The Certification Requirements Of A Reading Specialist

This study examined the effect of national board certification to reading proficiency scores and reading levels of second and third grade students. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards enable teachers to pursue national certification that consists of four components: A content knowledge assessment; reflections on student work samples, a classroom video and analysis and documentation of the teacher’s impact on teaching. The national board certified teachers in the study administered the name of the test, a state mandated reading diagnostic test at the Beginning of the Year, Middle of the Year and End of the Year. These benchmark reading tests were utilized to determine a correlation between national board certification and reading scores in second and third grade students. These series of reading test also measured

Phonemic awareness is a vital role in literacy instruction. Many schools and districts adopt a commercially published basal reading program and it becomes the cornerstone of their instruction ( (David Chard, n.d.). We also know that through investigation and research it has shown us that word-recognition instruction and instruction in oral language skills related to word recognition were inadequately represented. (David Chard, n.d.) The same researchers have found that the reading passages that students are reading didn’t relate to the words they were learning. In order for students to read at grade level or above a supplemental program should be implemented. I have found that at my school we are lacking a phonics program that will reach different students abilities and make them successful in reading. My goal for this paper is to show my district that using a supplemental phonics program aside from our basal phonics program will prove beneficial to strategic readers who fall below grade level.

The Wilson Reading System (WRS) is marketed for students from grades 2 to 12 who are not making sufficient progress with their current Tier 2 intervention and need a more intensive intervention at Tier 3. It is used most often with students in upper elementary to high school. The program can also be used with adults who need remedial reading services. Specifically, the program is based on the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading instruction. This approach relies on direct instruction, incorporates ideas of “how” and “why” individuals learn to read, and explores multi-sensory methods (auditory, visual, and kinesthetic). It is intended for individuals who have problems with phonological awareness or orthographic processing.

As I previously mention, the five key dispositions for the success of a reading specialist/literacy coach are as follow:

This is a very important component in education to be aware of and when you are a teacher. I interviewed a first-grade teacher at my local elementary school to gain more information about the processes that our local schools go through for professional training, interventions, and in the classroom to ensure that students are developing their abilities in reading. My main focus was on what our school’s process was, how support is given, professional training offered, and what more is needed to be done to increase success for students.

Reading is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information which is essential in being a productive member of society. If and when a student missed an opportunity to learn the skills necessary for reading, it’s has a profound impact on their lives. As educators we realize that teaching all children to read requires that every child receive excellent reading instruction. We are also aware that children, who are struggling with reading must receive

The contrasting perspectives of the two passages, “CliffsTestPrep” by Jerry Bobrow (2006) and “The Place of Phonics in Learning to Read and Write” by Marie Emmitt (2013), address the issue of the importance of phonemic awareness in reading and writing scores. Bobrow believes that phonemic awareness is important to understand since it affects reading scores. Emmitt however, argues that there is no evidence that phonemic awareness has a major impact on reading achievement.

S.P.I.R.E. (Specialized Program Individualizing Reading Excellence) is a comprehensive reading intervention program developed by Sheila Clark-Edmands, M.S.Ed., published by EPS Literacy and Intervention and is currently in its third edition (Clark-Edmands, 2012). While S.P.I.R.E. is most appropriate for Tier 2 and Tier 3 students with learning differences and struggling learners, the program has been used in a variety of settings, including classroom, small group and one-on-one. Based on the Orton-Gillingham approach, S.P.I.R.E. incorporates the most recent research regarding best practices in reading and language arts instruction as well as the professional standards published by professional organizations such as the International Reading Association and the International Dyslexia Association (Balajthy, 2014). The program is designed to build

Many authors state that Reading Recovery is an intensive one-on-one program of instructional reading activities, tailored to the specific needs of each student (Glynn & Crooks, 1992, Hobsbaum & Peters, 1996, Roehrig, Pressley, & Sloup, 2001, Moore & Wade, 1998). Students are generally in the 1st grade when they

The implication of the national board certification on reading instruction is literacy teachers will apply their content knowledge of the processes of the language arts-reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing; and they also come better equip to understand how to teach literacy to students. Furthermore, North Carolina passed the Read to Achieve Law to help children to become proficient in reading before entering fourth grade. Moreover, the correlation of National board for Professional Standards and reading instruction, begins with the development of Literacy Reading-Language Arts Standards for teachers of students ages 3-12 with high rigor and task to enhance learning and social interaction of the students. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards recognize the importance of teaching literacy to all learners, and that every student should become engage with literacy to understand and appreciate the power of language. Students ages 3- 12 includes Early Childhood Generalist (3-8) and Middle Childhood Generalist (7-12) Certification. The subject matter consist of English Language Arts Standards. The National Board for Professional Teaching acknowledge that students need to apply inquiry learning and high order thinking skills to problem solve. Overall, NBPTS understands that literacy is the gateway to building effective reading, writing speaking, and listening skills (NPBTS, 2013).

Teachers routinely monitor and assess the reading levels and progress of individual students. This ongoing evaluation directs and informs instruction.

In reflecting on collecting information to create the graphic organizer the realization of the role or variety of roles of a reading specialist/literacy coach became very evident. There are descriptions or outline of the duties and responsibilities of what the position entails, but the responsibilities are constantly in flux and change. The one constant however while comparing and contrasting the classroom teacher and reading specialist/literacy coach or interventionist is their primary goal is to teach children how to read. While in the process of doing this the classroom teachers and reading specialist/literacy coaches share similar type of interactions with other teachers, administrators, parents, students and community but there are

Catts argues that fixating solely upon decoding is not be the best option because while comprehension is dependent upon knowledge, it also a complex cognitive process that takes more than just knowledge to comprehend a text (2009). Looking at educational implications, Catts states that the education system should provide limited direct reading instruction while focusing on content area instruction with engaging activities that require active listening and participation (2009). Catts recommends that early reading materials and curriculum should be content-rich expository and narrative passages, with the introduction of reading comprehension strategies after students have learned to successfully decode texts. Looking at implications for speech-language pathology practice, Catts asserts that SLPs need to play a key role in working to early identify students at risk for developing reading disabilities; and then utilize dynamic assessment and response to intervention to monitor potential risk students. According to Catts, SLPs need to be aware of the need to for domain specific knowledge and complex processes included in reading and comprehension when

Meta-analytic reviews reveal contradictory results with regard to the relationship between teacher training and student achievement. Hanushek (1989, 1997; Fehrler et al., 2009) concluded that there is no strong evidence to suggest that teacher training and teacher education has a positive effect on student achievement. On the other hand, Greenwald et.al (1996) and Kane (2013) find a strong relationship between teacher education and student achievement. Using a narrative synthesis of individual studies, Wayne and Youngs (2003) argue that students’ test scores in English, History and Science do not provide sufficient empirical evidence for drawing conclusions regarding the nature of the relationship between teachers’ education and training and students’ achievement.

Reading is believed to be an easy task, something we all learning and develop through the years as we grow, however, is it really that simple? To reading and understanding are both essential when a student begins to read. It is a complex action that requires a multitude of different actions/components, all working at the same time, to become a successful reader. The components that are pertinent to reading are: comprehension, oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency and vocabulary. Without these components, reading may very well be irrelevant because it does not make sense to read and not understand what is being transmitted/relayed. According to the National Reading Panel (NRP), “a combination of techniques is effective for