This program won National Recognition from the International Literacy Association in 2021, which means that it meets the highest standards in the world of literacy education.
Tuition for the 15-credit, graduate-level program at Notre Dame is only $1,000 per course, and the additional authorization qualifies educators—whether their initial licensure is in K-12, elementary, middle or high school—to provide literacy instruction at all levels from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The program prepares teachers to work with struggling as well as gifted readers.
All five courses transfer into the master’s degree program in Mild/Moderate Intervention or Reading and Literacy.
Students can start endorsement coursework in the fall, spring or summer semesters. No formal application is required.
Four of the five courses in the Notre Dame reading endorsement program are eight weeks in length and require only two synchronous sessions per term. Virtual voluntary office hours are offered in the interim weeks. The fifth class, ED 655 Reading Practicum, takes 16 weeks to complete but is in session online once every other week with two mandatory synchronous sessions at the beginning and the end of the course.
The courses are ED 520 Children’s and Young Adult Literature Studies, ED 525 Foundations of Literacy, ED 535 Disciplinary Literacy, ED 556 Instructional Strategies and ED 655 Reading Practicum. The endorsement includes one transfer literacy course from either the graduate or undergraduate level.
Each class is taught by Notre Dame faculty with doctoral degrees, who also have professional experience in PK-12 education and hold reading endorsements. The classes are conducted online but have weekly live class meetings, two mandatory, and six voluntary, in which students can see, hear and talk to the instructor and other students in the course via a computer from anywhere in the world with Internet access.
All sessions are on a weekday from 6:30-7:45 pm or 7:45-9:00 pm to accommodate the schedules of working educators.
The total cost for the 15-credit, graduate-level reading endorsement is only $4,000, plus the cost of textbooks.
Pre-requisites for the Notre Dame reading endorsement program include a current teaching license and evidence of 12 hours of literacy coursework that meet Ohio’s initial licensure Reading Core and include a phonics course. Applicants who are licensed in grades 7 -12 need evidence of 3 hours of literacy coursework and may need to take other literacy courses in order to qualify for the reading endorsement.
For more information or to register, contact Kris Jensen at kjensen@ndc.edu.
August 2022
About Notre Dame College
Notre Dame College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts college in South Euclid, Ohio, committed to teaching students how to make a good living and live a good life. Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1922, the College offers bachelor’s degrees in 30 disciplines plus a variety of master’s degrees, certification programs and continuing and professional development programs for adult learners on campus and online. For more information, visit NotreDameCollege.edu.