The Reading Specialist Certificate is granted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to qualified students. Graduates are recommended for Reading Specialist Certification (K-12) upon successful completion of the WCU program. This includes successful completion of 30 credits and the comprehensive examination. The certificate is issued on the basis of program approval status of the Graduate Program in Reading at West Chester University as granted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Students must also successfully complete the Reading Specialist Praxis II examination to be certified. Information about this examination may be obtained from the Certification Office, 302 Recitation Hall (610-436-2321) or online at http://www.ets.org.

At completion of the program, an "Application for Certification" should be submitted to the Certification Office in Recitation Hall, Room 302. This application is available on the PA Dept. of Education website: http://www.pde.state.pa.us. The student's eligibility for certification will be verified and the application forwarded through appropriate channels to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Certification will not be recommended unless all specified requirements are satisfied.

Courses taken toward Reading Specialist Certification also may count toward an M.Ed. in Reading. For further information, please refer to Graduate Admissions, Course Requirements, and Graduate Reading Programs.