Roles of the Reading Specialist

By: International Reading Association (2000)

Teaching all children to read requires that every child receive excellent reading instruction and that children who are struggling with reading receive additional instruction from professionals specifically prepared to teach them. Teaching all children to read also requires reading specialists in every school because the range of student achievement in classrooms, with the inclusion of children who have various physical, emotional, and educational needs, requires different educational models from those of the past.

This is something that the Ministry of Education has to seriously consider especially when they send Remedial students and instructors to Secondary School. Students who score less than 30% in SEA require special instruction from specially trained teachers. There should be a specially designed curriculum for these students.

In order to provide these services, schools must have reading specialists who can provide expert instruction, assessment, and leadership for the reading program. Reading specialists are professionals with advanced preparation and experience in reading who have responsibility for the literacy performance of readers in general and struggling readers in particular.

The aim of this Masters is to produce teachers who can provide this service, not just in individual schools but to train teachers throughout the districts to become competent in teaching reading.

The International Reading Association's recommendations for the roles of the reading specialist in the three specific areas mentioned above include the following:

Instruction

The reading specialist supports, supplements and extends classroom teaching, and works collaboratively to implement a quality reading program that is research-based and meets the needs of students.

Assessment

The reading specialist has specialized knowledge of assessment and diagnosis that is vital for developing, implementing, and evaluating the literacy program in general, and in designing instruction for individual students. He or she can assess the reading strengths and needs of students and provide that information to classroom teachers, parents, and specialized personnel such as psychologists, special educators, or speech teachers, in order to provide an effective reading program.

Leadership

The reading specialist provides leadership as a resource to other educators, parents and the community.


These are the three basic role of any reading specialist.