Reading Specialist | Teachers College Columbia University

This course addresses problems of educational assessment, curriculum and teaching, organization, and guidance of students with physical, cognitive, affective, and sensory disabilities.

Provides an overview of theories and research pertaining to reading acquisition and assessment and intervention techniques for reading across the lifespan.  Content is organized according to four major themes: the psychology of reading development, language structures, assessment, and intervention.  Materials fee: $25.

Reading and study skills: Practical procedures based on research findings appropriate for teachers, counselors, and others. Discussion focuses on students in the middle elementary grades through young adulthood.

Online. This course provides an examination of the learning of reading and writing by adults who have not achieved full literacy. Populations discussed include students in programs including adult basic education, vocational/ career & technical education, continuing education, and developmental/ remedial education; adults with dyslexia and other learning disabilities; immigrants and others who have limited English language proficiency; students in correctional settings; and participants in adult literacy programs outside of the U.S. 

Prerequisite: HBSK 4072. Presents theory and research pertaining to reading and writing disabilities.  Students obtain experience in administering, scoring, and interpreting a battery of measures and learn to formulate a diagnosis based on standardized, norm-referenced tests. The course takes a lifespan perspective in its examination of reading and writing disabilities. Materials fee: $50.

This is a literacy course that applies research on cognitive, linguistic, affective, social, and cultural processes underlying writing performance to the development of writing interventions.  Writing is discussed within a larger context of reading comprehension and subject-matter knowledge.  Students learn to evaluate and design content-area writing interventions for both typically-developing and special-needs populations of differing ages and in various educational settings. Materials fee:  $25.

Prerequisite or corequisite:  HBSK 4072, grade of B or better.  This course is the first of three practica that prepare students to assess, analyze, and remediate literacy difficulties using research and theory.  In class sessions, students learn to understand assessment and instruction across a broad spectrum of skill areas reflecting the most common areas of difficulty for struggling readers and writers.   Students apply those skills in their work in the Dean-Hope Center for Educational and Psychological Services (CEPS) with an individual who has literacy difficulties. Materials fee:  $100.

Prerequisites:  HBSK 4072, HBSK 5373 with grade of B+ or better. This course is the second of three practica that prepare students to assess and remediate literacy difficulties. HBSK 5376 utilizes a more advanced learning model in which a student works to assess and tutor a client at the Dean-Hope Center for Educational and Psychological Services (CEPS). In class sessions, students continue to learn techniques, skills, and materials for assessment and intervention for use with those who struggle with reading and writing.  Students are expected to apply class content in clinical sessions with an individual with literacy difficulties. Attendance at supervision sessions is also mandatory.

Prerequisites:  HBSK 4072, HBSK 5376 with grade of B+ or better.  This course is the third of three practica that prepare students to assess and remediate literacy difficulties. HBSK 5377 utilizes an independent learning model in which the student works to assess and tutor a small group of individuals in a school setting.  The focus in this practicum is on differentiating instruction for students who are reading and writing below grade-level expectations.  Students work collaboratively with classroom teachers and other school personnel while continuing to adhere to professional and ethical guidelines and standards in their assessment, teaching and preparation of documentation and reports. Materials fee:  $100.

The purpose of this seminar is to consider the implications of recent research in literacy assessment and intervention for the consultation, evaluation and professional development roles of Reading and Learning Specialists and Coaches.  Materials Fee:  $50.