Master of Science in Education - Reading Specialist

Success in today’s world depends on highly developed literacy skills where students need to be competent in reading, writing, speaking, and listening in order to be college and career ready. As a result of the high stakes of students’ literacy achievement, many school districts have looked to Reading Specialists/ Literacy Coaches to improve the literacy growth and success for all of their K-12 students. This program will prepare you to become certified as a Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach in a K-12 setting. The program will prepare you to take a leadership role in you school and districts to support fellow educators in their goal of improving students’ literacy growth.

The goals of the CAGS program are to prepare students to:

• Administer schools in a humanistic, caring manner.
• Instill a sense of responsibility and ethical decision-making.
• Meet the Interstate School Leadership Licensure Consortium Standards (ISLLC) to enable school educators to obtain administrative certification nationwide. The six ISLLC standards state that a school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by:

1. Facilitating the development, articulation, implementation and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school community.
2. Advocating, nurturing and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.
3. Ensuring management of the organization, operations and resources for a safe, efficient and effective learning environment.
4. Collaborating with families and community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs and mobilizing community resources.
5. Acting with integrity and in an ethical manner.
6. Understanding, responding to and influencing the larger political, social, economic, legal and cultural context.

The CAGS program is approved by the Maine State Board of Education. All programs at the University of New England are accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

Transfer credit is not accepted by the CAGS program, since the program has been developed holistically to meet the six ISLLC standards.

The Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study Reading Specialist curriculum consists of five 3-credit online courses. Each on-line course is ordinarily scheduled for 8 weeks, so a student has the ability to enroll in two courses each semester, one in term A and one in term B. A minimum of 15 credits must be taken to be awarded the certificate.

The University of New England's Reading Specialist curriculum is designed to apply as broadly as possible to requirements throughout the country, meeting basic ISLLC (Interstate School Leadership Licensure Consortium) standards. However, it is the responsibility of the candidate to confirm what course content is needed in the state in which certification is sought and to discuss with your advisor if alternative courses need to be accommodated.

Admission Requirements for the Reading Specialist 15 Credit Certificate:

Pre-requisite requirements will be reviewed to ensure the literacy component has been met.

Requirements for admission  

• A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution or its equivalent. See International Admissions for details regarding evaluation of international degrees for grade and degree equivalency.
• Minimum of one year teaching experience.
• Employed as a teacher or ability to access a classroom on a regular basis over an extended period of time.
• Strong writing skills, the capacity to succeed in a distance education format, and a commitment to educational change and professional development as evidenced by your goal statement submitted at the time of application.

UNE carefully assesses MSED applicants on the basis of evidence provided in all application materials submitted. Therefore, while a personal interview is not required, application materials submitted must be prepared thoroughly and thoughtfully for full consideration. Additional prerequisites to participate in one of the on-line Master of Science in Education programs include but may not be limited to:

• A sincere interest in continuing professional development as an educational leader.
• The potential to improve practice through application of new knowledge and skills.
• Current employment in an educational setting where you have regular access to an environment in which you can apply course concepts and strategies.
• The ability to pursue challenging online graduate study.
• Sufficient computer skills to navigate the worldwide web and effectively participate in an on-line program.
• Own or have regular access to a computer with internet connection and with the hardware and software requirements described on the MSED website. 
• Motivation to complete all course assignments in a satisfactory and timely manner.

PROCEDURES AND POLICIES

• Applications for admission are accepted through UNE’s online application only. Detailed instructions are included in the online application.
• Official transcripts for all colleges and universities attended, as well as other documents to support the application, must be submitted to the Office of Online Worldwide Learning, 716 Stevens Ave, Portland, ME, 04103
• Students are admitted to the MSED program six (6) times a year: Summer A & B, Fall A & B, Spring A & B.
• Applications received and completed by the respective deadlines will be given full consideration.  Applications submitted and/or completed after the deadline will be reviewed for the next available term.
• Admissions are rolling and decisions are made by the program admissions committee throughout the cycle.
• International applicants and applicants with international degrees must have their transcripts evaluated for degree and grade equivalency to that of a regionally accredited US institution.  See International Admissions.
• All applicants to UNE must be able to understand and communicate in English to be admitted to the university.  UNE accepts several methods of English Proficiency, see International Admissions.  English Proficiency requirement must be completed at the time of application.

For additional information on the admissions process and requirements, please access the MSED website

advanced standing/transfer credit/experiential credit

No transfer credit, advanced standing status, or credit for experiential learning is accepted into the on-line MSED programs. Full participation in the MSED curriculum is necessary to achieve the desired integration of theory and practice the program provides.

Policy exceptions

The Master of Science in Education program and the MSED Admissions Committee in collaboration with the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions reserve the right to make exceptions to the admissions criteria and to make changes or exceptions to policies and procedures, on a case by case basis, when it deems such a decision is necessary and appropriate.