Graduate Catalog
Reading Intervention Endorsement
Lewis & Clark’s Reading Intervention Endorsement program provides pre-K through Grade 12 teachers with the chance to strengthen their literacy assessment and instruction skills. Throughout a candidate’s coursework they will explore the latest research on comprehension instruction, reading assessments, and working with special needs populations. The program focuses on learning from case studies of students and allows candidates opportunities to explore special topics of their interest. When a candidate completes the program, they are prepared to lead equitable, culturally responsive literacy instruction in their classrooms or to work as Reading Interventionists, Literacy Specialists, and/or Literacy Coaches.
In classes, candidates and faculty adopt the stance of teacher-researchers in order to explore issues in the teaching of reading and writing. The goal of this program is to give educators the tools to observe, describe, and learn from the behaviors of their students in order to build cohesive theoretical bases for learner-centered literacy programs. Various questions are explored throughout the program, including: What is literacy? How does our own literacy affect our instruction of language arts? What are the politics of literacy? What can we learn from current research in thought, language, reading, and writing?
Students who are admitted to and complete the courses in the reading intervention endorsement program and pass the required test are eligible to be recommended to the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) for a Reading Intervention endorsement. The program can be completed in 1 to 2 years of part-time coursework or may be completed in conjunction with the MEd in Curriculum and Instruction.
Applying for the Endorsement
Candidates must apply for an endorsement directly to the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) by submitting the appropriate forms, fees, test scores, and transcripts. Applicants must apply for the endorsement within three years following completion of their respective programs. If more than three years elapse before application is made, the candidate must qualify for recommendation under rules for licensure in effect at the time of application. Information about filing for a license is available from Lewis & Clark's K-12 Educational Career and Licensing Services Office.
Accreditation
Lewis & Clark's graduate programs leading to PK-12 degrees, licensure, and endorsements are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and approved by the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC).
Reading Intervention Endorsement
Endorsement Requirements
A minimum of 14 semester hours, distributed as follows, and all required tests.
Required Courses
| READ 500/READ 634 | Language Acquisition and Development (or ESOL 507 / ESOL 607) | 3 |
| READ 534/READ 614 | Reading Comprehension: Theory and Practical Application | 3 |
| READ 502/READ 620 | Innovations in Reading | 3 |
| READ 532/READ 625 | Assessing Reading Strategies | 3 |
| READ 522/READ 622 | Reading Intervention Practicum | 2 |
(Although courses are not arranged in a fixed sequence, READ 500/READ 634 and ESOL 507/ESOL 607 are considered the foundational courses and READ 502/READ 620 and READ 522/622 are typically the culmination of the program.
Endorsement Required Courses
Note: The following courses are offered on campus only. Each course listed below has an off-campus equivalent with a 600-level number.
READ 500 Language Acquisition and Development
Content: Theories of how first and second languages (written and spoken) are acquired, the importance of first-language development and its relationship to the acquisition of other languages, and the relationship of language to cognitive development. Understanding of these issues is used to promote a school environment that honors diverse perspectives and maximizes language learning potential and ensures respect for communities whose languages or varieties of English differ from standard school English. Required for the Reading Interventionist and ESOL endorsements. The initial course in the Reading Interventionist endorsement sequence and recommended preparation for other language arts offerings.
Prerequisites: None.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
ESOL 507 Language Acquisition and Development
Content: Theories of how first and second languages (written and spoken) are acquired, the importance of first-language development and its relationship to the acquisition of other languages, and the relationship of language to cognitive development. Understanding of these issues is used to promote a school environment that honors diverse perspectives and maximizes language learning potential and ensures respect for communities whose languages or varieties of English differ from standard school English. Required for the Reading Interventionist and ESOL endorsements. The initial course in the Reading Interventionist Endorsement sequence and recommended preparation for other language arts offerings.
Prerequisites: None.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
READ 534 Reading Comprehension: Theory and Practical Application
Content: In-depth exploration of current models and trends in reading comprehension and its cognitive and linguistic components. Students read widely from professional journals, explore and reflect on their personal reading processes, and do theoretical and practical projects to further their understanding. Examines factors that contribute to reading difficulty (from early childhood through adulthood), as well as important issues and questions about standardized tests, observational diagnostics, readability formulas, and the effectiveness and theoretical validity of published programs.
Prerequisites: None.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
READ 502 Innovations in Reading
Content: Organizing, managing, and evaluating both classroom and school-wide K-12 reading programs. Students examine the textbook adoption process, participate in the development and use of a tool for evaluating reading texts, assess components of reading and writing programs, and learn to integrate reading and writing processes throughout the school grades to extend learners' experiences and enhance their own and students' capacities to solve literacy problems. This capstone course of the Reading Intervention program must be taken at the end of the sequence.
Prerequisites: None.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
READ 532 Assessing Reading Strategies
Content: Exploration of reading assessment strategies. Topics include a language orientation for diagnosing reading problems, diverse causes and correlates of reading difficulties, assessment procedures in reading, and strategies to facilitate readers' improvement. Each participant assesses a reader, develops a profile of personal strategies, and designs and implements an instructional plan to help the reader develop effective, efficient reading strategies responsive to individual differences, interests, and developmental levels. Participants consider reading issues for students at all levels.
Prerequisites: None.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
READ 522 Reading Intervention Practicum
Content: Classroom work with the support of a mentor who holds a Reading Intervention endorsement. Practicum candidates work in their own classrooms with a focus on reading instruction and assessment. As part of the practicum, candidates are assigned a mentor and a supervisor. The supervisor will conduct four observations. Two observations are focused on reading instruction. Two observations focused on in-class reading assessment. The supervisor fills out an observation report/rubric. The supervisor conducts two triad meetings with the candidate and mentor, focusing on the observation report and rubric (areas of conversation include reading instruction practices and reading assessment practices such as data collection/use of data). The mentor conducts at least two formal observations and one formal evaluation of the candidate. In the concluding triad meeting, the candidate, supervisor, and mentor work together to fill out a summative evaluation identifying strengths in the practicum experience and goals for continued improvement.
Prerequisites: READ 534, READ 532
Credits: 2 semester hours.
Testing Requirements
The following test must be passed prior to the first field placement in the Lewis & Clark reading intervention endorsement program:
Students must pass the following test to be eligible for a recommendation by Lewis & Clark for the reading intervention endorsement in any state. Information regarding the point in the program by which this test must be passed is provided in consultation with your faculty advisor. The required test is:
- Praxis: Reading Specialist Test (under "Instructional Support Personnel")
(Passing scores from the Praxis: Reading Specialist Test (#5302) are required after September 1, 2021. Passing scores from the PRAXIS II: Reading Specialist Computer Test (#5301) may be accepted if taken between September 1, 2012 and August 31, 2021. Check with your faculty program director for updates on the status of this test requirement.)
Students may view completed tests, including scores, by logging into their WebAdvisor account.
- 1
Students who hold a current Oregon TSPC-issued regular, non-restricted teaching license may waive the ORELA: Protecting Student and Civil Rights in the Educational Environment test.
- 2
As of January 2022, successful completion of program curriculum content complying with the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission's Program Review and Standards Handbook regarding "Civil Rights and Professional Ethics Responsibilities" may meet the civil rights test requirement. Check with your faculty program director for updates on the status of this requirement.