Curriculum: Post-Master’s Certificate in Reading, Literacy, and Assessment

Literacy may be understood in multiple ways across various settings and populations. In this course, a foundation will be laid for educators to define literacy based on historical and contemporary perspectives, the sociopolitical landscape, the influence of social media and technological innovation, and influences coming from national, state, local, and Common Core standards. Educators will examine ways to overcome barriers to student literacy learning and develop techniques to improve communication and increase community and family involvement. Based on what they learn in this course and drawing on professional reading and curriculum standards, education professionals will develop a plan to gain stakeholder support for the improvement of curriculum and literacy programming at the systems level.

Student diversity comes in many different forms (e.g., linguistic, cultural, socioeconomic, academic, emotional, aesthetic), and effective educators have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to value the richness this diversity brings and enhance learning in their education setting. By applying strategies and evaluating programs and initiatives to meet the diverse needs of all learners, educators can demonstrate an awareness of students' prior learning, language, culture, family, and community values to improve teaching and learning. Through real-world scenarios and applications, educators will assess strategies for promoting equitable access to high-quality learning experiences while recognizing their own personal beliefs and biases. Education professionals will also explore current and effective practices for working with diverse learners and providing productive learning environments for all students. Through the use of appropriate materials and technologies, educators will evaluate curriculum, instruction, and assessment, promoting learning for all students. 

Designing literacy programs that effectively promote and support high levels of literacy proficiency requires the use of data that accurately describe the status of student, teacher, and school performance. Education professionals in this course can examine a variety of assessment tools and validity issues for addressing individual and classroom needs as well as district and state mandates. Topics include a focus on data analysis for tiered intervention decision making and the interpretation of data to drive recommendations at a systemic level. Educators will develop skills to facilitate collaboration and stakeholder inclusion.

Making academic content accessible and comprehensible for all learners requires specific strategies PreK–12 teachers need to know and be able to demonstrate. By focusing on academic language, content acquisition, and the appropriate use of technology, education professionals add to their repertoire of strategies to meet content standards for all students, including those with diverse needs, learning styles, and abilities. Education professionals can plan ways to collaborate and share knowledge with other educators within their professional setting and review and evaluate research to inform effective practices. Through this course, educators also address ways to develop programs that integrate both content and literacy objectives to better enhance the development of all learners throughout the content areas.