Overview.html

The CAS program has been substantially revised. Students admitted to the program prior to 9/1/08 may elect to follow the original program requirements in force when they entered the program, or choose the revised requirements. Students admitted after 9/1/08 MUST follow the revised requirements below.

updated: 9/15/08

Last Updated: September 15, 2008

Overview of the CAS Program

The graduate program leading to the Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) in Reading prepares individuals for leadership roles in literacy education. This program is designed for:

• students seeking advanced coursework in literacy research and pedagogy with a view toward career advancement, or entry into a PhD program in Literacy;

• classroom teachers or literacy specialists who already have a master’s degree, seeking to deepen or broaden their professional knowledge or clinical expertise.The CAS provides students the opportunity to pursue professional development beyond the Masters degree.

Required Coursework. The program is designed to be flexible and is tailored to the specific literacy goals of each applicant. The program consists of 60 credit hours, with the following course distribution requirements:

• 30-36 hours in Reading/Literacy

• 6-24 hours in Allied Courses in Professional Education

• 6-24 hours in Behavioral and Social Sciences

Capstone Experience. Upon completion of a minimum of 50 credit hours applicable to the certificate program, the student must satisfactorily complete a capstone experience. This requirement can be met in one of two ways:

• the student completes the comprehensive examination (Part A) for the PhD program. This examination is focused on three domains (literacy and society, literacy and schooling, nature and acquisition of literacy).

• The student undertakes an inquiry project. Examples of inquiry projects would include empirical investigations, or analytic literature reviews, related to issues in literacy. For example, one student might undertake an investigation of the new Response to Intervention (RTI) legislation, examining the research that undergirds it, and how a sample of schools in the area are implementing RTI. Another might conduct an extensive meta-analysis of research studies related to grouping practices for literacy instruction, and suggest implications for classroom practices. The topics for these inquiry projects are chosen by the student in consultation with his/her advisor.

Choosing between the comprehensive exam and the inquiry project. Students do not have to choose between the comprehensive exam and the inquiry project until after three core courses in Reading have been completed. However, once a student elects to undertake the inquiry project, it cannot be used to satisfy the PhD Comprehensive Exam. On the other hand, completing either the inquiry project or the Comprehensive exam qualifies the student to receive the CAS.

Continuous enrollment. Students in the CAS program are NOT required to be continuously enrolled (unlike the PhD program, in which students must register each Fall and Spring semester). However, all requirement of the program must be met within the statute of limitations (five years).