Kalmanovitz School of Education
Proposal to Suspend the READ Credential and Certificate Programs
August 17, 2012
Reading Program Description:
Active Programs:
1. Course of Study leading to a state Reading Certificate issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing
2. Course of Study leading to a state Reading and Language Arts Specialist credential issued by the Commission
on Teacher Credentialing
3. Course of study based upon the coursework for both the Certificate and the Credential leading to a Master of
Arts degree in Reading and Language Arts
4. Course of study based upon both the coursework required for a state basic teaching credential taken at the
KSOE and the coursework for the Reading Certificate leading to a Master of Education degree in Reading and
Language Arts
Program Staffing
1. Faculty
a. Tenured: one tenured faculty member (Mary Kay Moskal) is Program Director and fulfills part of her fulltime teaching load by teaching Reading Program courses
i. Candy Boyd (on reduced services status) also occasionally teaches Reading Program courses as
part of their load
b. Non-Tenured: one non-tenured faculty member (Mary Dierking) works part-time as an instructor and
field supervisor in the program
2. Staff
a. Program Assistant (PA): one Program Assistant works 15% as support to the Reading Program
Relationship with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC):
The CTC is the state agency that issues credentials authorizing a wide range of instructional and other services in the K-12
public schools in California. By statute, the CTC staff monitors all public school districts in California to ensure that
every individual providing such services holds the proper authorization.
The CTC is also tasked with setting standards for all credential preparation programs offered in California. As a
corollary, the CTC accredits all credential preparation programs based upon those standards. So unlike most programs in
the College, the Reading Program is also accredited by the CTC.
In 2010 the Commission took action to approve new Reading credential program standards. Significant changes were
made in the new standards. The current stand-alone Reading Certificate is replaced by a Reading and Literacy Added
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Authorization (RLAA). This new authorization will simply be added to an existing California basic teaching credential.
The Reading and Language Arts Specialist Credential will be replaced by the Reading and Literacy Leadership Specialist
Credential.
The CTC has established December 2012 as the last date for all program sponsors currently offering the Reading
Certificate and Reading and Language Arts Specialist Credential to transition to the new standards. While the existing
program can be taught out, after December 2012, no new candidates can be admitted to our existing programs. This
state-imposed deadline is an additional reason for suspending admissions to the current Reading Program. It takes
considerable time and effort to respond to the new standards, develop new curriculum and then teach the new courses.
2.8.5.2.2 Process for Discontinuance of an Academic Department or Program
1. Proposals should be written by the appropriate academic dean with reference to the Guidelines for Department and
Program Reviews to ensure that all aspects of the department or program are duly considered. In addition, the proposal
should address the following questions:
(a) Why should the department or program be terminated based on the following criteria:
1. Demand: perennial low enrollment and production due to:
i. Lack of proper regulatory action by the CTC: despite its obligation to monitor the authorizations
of all those providing services in K-12 schools, historically the CTC has not identified misassignments in the areas of reading and literacy. Absent such enforcement, K-12 administrators
have turned to cheaper alternative programs such as Reading Recovery (also offered by the
KSOE) to train the reading specialists they need.
1. Given the current drastic budget constraints on the CTC (see link:
http://www.ctc.ca.gov/commission/agendas/2012-04/2012-04-5A.pdf), it is extremely
unlikely that the monitoring program will be strengthened in the foreseeable future.
2. Most existing Reading programs are housed in the CSU and UC systems (Pages 6 & 7).
Since demand for the programs is so low statewide, the state-supported programs, even
under the current funding crisis, can accommodate the bulk of those wishing to enroll in
Reading/Literacy programs. The state systems also still have significantly lower tuition
costs than the KSOE’s Reading Program.
3. Only two other private California IHE’s offer Reading Specialist credential programs.
Only a handful of private IHE’s continue to offer the Reading Certificate program. Some
of these programs utilize an online format to generate enough enrollment to make the
programs fiscally sustainable. (Page 7)
(b) What are the probable effects of termination of the program?
1. Who will be affected by the decision?
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i. Our plan is to integrate the reading course content and faculty into the curriculum of the three
general education credential programs (Multiple Subject, Single Subject and Special Education).
2. What are the potential effects on:
i. Faculty (tenured, tenure track): The tenured faculty member serving as Program Director has
been teaching outside the program (Special Education, Multiple Subject) for many years to
maintain a full load. When the Reading Program is suspended she would continue to support
reading and literacy across the basic teaching credential and the MATL programs. (Candy Boyd
will also be integrated to the general education program as necessary. Only a small part of her
load has been in the Reading Program.)
1. Faculty Non-tenured: There is one non-tenured part-time faculty position associated with
the program. This position would be eliminated at some point during the teach-out.
ii. Staff: The program is supported by a part-time (20%) Program Assistant. This person would
continue to be assigned as needed during the teach-out and then be assigned other duties in the
KSOE to replace the Reading Program load.
iii. Students enrolled in the Reading Program’s: Attached to this proposal is the name-by-name status
of every student as of Spring Term 2012 who has started a Reading Program since the 2005-2006
academic year (Page 8). Of the total 37 students 16 have completed their objectives, 10 are still
enrolled, and 11 have dropped. There may be a small number (less than five?) of students who
started before 2005-2006 who are still in the Thesis IP stage. Individualized completion plans will
be developed for these individuals that minimize the time needed for them to reach their goal. It is
anticipated that the teach-out will take 24 to 30 months.
iv. Other undergraduate and/or graduate programs of the College: The Reading Program has been so
small for so long that its closure would have minimal impact on other units in the College. The
single exception is that Counseling School Psychology students do currently take one Reading
Program course (READ 255 Diagnostic Teaching). This term the only students enrolled in the
course are Counseling students and it is one of the few Reading courses with high enough
enrollment to be consistently offered on a face-to-face basis. The course could be shifted into
either the Counseling program or into the general KSOE Education program (EDUC).
v. What effect will this action have on other departments: The availability of the tenured Program
Director to the Multiple, Single, Special Education and Masters in Teaching Leadership programs
would greatly strengthen the literacy and reading instruction in those programs, all of which have
significantly higher enrollment than the Reading program.
vi. What effect will this action have on the College’s character and mission (Liberal Arts, Catholic,
Lasallian)? The Reading Program is so small that its closure would have little impact at the
College level. As noted above, the KSOE would continue to support K-12 reading and literacy
through other, stronger, programs.
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(c) What steps should the College take to minimize any negative effects of the discontinuation?
1. The most important step is to ensure that the individual teach-out plans developed for the currently active
students are both feasible and monitored to ensure that the students are making the necessary progress.
With only a dozen or so students involved, this administrative task can be accomplished.
2. A plan to ensure that both the required public notifications and the individual correspondence with each
active student are conducted in sensitive and effective manner will be developed.
3. The CTC needs to be notified of the suspension of admissions in the appropriate manner.
4. Be prepared to emphasize all the other efforts the KSOE and the College as a whole are making to
enhance the literacy of California’s K-12 population, including the active support of the Reading
Recovery and Environmental Literacy programs. Our commitment is merely shifting to more effective
delivery media.
MLH 06/12/12
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CTC Approved Reading Certificate Programs
CSU System: Specialist Credentials and Certificates - Reading Certificate
California State University, East Bay
California State University, Fresno
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Monterey Bay
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Sacramento
California State University, San Bernardino
California State University, San Marcos
California State University, Stanislaus
San Diego State University
San Francisco State University
San Jose State University
Sonoma State University
UC System: Specialist Credentials and Certificates - Reading Certificate
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Riverside
University of California, San Diego
Private Institutions: Specialist Credentials and Certificates - Reading Certificate
Current Status of Programs: May 2012
Brandman University
California Baptist University
California Lutheran University
Fresno Pacific University
Loyola Marymount University
National University
Point Loma Nazarene University
not currently offered on website
certificate plus MA
suspended until Fall 2013
Not currently accepting applications
online program
online program
offered at three regional centers only
St. Mary's College of California
University of La Verne
University of Redlands
University of San Francisco
University of Southern California
certificate plus MA
not currently offered on website
not currently offered on website
online program
(Note that the only other local Certificate program at a private IHE is at USF. Brandman (Chapman) and National are multi-campus that can
draw enrollment statewide.)
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CTC Approved Reading Language Arts Credential Programs
CSU System: Specialist Credentials and Certificates - Reading Language Art
California State University, East Bay
California State University, Fresno
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Sacramento
California State University, San Bernardino
California State University, San Marcos
California State University, Stanislaus
San Diego State University
San Francisco State University
San Jose State University
Sonoma State University
UC System: Specialist Credentials and Certificates - Reading Language Art
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Riverside
Private Institutions: Specialist Credentials and Certificates - Reading Language Art
Loyola Marymount University
St. Mary's College of California
University of La Verne
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