Master’s of Arts Degree in Curriculum and Instruction (C & I) with an
Emphasis in Literacy
Major Code: EDCI
The K-12 Master’s in Literacy Program is designed to support teachers who are interested in developing greater understanding and expertise in the teaching and learning of literacy. Students completing this 30 semester-hour program are eligible for a Reading Teacher K-12 endorsement from the State of Colorado. Because the endorsement is an advanced and specialty certification, all candidates for the degree must have a minimum of two years teaching experience and pass the Reading Teacher PLACE Exam before they can receive the endorsement.
The Master’s in Literacy Program is committed to developing informed and well-trained literacy educators. The program is based on three critical assumptions. First, teachers make a difference. A growing body of evidence suggests that teachers can and do affect student achievement growth. Second, teachers can acquire knowledge of evidence-based best practices in teaching children to learn to read. And finally, excellent reading teachers need more than strong content knowledge; they also need knowledge of research-based pedagogical practices and a deep understanding of how to tailor their content and pedagogical knowledge to the specific needs of their.
To help reading professionals develop the knowledge bases that will enable them to make a difference in children’s literate lives, our program draws from three distinct but interrelated sources in defining its specific programmatic foci on national, state, and institutional levels. At the national level, our program aligns with the standards for reading professionals identified by the International Reading Association (IRA, 2003) and addresses the requirements and ramifications of the No Child Left Behind (2001) and IDEA (2004) legislation. At the state level, the program attends to the guidelines presented by the Colorado Literacy Council (CLC, 2006) in preparing professionals to teach reading. At the institutional level, the Master’s in Literacy Program follows the unifying themes identified in the School of Education’s conceptual framework.
Drawing from these distinct but related sources, the Master’s in Literacy Program identifies the following bases of knowledge as critical to an informed reading professional.
- Historical and Foundational Knowledge
- Comprehensive Literacy Curriculum
- Standards-based Instruction
- Assessment, Diagnosis, and Evaluation
- Effective Instructional Practices and Materials
- Literate Environment through Informed Professionalism
For more information about the program's conceptual framework, click here.
Who enrolls in this program?
Typical students in the program are practicing teachers who want to strengthen their literacy instruction and earn a Reading Teacher K-12 endorsement from the State of Colorado. Some enroll in the program in conjunction with their participation in a CU-sponsored professional development opportunity offered in collaboration with local school districts: Partners in Education (PIE). The PIE program is intended for teachers who are at the early stages of their career. For more information on this program, contact Debbie Hearty, Campus Box 249, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, 303-492-8499, Debbie.Hearty@Colorado.edu.
Employment settings
Teachers completing the MA Degree in Instruction and Curriculum with an emphasis in literacy education are employed in one of the following settings:
- Title I Teachers.Elementary and secondary classroom teachers pursue the Colorado Reading Teacher K-12 endorsement so that they can be Title I teachers in their school districts. These teachers fall under “Advanced: Reading Teacher and/or Clinician (Role 4)” in the document titled NCATE/IRA Guidelines for Advanced Programs for Reading Education.
- Reading Teachers. Many schools districts in Colorado have reading teachers at the elementary and middle school level, and some districts have reading teachers at the secondary level. Reading teachers work with classroom teachers in their classrooms, teaching reading to all grade levels and leading professional development opportunities in literacy with their teaching colleagues. These teachers also fall under “Advanced: Reading Teacher and/or Clinician (Role 4)."
- Classroom Teachers. Finally, some teachers in the literacy education program are planning to remain classroom teachers and are not planning to become Title I or reading teachers. These teachers primarily want to become better literacy teachers for elementary, middle, and secondary students. They are also eligible for the Reading Teacher K-12 state endorsement.
Admission Requirements
1. Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
2. Have a minimum 2.75 undergraduate grade point average (GPA), and in all previous course work in Education.
3. Have a minimum 3.0 post-baccalaureate GPA.
4. Students must complete a minimum of two years of teaching experience in an accredited and/or established elementary or secondary school while holding a Colorado Professional License or equivalent teaching license prior to graduation.
(Note: Admission to all graduate programs in the School of Education is competitive. Meeting minimum admission criteria does not guarantee admission.)
Master’s Degree Requirements
1. Students must successfully complete 30 semester hours of approved coursework while maintaining at least a B (3.0) average in all work attempted while enrolled.
2. During the semester when students enroll in EDUC 5285-3: Reading Clinic K-12, they must successfully complete a teacher research project/major paper.
3. The master’s degree must be completed within four years.
Course Work Requirements
Candidates develop a degree plan in consultation with their faculty advisor, typically in their first semester. The frequency of individual course offerings varies; therefore, candidates should plan ahead so that the required 30 semester hours are completed within the four year limit. Approved coursework meets the following distribution requirements:
Semester Hours
|
Area of Focus |
15 |
Curriculum and Instruction in Literacy Education |
15 |
Electives |
The following 15 semester hours with an emphasis in literacy education are required and these courses should be taken after the student has completed two years of teaching (Note: students in the PIE program may begin these courses after one year of teaching):
EDUC 5245-3 Foundations of Reading Instruction K-12
EDUC 5255-3 Processes Involved in Literary Interpretation (prerequisite EDUC5245)
EDUC 5265-3 Processes in Writing
EDUC 5275-3 Assessment in Literacy (prerequisite 5255)
EDUC 5285-3 Reading Clinic K-12 (prerequisite EDUC 5275) (Note: Capstone Course)
An additional 15 semester hours of electives are required. Electives may be selected from any School of Education program area with the agreement of the advisor. Students may also take courses in other departments in related fields (e.g., linguistics) that are offered at the 5000 level and taught by a faculty member with a graduate appointment. Examples of courses include, but are not limited to:
Suggested courses that focus on learning:
EDUC 6318-3 Psychological Foundations of Education
EDUC 6328-3 Advanced Growth and Development
EDUC 6338-3 Cognitive Processes in Education
EDUC 5105-3 Teaching for Understanding (formerly Effective Instruction)
Suggested courses that focus on foundations in education, curriculum, or educational research:
EDUC 5065-3 Curriculum Theories
EDUC 5075-3 Sociology of Education
EDUC 5085-3 History of Education
EDUC 5115-3 Issues in School Change and Reform
EDUC 5726-3 Introduction to Disciplined Inquiry
EDUC 6220-3 Gender Issues in Education
EDUC 6325-3 Culture & Ethnography of Education
EDUC 7055-3 Philosophy of Education
EDUC 7446-3 Policy Issues in Education
Suggested courses that focus on curriculum & instruction in the content areas:
EDUC 5070-3 Spirituality, Religion & Education
EDUC 5165-3 Children’s Literature
EDUC 5235-3 Language and Literacy in the Content Areas
EDUC 5315-3 Nature of Science and Science Education
EDUC 5316-3 Nature of Social Studies Education
EDUC 5317-3 Nature of Mathematics Education
EDUC 5325-3 Literature in Middle and Secondary Schools
EDUC 5345-3 Composition for Teachers
EDUC 5580-3 Physics and Everyday Thinking
EDUC 5706-3 Assessment in Mathematics and Science
EDUC 5810-3 Number Sense for Teachers
EDUC 5820-3 Algebraic Thinking for Teachers
EDUC 5830-3 Geometry and Measurement for Teachers
EDUC 5840-3 Probability & Statistics for Teachers
EDUC 5445-3 Curriculum for Multicultural Education
EDUC 6804-3 Special Topics (recently offered special topics courses include: Advanced Elementary Social Studies Methods, Spoken Word Poetry in the Classroom, Dialogue in the Secondary Classroom, Gender and Literacy)
Suggested courses that focus on linguistically diverse learners:
EDUC 5445-3 Curriculum Multicultural Education
EDUC 5455-3 Literacy for Linguistically Different Learners
EDUC 5525-3 Research and Evaluation in Bilingual Special Education
EDUC 5615-3 Second Language Acquisition
EDUC 5625-3 Methods of Teaching ESL
PIE Candidates
Candidates participating in the PIE Program are required to enroll in:
EDUC 6915-3 Practicum
EDUC 8935-3 Internship
EDUC 5095-3 Teachers as Researchers
15 semester hours of courses in Literacy Education
6 semester hours of additional electives
Comprehensive Exams
The master’s comprehensive examination requirement is satisfied by the successful completion of the teacher research project/major paper completed in EDUC 5285 Reading Clinic K-12. This major paper is evaluated by both the course instructor and at least one outside reader who holds a graduate appointment. Students must be registered for the comprehensive examination during the semester they complete the teacher researcher project/major paper.
Transfer of Credit
1. Students who began CU’s Teacher Education Program as Post-Baccalaureate Students may transfer two of the following courses as electives.
EDUC 5205-3 Mathematics in the Elementary Classroom
EDUC 5215-3 Science Education in the Elementary Classroom
EDUC 5316-3 Nature of Social Studies Education
EDUC 5355-4 Methods in Secondary Social Studies
EDUC 5325-3 Literature in Middle & Secondary Schools
EDUC 5365-4 Methods in Secondary English
EDUC 5317-3 Nature of Mathematics Education
EDUC 5375-4 Methods in Secondary Mathematics
EDUC 5315-3 Nature of Science and Science Education
EDUC 5385-4 Methods in Secondary Science
[Note: Those transferring from secondary programs will transfer 7 credits; therefore, they will complete a 31-credit master’s degree.]
2. Students who began CU’s Teacher Education Program as Undergraduate Students may be eligible to transfer two of the courses listed in item one above. Contact the Teacher Education Student Advisor or the Graduate Program Assistant.
3. Students who completed initial teacher preparation at another institution may transfer credit under the following guidelines. Transfer credits from accredited institutions are accepted by CU Boulder only after approval by the department chair/program director and under the special conditions outlined in the Graduate School Rules. Transfer credit is defined as any credit earned at another accredited institution, credits earned on another campus of the CU system, or credits earned as a non-degree student within the CU system. The maximum amount of work that may be transferred from another accredited institution to CU Boulder is nine semester hours and is accepted only after approval of the program director. All courses accepted for transfer must be graduate level courses. A course in which a grade of B- or lower was received will not be accepted for transfer. Transfer course work must have been completed in the five years prior to acceptance to the program. Credit may not be transferred until the student has completed 6 credits of graduate level course work as a degree-seeking student on the CU Boulder campus with a 3.0 GPA.
Degree Plan Advisor Checklist
Master’s in C & I with an Emphasis in Literacy Education
Application:
Individuals interested in graduate programs in the School of Education must seek admission to the Graduate School of the University of Colorado at Boulder. Materials for admission to the Graduate School are available from the School of Education website:
http://www.colorado.edu/education/prospective/gradmasters.html
If you have specific questions regarding the program or application process, please contact our general information number 303-492-6555 or e-mail: Edadvise@Colorado.EDU. Please specify the program to which you wish to apply.
Deadlines:
The following are the deadlines for submitting complete application materials. Any applications completed after the deadline will be processed only if program openings still exist.
Summer Term and Fall Semester— February 1
Spring Semester — September 1
Program Advisors :
Dr. Gina Cervetti, Education 113; 303.492.8479; Gina.Cervetti@colorado.edu
Dr. Anne DiPardo, Education 314; 303.492.8399; Anne.Dipardo@colorado.edu
Dr. Elizabeth Dutro, Education 315; 303-492-0738; Elizabeth.Dutro@colorado.edu
Dr. Monette McIver, Education 115, 303-492-7058; Monette.McIver@Colorado.edu
Dr. Caroline McKinney, Education 130; Caroline.Mckinney@colorado.edu
Dr. Shelby Wolf, Education 116; 303-492-8360; Shelby.Wolf@colorado.edu
For a listing of all C & I faculty, please click here.
|
