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Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards

I. Knowing the Content

The professional education program provides evidence that Reading Specialist certification candidates complete a program of studies in reading the same as the academic content area courses and required electives of a major in a bachelor’s or master’s degree. The program requires certification candidates to demonstrate their knowledge of the fundamental concepts of reading and competence in teaching preschool through high school and adult students reading including:

I.A.- Historical perspectives, methodologies and theories of language and reading acquisition and development including:

  1. literacy at all levels, preschool through adults and across all content areas,
  2. emergent literacy and the experiences and environments that support it,
  3. process reading and writing,
  4. developmental spelling and the ability to abstract phonetic information from letter names,
  5. causes and characteristics of reading and writing difficulties,
  6. alignment of the various goals, standards, instruction and assessment
  7. variety of goals, standards, instruction, and assessment.

Candidates in the Reading Specialist Program at Westminster College will study historical perspectives, methodologies and theories of language and reading acquisition and development in the following courses:REA 810, REA 820, REA 850, REA 860

I.B.- Phonemic, morphemic, semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic systems of language and their relation to reading and writing processes including:

  1. the interrelationship of reading, writing, speaking, and listening,
  2. the role of metacognition in reading, writing, speaking, listening,
  3. linguistic differences and styles of language use as they relate to the sociocultural environment

Candidates in the Reading Specialist Program at Westminster College will study how readers at all levels utilize the four language cueing systems to read and write through the following courses:REA 810, REA 820

I.C.- Classic and contemporary literature, textbooks, and curriculum materials that are appropriate for various age levels and mediums

Candidates in the Reading Specialist Program at Westminster College will explore children’s and adolescent literature, commercial reading programs including basals, and curriculum materials in the following courses:REA 830

II. Performances

The professional education program provides evidence of the candidates participation in sequential and developmental field experiences and student teaching, under the supervision of college personnel and cooperating teachers who are well trained, have interpersonal skills and demonstrated competence in teaching. (Candidates that possess an initial Instructional certificate shall be required to participate in an internship for a minimum of 100 hours in lieu of student teaching.) The program also providesevidence that the criteria and competencies for exit from the Reading Specialist program are assessed during the field experiences and student teaching and require the candidates to demonstrate knowledge and competence in fostering student learning through:

II.A.Managing the instructional environment including:

  1. creating a literate environment that fosters interest and growth in all aspects of literacy,
  2. establishing and maintaining rapport with all students,
  3. communicating high learning expectations to all students,
  4. establishing and maintaining fair and consistent standards of classroom behavior,
  5. creating a safe physical environment that is conducive to learning

Candidates in the Reading Specialist Program at Westminster College are afforded opportunities to create and manage a productive literacy environment in every required Reading Specialist course through field based experiences/practica. More indepth analysis of the teacher’s dynamic role with small groups and whole class learning experiences are examined in the following courses:REA 830, REA 860

II.B.- Planning of instruction in collaboration with other professionals at a variety of instructional levels based upon:

  1. Pennsylvania Academic Standards,
  2. addressing reading as the process of constructing meaning through the interaction of the reader’s existing knowledge, the information suggested by the written language and the context of the reading situation,
  3. addressing the strengths and needs of learners at all proficiency levels in reading, writing, speaking and listening,
  4. echniques, strategies for vocabulary acquisition and comprehension, including self-monitoring,
  5. word identification and definition through the use of syntactic, semantic, and graphophonemic cues and context,
  6. students’ knowledge of letter/sound correspondence (phonics) in the construction of meaning,
  7. students’ refinement of their spelling knowledge through reading and writing,
  8. spelling patterns in the English language, as an aid to word identification,
  9. students’ development of strategies for effective writing

Candidates in the Reading Specialist Program will hold curricular conversations with classmates and literacy professionals at their school practicum sites in order to plan curriculum experiences responsive to students’ needs through the following courses:REA 810, REA 820, REA 850, REA 860

II.C.- Selecting, implementing and adapting effective instructional strategies, curriculum resources, and technologies in collaboration with other educators to meet the needs of diverse learners including:

  1. identifying a variety of genres to motivate students to appreciate reading/literature,
  2. evaluating materials for literacy instruction,
  3. using texts, trade books and technology to increase appreciation, motivation and growth in reading and writing,
  4. providing opportunities for learners to select from a variety of written materials, to read for many purposes and to read extended texts,
  5. varying reading rate according to the difficulty of the materials and purpose(s) for reading,
  6. providing opportunities for creative and personal responses for literature

Candidates in the Reading Specialist Program will demonstrate their ability to choose, implement, and adjust curricular engagements, resources, and technologies in their work with preschool through adult literacy learners through the following courses:REA 830, REA 860

II.D.- Selecting, developing and administering assessments that involve multiple indicators of student progress and maintain records of information including:

  1. norm-referenced tests, criterion-referenced tests, formal and informal inventories, constructed response measures, portfolio-based assessments, student self-evaluations, work/performance samples, observations, anecdotal records, journals and other indicators of student progress,
  2. communication with students about their strengths, areas needing improvement, and ways to achieve improvement,
  3. ndividual educational plans (IEP) for students with severe learning problems related to literacy,
  4. components and procedures adopted by the PA. System of School Assessment (PSSA)

Candidates in the Reading Specialist Program will explore assessment and evaluation as an on-going process of gathering information in order to create a responsive literacy curriculum through the following courses:REA 810, REA 820, REA 850

III. Professionalism

The professional education program provides evidence that Reading Specialist certification candidates demonstrate knowledge and competencies that foster professionalism in school and community settings including:

III.A.- Reading local, state, national, and international publications and belonging to professional organizations

Candidates in the Reading Specialist Program will become familiar with various literacy organizations and their publications through the following courses:REA 810, REA 860

III.B.- Collaborating with other educators, allied professionals and the wider community, as well as serving as a resource to teachers, administrators, community and allied professionals

Candidates in the Reading Specialist Program will demonstrate their ability to collaborate with others in their school and community settings and become an effective resource through the following courses:REA 830, REA 860

III.C.- Communicating with parents to make them effective partners in the literacy development of their children

Candidates in the Reading Specialist Program will become effective literacy learning partners with parents through the following courses:REA 810, REA 820, REA 850

III.D.- Integrity & ethical behavior, professional conduct as stated in Pennsylvania’s Code of Practice & Conduct for Educators, and local, state and federal laws and regulations

Candidates in the Reading Specialist Program will examine ethical practices in every course but especially in the following courses:All REA Courses