This program has been designed to prepare licensed educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to add a dyslexia endorsement to the teaching license in the state of Arkansas. In 2013, the 89th General Assembly in the State of Arkansas passed Act 1294 mandating that all teacher education programs offered by state-supported institutions of higher education provide appropriate dyslexia information for educators regarding the identification of students at risk for dyslexia and related disorders. Also stipulated in the law was a mandate requiring public schools to provide dyslexia intervention services to eligible students by the 2016-2017 academic year and that these services would be provided by persons with the appropriate training needed to provide such services. As a result of these legal mandates, the licensure endorsement program was developed at Arkansas State University from existing courses, both didactic and practical, and with existing faculty to provide appropriate higher education experiences necessary to address the letter and intent of Act 1294.

The program of study will be delivered as graduate level university credit at Arkansas State University and is comprised of fifteen (15) hours of graduate credits. These five (5) courses constitute a collection of courses already being taught at Arkansas State University. The department of Teacher Education, contains expertise within its faculty to deliver the necessary instruction of appropriate knowledge and skills required by candidates seeking the dyslexia endorsement. The courses will collectively provide academic instruction of the knowledge base associated with the basic structure of language, the interaction between language and literacy, diagnostic principles and practices necessary for evaluating reading skills, multisensory approaches used to remediate reading deficits, and the legal mandates protecting the educational and civil rights of students receiving dyslexia services in public school environments. These courses will be sequenced to culminate in a capstone experience in which each candidate will complete an extensive clinical practicum.

Candidates seeking admission for the Graduate Certificate in Dyslexia must meet graduate admission requirements and specific program requirements.

Admission Requirements

Unconditional Admission: In addition to Graduate Admissions criteria, academic proficiency must be established through satisfaction of one of the following admissions selection criteria:

1. A minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.00 (or 3.25 on the last 60 hours), or a raw score of at least 380 on the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), or a minimum scaled score of 150 on the verbal reasoning section of the GRE and a minimum scaled score of 141 on the quantitative reasoning section of the GRE.
2. A minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.75 (or 3.00 on the last 60 hours), or a raw score of at least 388 on the MAT, or a minimum scaled score of 150 on the verbal reasoning section of the GRE and a minimum scaled score of 141 on the quantitative reasoning section of the GRE.
3. A written agreement from a practicing teacher in reading/language arts who will function as your mentor during the program.
4. Participation in an assessment of professional dispositions
5. Completion of a partnership school agreement
6. A passing score for the Praxis II, Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT)- Choose ONE: test code 5622 - qualifying score of 160 or higher, 5623 - qualifying score of 160 or higher, OR 5624 - qualifying score of 157 or higher

Conditional Admission: In addition to Graduate Admissions criteria for conditional admission, academic proficiency must be established through satisfaction of the following admission selection criteria:

1. A minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.5 and a score of at least 368 on the MAT (or a minimum scaled score of 146 on the verbal reasoning section of the GRE and a minimum scaled score of 140 on the quantitative reasoning section of the GRE. Conditional admission may be granted to candidates for one semester to meet the GRE requirements.
2. A written agreement from a practicing teacher in reading/language arts who will function as your mentor during the program.
3. Participation in an assessment of professional dispositions
4. Completion of a partnership school agreement
5. A passing score for the Praxis II, Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT)- Choose ONE: test code 5622 - qualifying score of 160 or higher, 5623 - qualifying score of 160 or higher, OR 5624 - qualifying score of 157 or higher

Conditional admission requires the student to earn a minimum grade of B or better in the first two classes of the graduate program.