Program Overview

Endorsement Plan: Reading Specialist

The Reading Specialist endorsement empowers licensed Arkansas teachers with the specific skills aimed at planning, teaching, and evaluating instruction for students having trouble reading or writing. A reading specialist is also trained to improve reading achievement for all students by supporting teachers and other personnel in the district.

Program Overview

The College of Education and Health Professions provides the coursework required by the State of Arkansas Department of Education for licensure endorsement as a Reading Specialist. The program's coursework can be applied toward the Reading Specialist endorsement in Arkansas and will help licensed teachers prepare for the required Reading Specialist PRAXIS exam. Additionally, these courses may be applied to the Educational Specialist degree program.

Admission Criteria

Traditional financial aid and scholarships are not available for endorsement programs. Those teaching outside Arkansas should check with their home state's department of education to see if this coursework will be accepted for licensure endorsements in their home states.

Program Structure

• The program is 100% online.
• It consists of 21 credit hours.
• No GRE is required.
• Students can start any semester (Summer, Fall, or Spring).

Courses

• CIED 50603 - Disciplinary Literacies in Education
• CIED 51703 - Literacy Assessment and Intervention
• CIED 55303 - Teaching Language Arts
• CIED 55703 - Foundations of Literacy
• CIED 57903 - Practicum in Literacy
• SPED 55403 - Dyslexia Teaching Practicum
• SPED 56803 - Teaching Literacy Skills to Students with Disabilities

Estimated Cost

• Tuition per credit hour: $459.68
• Fees per credit hour:
  • Library: $4.98
  • Network & Data Systems: $16
  • Off-campus: $30
  • Online Facilities: $2
• Tuition and fees per credit hour reflect fall 2025 rates for students studying completely online.

Research and Literature

The coursework aligns with the statewide initiative Reading Initiative for Student Excellence in Arkansas, which is grounded in research and literature forming the science of reading. It also reflects the latest K-12 content competencies for reading specialists required by the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education and impacts the way reading is taught. University of Arkansas faculty developed the coursework after consulting DESE's required content competencies, the content addressed in the latest Reading Specialist Praxis exam, various national and state standards documents, and leading research in the literacy education field.

Goals of the Plan of Study

The goals of the plan of study focus on the competencies developed by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education required for licensure as a K-12 Reading Specialist, as well as the Teacher Excellence Support System (TESS) for Specialty Areas (Instructional Specialist Framework).