Reading Education, MEd

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.