Coordinator: Dr. Erik Jacobson
Office: University Hall, Room 3233
Phone: 973-655-3471
Email: jacobsone@montclair.edu
Overview
The Reading Specialist Certification program (30 credits) prepares educators to meet present and future demands as literacy specialists. The program emphasizes practice informed by current theory and research and provides a range of learning experiences that enhance candidates’ understanding of what it means to be an effective literacy educator. Program graduates will be prepared to serve in a wide array of educational roles in a variety of settings.
It is expected that students in the program will graduate with a broad and multifaceted understanding of literacy. Graduates will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively provide developmentally appropriate literacy instruction for a diverse population of K-12 learners, including English language learners, students with disabilities and those who are struggling with literacy. Graduates will also be able to identify and respond to social and cultural developments that are changing the way students read and write, including the growing use of digital technologies. Graduates will be prepared to work with students at the classroom level and with colleagues at the school level to enhance literacy instruction more broadly.
Courses in the program are offered in different modalities, including face-to-face, hybrid and fully online.
Those interested in the program must already have their initial teaching certificate and a masters in any field. To receive the Reading Specialist Certification applicants must have two years full-time lead-teaching experience before completion of the program.
Applicants may receive credit for relevant graduate courses that they have completed already, provided the courses have been taken within the last ten years.
For additional information about the Reading Specialist program contact Dr. Erik Jacobson, Program Coordinator, at jacobsone@montclair.edu
Adding the Supervisor Certificate (Post-Masters)
This four-course program of study fulfills the New Jersey Department of Education academic requirements for the standard administrative certificate with a supervisor endorsement. If they meet the teaching requirement (three years teaching under certification), MA Reading students can apply for the Supervision Certification program in their last semester in their master’s program. They will then have to complete three additional courses to receive the Supervisor Certificate. The fourth required course in the program will be waived because of coursework completed for the Master of Reading.
Information about the program can be found on the Counseling and Leadership site. Students interested in the Supervisor Certification program should contact Eunice Grippaldi.
Phone: 973-655-7718
Email: grippaldie@montclair.edu