Reading Specialist: Literacy Leadership, M.S.

Candidates must submit:

• Application for graduate study
• Official transcripts conferring bachelor’s degree (minimum of 3.00 GPA*) from an accredited institution; graduate transcripts if applicable.
• Copy of a Teaching Certificate - Maryland State Department of Education Standard Professional Certificate (SPC I or SPC II). Students with Professional Eligibility Certification or evidence of completion of teacher preparation program and passing Praxis II scores can be accepted in lieu of teacher certification.  Teachers who hold a license or certification from states outside of Maryland must also provide a copy of their teaching certificate.  Students holding provisional or conditional teacher certification would not be eligible for this program and should discuss options for initial certification with the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies.

*Students who have a 2.75 to 2.99 GPA may be admitted provisionally and will be required to maintain a 3.0 GPA in the first 9-12 credit hours. Students with less than a 2.75 GPA will be considered for admission on a case-by-case basis for provisional admission but may be required to provide additional documentation and/or participate in an interview. Admission may also come with additional conditions.

• Fulfillment of 36-credit course requirement with 3.0 GPA
• Completion of the six-credit supervised school-embedded practicum experience (RDS 552)
• Pass a written Comprehensive Examination

• State Authorization & Distance Education Complaints Resolution
• Professional Licensure Disclosure Statement

This 10-credit online course sequence, including a supervised practicum, is based on the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading instruction and is accredited by the International Dyslexia Association.

McDaniel is the first higher education institution in Maryland to partner with Wilson Language Training to offer this online certification.

The Wilson Reading System is an intensive reading program for students in grades 2–12 and adults with a language-based learning disability, such as dyslexia, and is used in schools across the United States to help students with dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities become fluent, independent readers.

Program components:

• Wilson Reading System® (WRS) Introductory Course: Intro to Multisensory Language Instruction
• WRS Intensive Instruction for the Non-Responsive Reader, Part I
• WRS Intensive Instruction for the Non-Responsive Reader, Part II
• Wilson Reading System Steps 1-6 Practicum

With the completion of the 36-credit degree, candidates earn the Reading Specialist endorsement in the State of Maryland and are prepared to complete the Praxis requirements for dual endorsement in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).

Candidates have the opportunity to focus their elective coursework to develop foundational knowledge and instructional techniques for teaching English learners.

Program components

• TSL 503: Assessment of English Learners
• TSL 532: Principles of Language Acquisition
• TSL 535: Linguistics for ESOL Teachers