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Professional Studies in Education

MSED - Reading Teacher (1316) & Reading Specialist (5017) Certification

Master of Science in Education - Reading Teacher & Reading Specialist Certifications (Online)

The MSED - Reading Teacher (1316) and Reading Specialist (5017) program is a dual certification program that prepares individuals to direct reading programs or work with reading teachers, classroom teachers, administrators, and others as a resource teacher in reading.  The program is 36 credits, including course work and action research.

Update: The 2020 Fall for Education Conference has been cancelled.
The Fall for Education Conference is the first full weekend in November annually.  The conference is part of learning outcomes for each IPSE program including Educational Leadership, Director of Instruction, MSED Learning Communities, and Reading.  A Special Course Fee of $60.00 is incorporated into fall tuition for the conference to help compensate for meals and breaks. Attendance at the conference is a program requirement.

Non-Wisconsin Teaching Licensure/Certification
UW-La Crosse programs offering a licensure or certification in Wisconsin will need to be reviewed by the State Board of Education of any other state in which the student plans on teaching.  The individual state education boards determine what courses transfer in to meet license or certification requirements of each state.

Program Curriculum

COURSE COURSE NAME CREDIT
Term 1
RDG 601 Literacy and Language Development for Diverse Learners  3 credits

RDG 702

Disciplinary Literacy

 3 credits
Term 2

RDG 703

Literacy Assessment and Instruction

 3 credits
RDG 704 Emergent Literacy  3 credits
Term 3
RDG 714 Reading Teacher Practicum  3 credits
RDG 715 Children's & Adolescent Literature  3 credits
Term 4

RDG 600 

 Research Methods in Literacy

 3 credits
RDG 799  Action Research in Literacy  3 credits
Term 5
RDG 711 Advanced Research Methods in Literacy  3 credits
RDG 799  Action Research in Literacy  3 credits
Term 6
RDG 718 Guiding & Directing a School-Wide  Reading/Literacy Program  3 credits
RDG 780 Reading Specialist Practicum  3 credits
TOTAL   36 credits

Program Completion:

Candidates must complete all UWL graduate degree requirements.

In addition, eligibility for Reading Teacher (1316) and Reading Specialist (5017) certifications are contingent upon:

  • Cumulative graduate grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0
  • Satisfactory completion of MSED Reading Teacher/Reading Specialist program coursework, associated experiences, and artifacts
  • Passing score on the Foundations of Reading Test (FoRT; score of 240 or higher).
  • Successful completion of at least two years of teaching at the PK-12 level for Reading Teacher (1316) certification, and a total of six semesters of successful classroom experience in any grade for Reading Specialist (5017) certification.
  • Reading Specialist (5017) candidates must have earned a Master's degree with an emphasis in Reading.