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Graduate Studies

Reading
2024-2025

Admission | Courses | Program | Requirements | Profile

Director:Ìý James LaPrad
Graduate Program Coordinator: Melissa Stinnett
Office:Ìý Horrabin Hall 115
Telephone: (309) 298-1183
E-mail: education@wiu.edu
Program Coordinator E-mail: m-stinnett@wiu.edu
Website:Ìý wiu.edu/coehs/education/grad/msread
Location of Program Offering: Online

Graduate Faculty

Professors

  • Marie Cheak, Ph.D., Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
  • Melissa Stinnett, Ph.D., University of Illinois

Learning Outcomes

For student learning outcomes, please see wiu.edu/provost/learningoutcomes.

ÌýProgram Description

The School of Education offers coursework leading to the Master of Science in Education degree in reading. The objective of the program is to provide elementary and secondary teachers with opportunities to increase their professional competency. The focus is on acquiring an in-depth understanding of both developmental and remedial reading theory and evidence-based instructional practices. The goal is to prepare teachers for a variety of professional positions: as effective elementary and secondary classroom teachers, as reading specialists endorsed to teach in specialized reading programs such as Title I at either the elementary or secondary level, and as K-12 reading specialists and literacy coaches.

ÌýAdmission RequirementsÌý

  • A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 OR 3.0 or higher GPA for the last two years (60 s.h.) of undergraduate work

  • Acceptance by the Departmental Graduate Committee

  • A valid U.S. teaching license

  • Teaching experience (preferred)

ÌýDegree Requirements

The Master of Science in Education degree in Reading requires a minimum of 33 semester hours of coursework.Ìý

I. Core Courses: 15 s.h.

EDS 500 Methods of Research (3)
LLA 525 Literature and the Reader (3)
RDG 570 Integrating Literacy Instruction in the Elementary Curriculum (3)
RDG 576 Psychology of Reading (3)
RDG 588 Leadership in Reading (3)

II. Select an area of emphasis: 18 s.h.

A. Reading Specialist emphasis

RDG 568 Foundations of Reading in the Middle and Secondary School (3)
RDG 571 Literacy Assessment, Instruction and Interventions for Diverse Learners, K-5 (3)
RDG 573 Literacy Assessment, Instruction and Interventions for Diverse Learners, 6-12 (3)
RDG 587 Practicum in Reading K-5 (3)
RDG 589 Practicum in Reading 6-12 (3)
RDG 590 Effective Practices of Literacy Coaching (3)

B. Reading Teacher emphasis

RDG 568 Foundations of Reading in the Middle and Secondary School (3)
or
RDG 569 Reading in Early Childhood (3)
or
RDG 580 Reading in the Content Area (3) (required for endorsement)

RDG 571 Literacy Assessment, Instruction and Interventions for Diverse Learners, K-5 (3)
or
RDG 573 Literacy Assessment, Instruction and Interventions for Diverse Learners, 6-12 (3)

RDG 587 Practicum in Reading K-5 (3)
or
RDG 589 Practicum in Reading 6-12 (3)

Approved electives (9)

TOTAL PROGRAM: 33 s.h.

The student may need to take other courses to meet licensure requirements in the state in which he/she resides.

ÌýCourse Descriptions

Reading (RDG)

433G Introduction to Corrective Reading, K-8th grade. (3) A course emphasizing group and individual identification and instructional procedures for corrective reading in primary-aged, elementary grades, and middle level. Prerequisites: EDS 301, LLA 313, RDG 383 and either RDG 584 or RDG 584, or departmental approval; fully accepted into Teacher Education Program (TEP).

508 Phonics for Decoding and Spelling. (3) From an approach that focuses on environmental print and authentic literature experiences, this course examines a variety of aspects of phonological processing: (1) phonological/phonemic awareness, (2) phonics and other word identification strategies, and (3) spelling.

550 Professional Workshop in Reading. (1–3, repeatable) Workshops are usually organized around a particular theme based upon student demand.

553 Integrating Reading and Writing Through Inquiry. (3) This K‑12 course explores relationships between reading and the use of collaborative, authentic reading and writing learning experiences within an inquiry-oriented curriculum.

565 Introduction to Science of Reading. (3) The Science of Reading is a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically-based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing. Topics include: National Reading Panel, the reading brain, phonological processing, language, fluency, vo