« Graduate Certificates and Endorsements

Reading Specialist Certificate

Pennsylvania Reading Specialist Certification Grades K-12

Offered fully online

Enhance Your Skillset for Teaching Literacy

Our 24-credit fully online Pennsylvania Reading Specialist program is for professional educators who are seeking certification as a PA K-12 Reading Specialist.

In our program, you will gain enhanced reading skills that will enable you to work one-to-one or in small groups with students who are experiencing difficulty reading at grade level.

Also, you will obtain the necessary skills to assess students’ reading abilities, identifying deficiencies and creating intervention plans for grade-level students who have been identified in need of more reading help.

Additionally, you will learn about teaching reading in the content areas, the reading and writing connection and the skills needed to coach other teachers in the classroom.

Receiving your reading specialist certification expands your capacity in the job market by opening other educational avenues.

Courses & Topics

Our courses will strengthen your ability to teach reading and enable you to work school-wide or district-wide coaching other teachers in effective reading practices.

Obtaining credits in our reading specialist certificate program can also be applied toward gaining permanent certification. Courses in our program include:

Foundations of Literacy
Reading and Writing Content
Literature and Literacy
Literacy Assessment
Roles of Reading Specialist
Content Area Design & Instruction
Research Methods
Reading Specialist Practicum

Through the practicum course in this program, students will be required to complete the mandated number of hours in a K-12 classroom environment. Additionally, successful completion of the Praxis 5301 exam is required for certification.

Program Faculty

Virginia Chambers, Ed.D., dean of the School of Education

Virginia Chambers is committed to providing unique experiences for the students. She coordinates the Student Teaching Abroad programs in Ireland and Spain. Most recently, Chambers has been focused on building literacy and interdisciplinary teaching in maker spaces.

Faculty Bio

School of Education Faculty

Kristen Misutka, Ph.D.

Kristen Misutka taught high school English for 10 years and special education at the middle school and high school level for seven. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes being a “student of your students,” following Carol Ann Tomlinson.

Faculty Bio

School of Education Faculty

Kelly Pascarella, Ed.D.

Kelly Pascarella brings 20 years of K–12 teaching, leadership and curriculum design experience to her work preparing the next generation of educators. Pascarella’s scholarship and creative work focus on the intersection of technology, STEM and developmentally appropriate practice.

Faculty Bio

School of Education Faculty