Reading Specialist Endorsement
The Reading Specialist Program at Virginia Tech is a Master’s Degree Program that prepares experienced teachers to earn endorsement in the Commonwealth of Virginia as Reading Specialists. This K-12 endorsement enables successful candidates to take positions in schools across the state. The program has received national recognition from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the International Reading Association (IRA). This program meets the high standards set by these professional organizations. Thus successful candidates must demonstrate exceptional knowledge and skills related to reading and writing instruction, as well as a broad understanding of literacy.
The program consists of thirteen courses, three of which are practica. The second practicum is a six-hour experience over one academic year. During the year the candidate designs and works with teachers within the school context on school–wide literacy development.
A new cohort of the reading specialist program will be starting in Summer of 2009 at the VT Higher Education Center in Roanoke. Potential students must enroll in the program during Spring of 2009. Reading specialists are an identified High-Need Field as specified in the new Federal Student aid program TEACH. Graduate students in the Reading Specialist program may be eligible for tuition grant dollars through this program. (See http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/attachements/siteresources/4807Teach_FactSheet_v3.pdf.)
Please contact Susan Short, Director of VT Roanoke Center, sshort@vt.edu, 540-767-6103 or Reading Program Coordinator, Heidi Anne Mesmer, hamesmer@vt.edu, 540-231-8343 for more information.