Boston University's graduate program in Reading Education prepares teachers, specialists, clinicians, and consultants in the area of reading and writing assessment and instruction. Because many of our students are in-service teachers, we strive to accommodate everyone by offering late afternoon and evening classes during the academic year and clinic experiences during the summer months.
Coursework includes the study of current research and practice in reading and writing assessment and instruction, and analysis of commonly used assessments and instructional materials. Particular attention is paid to instructional practices that accelerate learning for struggling readers and writers. During a pre-practicum, students work with a school-based literacy specialist to learn about the roles and responsibilities of the reading professional in a typical school setting. During a practicum, students work under the supervision of a university faculty member to put into practice their understandings of research-based assessment and instruction as they teach an individual child and children in a small-group context in ways that will accelerate reading and writing growth.
Although individual circumstances vary, students seeking licensure typically enter the program with a license in elementary or secondary English. Students may complete our Master's in Education (Ed.M.) and Certificate of Advanced Study (CAGS) programs in two semesters of full-time study or four semesters of part-time study and one summer term. The Ed.M. and CAGS in Reading are approved for licensure in Massachusetts, which has reciprocity with 44 other states.
What are the strengths of the master’s degree in
Reading Education?
Students who complete the master’s degree in Reading Education will gain a deep and thorough understanding of research and theory that is fundamental to sound and successful teaching, and they will work with university faculty who are, themselves, currently engaged in research and teaching in area schools. As such, degree recipients leave the program with broad and comprehensive academic knowledge and important practical insights about what works in diverse school settings.
What career opportunities are available after
I complete the program?
Numerous career opportunities await degree recipients. Many graduates seek positions as general education classroom teachers, where their expertise in reading and writing assessment and instruction enables them to provide exemplary instruction to students of all performance levels. Others wish to use their newly-acquired depth of knowledge to specialize in literacy assessment and instruction. In this case, degree recipients meet requirements for positions as reading and literacy teachers, specialists, and coaches.
What are the qualifications for admission?
Applicants are considered on the basis of their total application, which includes a statement of qualifications and objectives for a career in the field of reading education, letters of recommendation, and graduate test scores (either the general test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), taken within the last five years).
Reading and Writing Clinic
The Boston University Donald D. Durrell Reading and Writing Clinic serves as the practicum and provides diagnostic assessment and instructional services for elementary and middle school students who are experiencing difficulty in learning to read or write. The clinicians are graduate students or experienced classroom teachers who work under the close supervision of Boston University faculty and school-based reading supervisors.
The Reading and Writing Clinic is offered as a school-based experience during each spring semester, and during the summer months, as an intensive university-based experience. For in-service teachers and graduate students, the Reading and Writing Clinic comprises two types of activities: advancement of their own knowledge and understanding about how children learn to read and write, and application and refinement of their understandings as they work with a child or a small group of children.
Children who are selected for participation have many different learning profiles: some struggle just a bit, while others experience severe reading or writing difficulty. Some are diagnosed as having specific special education needs while others are not eligible in their respective schools for special support services in reading and writing. Some do reasonably well in reading, but struggle in writing.
Clinic tutors are licensed, experienced teachers who may be working toward a professional license or advanced degree in literacy education. They work under the direct supervision of Boston University faculty and experienced school-based reading supervisors who hold advanced degrees in literacy education.
Clinic tutors learn to use a collection of informal and formal assessments in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing, to identify children's instructional strengths and needs and to determine the instructional materials and practices that will lead to improved reading and writing proficiency.
In addition to using materials that are available in the Boston University Clinic, tutors work with each student's parents, and when possible, with their school-based teachers and administrators to obtain the curricular materials that are commonly used in the school setting. Familiarity with these materials contributes to the development of a tutoring plan that is coherent with school-based instruction and that will effectively prepare students for school-based reading and writing demands.
For graduate students seeking a master's degree in reading education, we recommend completion of the following courses in preparation for a successful clinical experience: LR731, Teaching Reading in Elementary Schools; LR732, Teaching Reading in Middle and Secondary Schools; LS790, Seminar in Literacy Assessment, LR734, Prepracticum: Teacher of Reading, and LW736, Teaching Writing in Elementary, Middle, and Secondary Schools.
Course descriptions
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