	Reading in the Content Areas	3
* EDM	510	Children’s Literature	3
		or
* EDM	515	Adolescent Literature	3
		or
EDM	773	Current Trends in Literature for Children and Young Adults	3
RDG	730	Assessment and Instruction of Students with Reading Difficulties	3
RDG	733	Advanced Assessment and Evaluation of Reading Difficulties	3
RDG	739	Guiding and Directing the K-12 Reading Program	3
* RDG	747	Reading Practicum	3
RDG	762	Reading Theory and Research	3
RDG	735	Developing Content Area Reading Programs	3
RDG	781	Educational Supervision	3
RDG	761	Seminar Paper (not required for Plan A or C)	2
		or
RDG	799	Master’s Thesis (not required for Plan B or C)	3-6

Concentration III —Classroom Teacher Emphasis

Required Courses			Credits
(listed in preferred sequence)
RDG	741	Reading in the Elementary School	3
* RDG	528	Reading in the Content Areas	3
* RDG	520	Emergent Literacy	3
		or
RDG	710	Seminar: Reading and Language Arts in the Middle School	3
EDM	773	Current Trends in Literature for Children and Young Adults	3
RDG	735	Developing Content Reading Programs	3
RDG	730	Assessment and Instruction of Students with Reading Difficulties	3
* RDG	747	Reading Practicum	3
RDG	762	Reading Theory and Research	3
RDG	761	Seminar Paper (not required for Plan A or C)	2
		or
RDG	799	Master’s Thesis(not required for Plan B or C)	3-6

ELECTIVES

Elective credits to meet the 30 credit (plans A and B) or 36 credit (plan C) minimums must be approved by the program director. Elective credits are to be taken from courses that focus on reading/writing relationships, language arts instruction, writing instruction, use of computers in reading/language arts instruction and curriculum development. Examples are:

C-I	752	Principles and Problems of Curriculum Development	3
C-I	739	Research and Practice in Improving Written Expression	3
C-I	406/ 606	Teaching Basic Writing Skills	1
C-I	407/ 607	Uses of Computers and Software in Middle and Secondary School Writing	3
C-I	746	Seminar in Teaching English Language Arts	1-3
RDG	745	Early Reading Empowerment I	3
RDG	746	Early Reading Empowerment II	3
RDG	765	Factors Related to Reading Performance	2-3
RDG	450/ 650	Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum:
		Learning to Learn from Text	3
RDG	770	Symposium in Reading Education	1-3

For description of C-I courses, see Curriculum and Instruction, pp. 72-77.

CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Students must earn at minimum a 3.00 grade point average in courses required for the 316 and/or 317 reading licenses in order to qualify for certification.

Non-Degree Students

(Candidates seeking licensure only)

316 Reading Teacher Certification:

Eighteen semester credits of which no more than six may be earned as part of an undergraduate degree. Required courses are as follows: RDG 528, 730, 733, 741, 747, and EDM 510, 515 or 773.

317 Reading Specialist Certification:

Candidates must earn a master’s degree, meet requirements for the 316 license, and complete RDG 735, 739, 762 and 781.

COURSE ROTATIONS

All required courses and several electives are offered at least once every other year. The rotation schedule is indicated in the course descriptions. Since changes in enrollment patterns may require changes to this schedule, students should always check the timetable before registering.