Special Reading Teacher Certification
With a master’s degree in literacy from MSU, you’re on track to earn state certification as a reading expert.
Requirements
To meet the Missouri certification requirements for special reading (grades K-12) you must have the following:
General requirements
- A valid Missouri teacher’s certificate.
- Two (2) years of classroom teaching experience.
Professional requirements*
The following course work should also be completed. These shall be met by courses of at least two (2) semester hours, unless otherwise specified.
Foundations of Teaching
- Child Psychology **
- Adolescent Psychology**
- Or, a combined course to meet the above two courses.
- Psychology and/or Education of the Exceptional Child*
- Evaluation of Abilities and Achievement: LTC 780
Teaching Methods
- Reading: A minimum total of 12 semester hours with at least two courses at the graduate level.
- LTC 640/574.
- Select two more reading (LTC) courses* from: LTC 318, 420/421, 474, or 710.
- Language Acquisition and Development: LTC 700
- Behavior Management Technique: LTC 685/LTC 585
- Counseling Techniques: LTC 680/LTC 580
Clinical Experiences
- Practicum: LTC 781 and LTC 782
* These may be met by courses taken as part of your undergraduate (bachelor’s) degree.
** A combined course of at least three (3) semester hours in child and adolescent psychology may meet these two requirements.
About the certification
Your degree covers all the courses you’ll need to meet the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) requirements for Special Reading Teacher, K-12, Certification.
In addition, you must also pass a state-level exam and have at least two years of full-time teaching experience in order to be certified through DESE.
Your courses focus on children in grades K-12 who are struggling readers/writers and need to learn strategies to become more independent.
Certification outside of Missouri
Note: We cannot confirm whether our program meets requirements for reading certification outside of the state of Missouri.
If you are not currently teaching in the state of Missouri, please contact your state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to determine whether our program meets certification requirements.
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