AAQEP Accreditation 2022
Standard 3: Aspect A
Standard 2a: Preparation programs ensure that candidates, upon completion, are ready to engage in professional practice, to adapt to a variety of professional settings, and to grow throughout their careers. Effective program practices include: consistent offering of coherent curricula; high-quality quality, diverse clinical experiences; dynamic, mutually beneficial partnerships with stakeholders; and comprehensive and transparent quality assurance processes informed by trustworthy evidence.
Each aspect of the program is appropriate to its context and to the credential or degree sought.
The Reading/Literacy Added Authorization and Leadership Specialist Credential programs are aligned with the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing standards.
The Reading and Literacy Added Authorization Program includes a purposeful, developmentally designed sequence of five courses that effectively prepares candidates to teach all students to read and understand the challenges of developing literacy among California’s diverse population. The purpose of the program is to prepare teachers with a strong theoretical foundation on literacy development (LEE 213; LEE 278) and the capacity to apply this knowledge in making assessment and instructional decisions to meet the diverse needs of students with varying literacy abilities and language and cultural backgrounds (LEE 215; LEE 224). Initial courses provide candidates with a deep exploration of the theoretical models and research on effective instructional practices for developing phonological and linguistic processes related to reading, oral language, reading comprehension, and written language (LEE 215; LEE 278). To prepare candidates to meet the needs of linguistically and culturally diverse students, special emphasis is placed on the implications of the models and research for language acquisition and literacy development of English Learners (LEE 215). Practical fieldwork experiences are systematically integrated into courses through major assignments that require candidates to apply specific course content with students in classrooms (LEE 224; LEE 230).
In addition, a supervised clinical field experience requires candidates to complete twelve (12) hours of small-group intervention instruction (LEE 230). Candidates demonstrate their abilities to cohesively unite the assessment and instructional knowledge gained throughout the program. Candidates begin the experience by administering and interpreting formative assessments. The results of these assessments are interpreted and used to design an intervention plan. During tutoring sessions, candidates implement the selected instructional strategies and administer formative assessments to monitor student progress. At the conclusion of the experience, candidates administer summative assessments and write reports to evaluate student progress.
The Reading and Literacy Leadership Specialist Credential Program is designed to build upon the foundational knowledge, skills and competencies developed in the Reading and Literacy Added Authorization program and prepare candidates to lead the development and implementation of comprehensive literacy programs at classroom, school, district, county and state levels to ensure equitable opportunity and achievement for California’s diverse PK-12 student population. The strong theoretical foundation on literacy development, assessment and instruction developed through the RLAA program is coupled with course work and field experiences to develop candidates’ capacity to apply this knowledge in serving as effective literacy leaders capable of mentoring colleagues, evaluating literacy programs, and advocating for effective programs that support California’s diverse learners.
As candidates progress through the RLAA program and into the RLLS program, advanced courses are designed to provide candidates with a deeper understanding of research methods and design features as tools for analyzing, critiquing, and interpreting literacy research results (LEE 244). Candidates analyze research on the psychometric properties and uses for particular formal and informal assessment tools and research on intervention strategies to address specific literacy needs (LEE 234). Further, advanced courses also provide candidates with specific examination of the research on adult learning theory and the implications the research holds for delivering professional development in future roles as literacy leaders (LEE 254).
In addition to the RLAA twelve-hour small-group intervention clinical experience, RLLS candidates must also complete an additional twelve-hour intensive individual intervention supervised experience (LEE 234). Candidates demonstrate their abilities to cohesively unite the assessment and instructional knowledge gained throughout the program. Candidates begin the experience by administering and interpreting formative assessments. The results of these assessments are interpreted and used to design an intervention plan. During tutoring sessions, candidates implement the selected instructional strategies and administer formative assessments to monitor student progress. At the conclusion of the experience, candidates administer summative assessments and write reports to evaluate student progress. Lastly, the culminating course requires RLLS candidates to complete twenty (20) hours of supervised classroom-based peer mentoring/coaching (LEE 254). Candidates refine and master their literacy leadership skills by collaborating with a colleague in 3 peer-coaching cycles; each cycle consists of pre-consultation, observation/modeling, and debriefing consultation. The candidates prepare presentations for two of the cycles. Presentations include lessons learned about the coaching process, critical reflective insights about professional growth, and plans for future goals.