Reading Specialist, M.Ed.

The degree of Master of Education with a concentration in Reading is a professional degree designed to meet the needs of licensed teaching professionals desiring to enhance their knowledge of the reading process with current theory and research and classroom application. This course of study is designed to prepare teacher candidates and classroom teachers to help students from preschool through high school to become effective, strategic readers who read and write enthusiastically and purposefully. It provides education and training for classroom teachers, media specialists, district literacy coaches, reading consultants, and reading supervisors.

Accordingly this degree is awarded to the candidate who has demonstrated a capacity for professional performance by satisfactorily completing the course of study designed to develop the following characteristics:

The ability to articulate and translate the interrelationship of reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and visually representing to classroom teaching and curriculum development.
The ability to work directly or indirectly with students of all grade levels who could benefit from advanced training in reading skills.
The ability to work with teachers, administrators, parents, and other professionals to improve and coordinate a school wide holistic reading program.

This program is also designed to meet the specifications of the International Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, and State of Ohio course requirements for the Reading Endorsement. It also meets reading specialist licensure requirements in many states.

Go to http://www.xavier.edu/reading/admission.cfm to reference the admission requirements.

Curriculum Prerequisites

These prerequisites are required if a candidate for the degree does not have a valid teaching certificate or current teaching license.

Note(s):

The candidate may take an undergraduate course in children’s literature or adolescent literature.
In addition, the graduate candidate must have (or be in the process of completing) a valid Ohio teaching certificate or license.

Requirements for the M.Ed. in Reading

The following coursework is required for the Master degree in Reading and meets the State of Ohio standards for the Reading Endorsement.

MEd Core Requirements

(9 credit hours)

Concentration Requirements

(21 credit hours)

15 hours required specifically with

3 to 6 hours selected from the following Literature Elective List

0 to 6 more hours selected, if needed, from

EDRE 562 - Phonics and Orton Gillingham
EDEL 651 - Instr Strat For EL
EDRE 675 - Current Research in Reading
EDRE 676 - Teaching Writing Process
EDRE 685 - Teach Read Children w/Spc Need
EDME 562 - Phonics and Orton Gillingham
(Please check current advising sheet for additional courses.)

Note(s):

Students completing their studies for the M.Ed. in Reading must pass a comprehensive examination writing knowledgeably on the following areas of literacy: phonics, reading strategies, literacy development, reading theories, content area literacy, vocabulary acquisition, the reading process, literacy assessments. The M.Ed. candidate may sit for the exam after earning 27 credit hours. Successful completion of the degree is contingent on passing the exam.

Reading Endorsement Requirements

Those completing the M.Ed. in Reading Education with a valid Ohio teaching license may also want to add the Reading Endorsement to their teaching license. The endorsement has a 21 hour. course requirement: 15 hours of coursework in reading and 6 hours in reading electives (see list above); and 50 hours of documented field hours in the area of reading. Master degree candidates may work on their degree and the endorsement simultaneously. After completion of the course requirements for the endorsement, the State of Ohio requires that the candidate take the Ohio Assessment for Education in Reading O38 (Subtest 1) and Reading O39 (Subtest II) and receive a passing score to have the endorsement added to a valid license. Information regarding testing dates, location sites, and sample questions for OAE may be found on the Ohio Assessment for Educators website. http://www.oh.nesinc.com

The following courses are currently required by the State of Ohio for the Reading Endorsement: *

And, choose two classes from the list below.

Note(s):

Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE): You must pass two subject area concentration exams prior to student teaching. The “Principles of Learning and Teaching: 5-9” is taken during the student teaching semester. See OAE link at www.xavier.edu .
Grades 4-6 Middle Childhood Endorsements are an option for persons holding a Middle School license. See Requirements for generalist endorsement under B.S. for Middle School Education.
The following core courses fulfill Master of Education requirements but are not required to complete the middle childhood license requirements. They can be taken at any time within the six year limit. Students take the Comprehensive Exam related to the three core courses during the last semester of graduate course work.