Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2022 Graduate Catalog 
    
2020-2022 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Reading Education, MEd


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Graduate Program Coordinator:
Dr. Jacqueline Sweeney

The graduate program in Reading Education leads to a Master of Education degree with a concentration in reading. The program is designed to enable graduates to meet the qualifications of several career options. Principal among these options is the career of diagnostic and remedial-reading specialist. Classroom teachers are prepared to meet responsibilities required in teaching developmental reading and reading in content areas more effectively. Candidates in the program are helped to understand the significance of various competencies and their development for implementation of a total-school approach to reading instruction for the variety of populations found in the schools.

Admission to the Program

Admission to the Graduate School and certification at any level of schooling are required for admission to the program. Through consultation with an advisor, candidates will learn if their career experiences are suitable for beginning a graduate program in reading education. Problems related to acquiring proper sequence can be solved by consultation with an advisor.

Objectives of the Program

As a result of meeting the requirements of the graduate reading education program, candidates demonstrate knowledge, understanding and competencies related to:

  1. Helping students develop lifelong reading habits;
  2. Promoting literacy in a technologically oriented society;
  3. Developing literacy programs in classrooms and schools;
  4. Implementing various approaches to reading instruction;
  5. Individualizing instruction in classroom and clinical settings;
  6. Measuring and evaluating all aspects of literacy development;
  7. Involving parents and community in development of literacy;
  8. Designing and implementing staff development for improvement of literacy in school settings;
  9. Fulfilling various roles required of the diagnostic-remedial reading specialist;
  10. Analyzing and using published reading research results;
  11. Recognizing the “teacher as researcher” perspective;
  12. Participating in relevant professional organizations;
  13. Administering a literacy development program, and
  14. Working with parents and paraprofessionals.

Certification Requirements

Completion of the Master’s degree with concentration in reading, with three years teaching experience, prepares an individual to meet certification requirements as a reading specialist in the State of Maryland.

Semester-hours of credit required in the Program


Completion of the Graduate Reading Education Program requires thirty-nine semester hours of credit. The 39 semester-hour program includes a minimum of 27 semester hours in the core program of reading education, nine (9) semester hours of coursework in related fields, and three (3) semester hours of recommended electives in reading and other language arts designed to meet individual needs and interests. Numbers and names of courses follow:

Electives in Reading and Other Language Arts


One elective should be selected from the following language arts or reading education courses: (Other electives may be acceptable with special permission.)

Admission to Candidacy


Students must apply for admission to candidacy at the completion of fifteen semester hours. Application procedures are found on line. See an advisor for further details.

Comprehensive Examination


A written Comprehensive Examination is required. This examination embraces questions related to research and theory that must be answered. Candidates can select three other questions from concepts and understandings resultant from the entire program. Thus, each candidate will answer a total of five questions. Answers are written in expository style using the computers in a designated computer laboratory.

On-Line Courses


Several courses in the Graduate Reading Education Program are on line. See an advisor for details.

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