La Salle University
Program Snapshot
Why Earn Your Reading Specialist Certification at La Salle?
Using a schedule that accommodates those already employed as teachers, this program is designed to be responsive to requirements promulgated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (Division of Teacher Education—Bureau of Teacher Certification and Preparation) requiring that specialists of reading be certified according to specific competencies set forth in the regulations.
Students can earn either a Master of Arts in Education with Certification as a Reading Specialist (33 credits) or Certification only as a Reading Specialist (21 credits).
In addition to the standard admission requirements for Graduate Education, applicants must also provide a valid teaching certificate or evidence of completion of all requirements for certification, including passing scores on all relevant PRAXIS exams.
Earning a Reading Specialist Certification at La Salle University is an excellent choice for educators looking to enhance their expertise in literacy instruction and intervention. La Salle’s program is designed to equip teachers with research-based strategies to support struggling readers, promote literacy development, and implement effective reading assessments. With a strong emphasis on practical application, candidates gain hands-on experience through fieldwork and mentorship, ensuring they are prepared to make a meaningful impact in diverse educational settings. Additionally, La Salle’s commitment to social justice and inclusive education fosters a learning environment that values diverse perspectives and equips educators with the skills to meet the needs of all learners.
Highlighted Courses
EDC 520: Writing Instruction for Literacy Educators
In this course, students will read and analyze books and articles written about the pedagogy of writing instruction to give the foundation necessary to create an authentic writing environment in their classrooms-where all of the students will view themselves as writers. The students will create teaching goals and will present what they learn through a variety of assignments culminating with the creation and implementation of a unit to reflect their growth.
EDC 619: Literacy Difficulties: Diagnosis and Instruction for Reading Specialists and Classroom Teachers
The major goal of this course is to help future and practicing teachers understand how reading and writing ability develop, why some students have difficulty learning to read/or write, how to diagnose and address reading and writing problems, why a variety of assessment and teaching techniques must be used to identify students’ strengths and needs, and how to use the results to design appropriate instruction. The premise for this goal is that both understanding why and knowing how are necessary for a teacher to make informed decisions that impact reading and writing instruction.
EDC 640: Lit across the Curriculum
This course presents the reading specialist with techniques and strategies for presenting literature to children and adolescents and getting them to respond to it. Students interact with a wide variety of children’s literature to recognize notable authors and illustrators and to develop an ability to critically analyze children and young adult literature from diverse perspectives. Students will examine, evaluate, discuss, and use literature and related non-print materials for children and young adolescents and explore strategies for using trade books across the curriculum and for introducing children to literature. Students develop an understanding for ways in which children’s literature develops literacy and encourages young people to know the pleasure that can derive from reading good books. Materials for children, adolescents, and adults with limited reading abilities are covered.
Meet the Faculty
Kimberly Lewinski, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Education and a researcher and participant for the Writers Matter Program. Prior to this, she was a graduate student at University of Virginia where she served on a Writing Across the Curriculum research team for three years and was an instructor of literacy courses at James Madison University. Also, she has seven years of full-time teaching experience at the elementary level. Her scholarship interests are in writing across the curriculum and creative pedagogy.
