Overview

Courses within Literacy Education prepare teachers to assist other teachers and administrators in creating literacy programs that promote not only the learning of reading and writing, but also the learning of subject matter across the curriculum. Candidates may earn a Reading and Literacy Added Authorization, a Reading and Literacy Leadership Specialist Credential, or use courses within this area to satisfy the 21-unit course electives required for the M.A. Literacy Education Option. 

The RLAA and RLLSC Programs provide advanced preparation in reading/language arts assessment and instruction, clinical and field experience, as well as a strong foundation in theory and research in the teaching of reading and writing in the preK-12 educational system. Coursework prepares candidates to work within diverse settings and to maximize learning for diverse student populations. In this way candidates will be prepared for many different assignments, including preventing reading difficulties as early as possible, working with struggling readers, and helping English learners attain success in the development of their literacy strategies.  Students may also use these courses in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts in Reading, Language, and Literacy.

Candidates seeking the RLAA and/or RLLS must hold a valid teaching credential and have 3 years of teaching experience by the end of the program before they are recommended for the RLAA and/or RLLS credentials. The California 2042 teaching credential includes the authorization to teach English learners. Candidates who do not possess a valid California 2042 credential will meet the English Learner Authorization requirements through the coursework of the RLAA.

Candidates who do not hold a valid California 2041 teaching credential must submit the equivalent of the Basic Skills Requirement from the state in which they are credentialed/licensed.

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Our PSLOs are our guiding principles.  Our PSLOs are:

 Highly effective literacy teachers of monolingual and multilingual students…

• Recognize major historical and contemporary theories and empirical research that describe the cognitive, linguistic, motivational, developmental and sociocultural foundations of reading and writing development, processes, and components,
• Demonstrate the role of professional judgment in order to use foundational and historically shared knowledge to design or implement an integrated, comprehensive, and balanced literacy curriculum.
• Create a literate environment that fosters reading and writing by integrating foundational knowledge, instructional practices, approaches and methods, authentic literature, curriculum materials, and the appropriate use of assessments.
• Employ a wide range of texts (e.g., narrative, expository, and poetry) from traditional print, digital, and online resources for a wide range of teaching and learning purposes and students’ needs.
• Utilize a variety of assessment information to plan and evaluate instruction
• Teach English literacy by harnessing students’ primary language knowledge base to enable them to develop competency in the English language arts and to develop understanding of content across the curriculum.
• Integrate tools of technology in literacy settings to gather, synthesize, and critically evaluate information and to create and communicate knowledge.
• Display positive dispositions related to their own reading and writing and the teaching of reading and writing, and pursue the development of individual professional knowledge and behaviors.
• Design, facilitate, lead, and evaluate effective and differentiated literacy programs for students and professional development programs.
• Investigate questions, examine assumptions and beliefs, collect and analyze data to improve teaching and students’ learning.
• Recognize and influence local, state, or national policy decisions.
• Create and implement strategies to advocate for equity, excellence and social justice for all students.