McDaniel student working with elementary student at desk.

Reading Specialist: Literacy Leadership, M.S.

McDaniel’s Graduate Program for Reading Specialist: Literacy Leadership (RDS) prepares you to be a change-maker in literacy education—in your classroom and in the field.

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Degree Types

Master's

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Program Cost

$552 per credit

Key

Format

Online

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Total credits

About the Program

The RDS program offers a comprehensive approach to reading instruction and incorporates current research, theoretical perspectives, informed practice, and thoughtful reflection. As a student in the program, you’ll implement a series of assessment procedures and instructional techniques across multiple grade levels to address the needs of diverse learners. And you’ll do all this while becoming an important part of a McDaniel’s collaborative professional network.

Key Features of the RDS Program

Meets International Literacy Association standards as a nationally recognized program for the preparation of Reading Specialists
Presents opportunities to apply theory and research through practicum experiences and performance outcomes
Fosters close working relationships with knowledgeable faculty
Examines ongoing assessment-instruction processes with a variety of diverse learners
Incorporates courses that address current issues facing literacy professionals, including the option to specialize in Teaching English Learners with the opportunity to pursue dual certification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) or in Dyslexia through Level I Certification in the Wilson Language Reading System®

What You Need to Know About the M.S. in Reading Specialist: Literacy Leadership

Candidates must submit:

Application for graduate study
Official transcripts conferring bachelor’s degree (minimum of 3.00 GPA*) from an accredited institution; graduate transcripts if applicable.
Copy of a Teaching Certificate - Maryland State Department of Education Standard Professional Certificate (SPC I or SPC II). Students with Professional Eligibility Certification or evidence of completion of teacher preparation program and passing Praxis II scores can be accepted in lieu of teacher certification. Teachers who hold a license or certification from states outside of Maryland must also provide a copy of their teaching certificate. Students holding provisional or conditional teacher certification would not be eligible for this program and should discuss options for initial certification with the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies.

*Students who have a 2.75 to 2.99 GPA may be admitted provisionally and will be required to maintain a 3.0 GPA in the first 9-12 credit hours. Students with less than a 2.75 GPA will be considered for admission on a case-by-case basis for provisional admission but may be required to provide additional documentation and/or participate in an interview. Admission may also come with additional conditions.

Fulfillment of 36-credit course requirement with 3.0 GPA
Completion of the six-credit supervised school-embedded practicum experience (RDS 552)
Pass a written Comprehensive Examination

Specialization Options

This 10-credit online course sequence, including a supervised practicum, is based on the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading instruction and is accredited by the International Dyslexia Association.

McDaniel is the first higher education institution in Maryland to partner with Wilson Language Training to offer this online certification.

The Wilson Reading System is an intensive reading program for students in grades 2–12 and adults with a language-based learning disability, such as dyslexia, and is used in schools across the United States to help students with dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities become fluent, independent readers.

Program components:

Wilson Reading System® (WRS) Introductory Course: Intro to Multisensory Language Instruction
WRS Intensive Instruction for the Non-Responsive Reader, Part I
WRS Intensive Instruction for the Non-Responsive Reader, Part II
Wilson Reading System Steps 1-6 Practicum

With the completion of the 36-credit degree, candidates earn the Reading Specialist endorsement in the State of Maryland and are prepared to complete the Praxis requirements for dual endorsement in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).

Candidates have the opportunity to focus their elective coursework to develop foundational knowledge and instructional techniques for teaching English learners.

Program components

TSL 503: Assessment of English Learners
TSL 532: Principles of Language Acquisition
TSL 535: Linguistics for ESOL Teachers

Program & Course Details

Reading Specialist: Literacy Leadership Catalog

Find Out More

Discover more about this program and others at one of our monthly, virtual open houses!

Apply

This program begins in Fall, Spring, and Summer.

Start Your Application

Program Coordinator

Lisa Buckler
lbuckler@mcdaniel.edu

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Department Faculty

Learn more about the faculty and staff behind this program.

See Graduate & Professional Studies faculty

Photo courtesy of Wilson Language Training.

Graduate program for reading specialists offers new online dyslexia certification

McDaniel College’s Reading Specialist: Literacy Leadership master’s degree program has partnered with Wilson Language Training to offer a new dyslexia specialization, which includes Level I Certification in the Wilson Reading System® (WRS). McDaniel is the first higher education institution in Maryland to partner with Wilson to offer this online certification.

Read "Graduate program for reading specialists offers new online dyslexia certification "

Certification and Reputation

McDaniel’s RDS program is respected in the field and has been evaluated/accredited* at the state and national level to ensure you’ll get great value and lasting degree equity.

International Literacy Association (ILA)
Maryland State Department of Education

Official seal of the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP)

McDaniel College is a member in good standing of the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP), a national accrediting organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The Master of Science in Reading Specialist: Literacy Leadership program has been awarded initial accreditation status by AAQEP through June 30, 2029. Accreditation acknowledges that a program prepares effective educators who continue to grow as professionals and has demonstrated the commitment and capacity to maintain quality.

*Pennsylvania State Department of Education guidelines are addressed during the advisement process for students seeking employment and/or licensure in Pennsylvania.

“We can say without a doubt they are among the best literacy teacher preparation programs in the United States.”

J. Helen Perkins, ILA Board member and chair of the ILA Commission on National Recognition, 2022.

Advancing Your Career

Graduates of the RDS master’s program are currently fulfilling literacy leadership positions as:

Reading Specialists within K-12 public and private school settings
Classroom Teachers within K-12 public/private settings
Literacy Coaches
Staff developers in Reading/Language Arts
College Level Instructors
Doctoral Candidates
Language Arts and Elementary Supervisors
Building Level Administrators

Meet a Graduate | Kelly Coutts ’07, M.S. ’24

What led you to earn your Reading Specialist M.S.?: I have been teaching reading for 14 years. My first ten years of teaching were spent at The Summit School in Edgewater, Maryland. After getting married and having children, I returned home to St. Michaels, Maryland, where I taught special education for three years, and stepped into the role of reading specialist this year, and I am loving it.
Why McDaniel?: After meeting my husband, I moved to Australia and studied Global Learning at a larger university in Darwin. Nothing against the university, but I never felt very connected with my professors, and only met one other student in my program. While this might be desirable for some people, it wasn’t my style. I value connection. So, when I decided that I wanted to work as a reading specialist, McDaniel was the first place I looked into. I did my undergraduate work at McDaniel and I loved it. I read about their Literacy Leadership program and I knew it was the program for me.
What were your program highlights?: I loved my time in the Literacy Leadership program at McDaniel. I was able to take my new knowledge and understanding of teaching reading and immediately apply it to my work with my students. My professors took the time to get to know me as a teacher, a person, and a student. I was worried that an online program would leave me feeling isolated and “on my own,” but this was not the case. McDaniel has made a tremendous impact on my life ... twice!

Spotlight Profile Alumni Spotlight Jessica Smith M.S. ’16

Jessica was hired as a reading specialist at Bermudian Springs Elementary School in York Springs, PA, even before she completed her master’s degree in the Reading Specialist program. She was the recipient of the college’s Joan Develin Coley Award for Excellence in Education, which is presented to the graduate student with the best record in the study of literacy theory and practice. She also earned a Learning Technology Specialist certificate in 2017 and a master’s degree in School Librarianship in 2020 from McDaniel College.

Reading Specialist graduate program receives national recognition

According to the International Literacy Association, McDaniel College’s Reading Specialist: Literacy Leadership master’s degree program is among the best literacy teacher preparation programs in the United States.

Read "Reading Specialist graduate program receives national recognition"

School Librarianship, M.S. Innovations in Teaching and Learning (formerly Curriculum & Instruction)