The Dyslexia Endorsement program prepares individuals to recognize the characteristics of dyslexia and support students with dyslexia in the classroom setting. The coursework provides a multi-discipline approach from three perspectives: literacy education, special education, and speech-language pathology.

For more information, please see the Academic Catalog.

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The Dyslexia Endorsement Program at UWG prepares educators to recognize the characteristics of dyslexia and support students with dyslexia using scientifically validated instructional strategies and techniques. The coursework (3 graduate-level courses) is delivered 100% online and provides a multi-discipline approach from three perspectives: literacy/reading education, special education, and speech-language pathology. Our Dyslexia Endorsement courses are GaPSC approved, aligned with the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) standards, and methodically designed to maximize the learning and success of professional educators who work full time. Further, our instructors are experts in their respective fields and have strong backgrounds in the science of reading research and methods.

View the flyer for the Dyslexia Endorsement Program.

Department of Early Childhood through Secondary Education
Dr. Robert Griffin, Assistant Chair of Reading Programs
rgriffin@westga.edu
678-839-6152
 

Program Location

Online

Method of Delivery

Fully Online Only

Accreditation

The University of West Georgia is accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

Credit and transfer

Total semester hours required: 9

Graduate students may be able to reduce their cost through prior learning, previous degrees earned at UWG, or transfer credits. We have created a tool to help students estimate their tuition costs.                

This program is offered entirely online. Though a student may choose to sign-up for a face-to-face elective or core course, one can earn this degree completely online.

Save money

UWG is often ranked as one of the most affordable accredited university of its kind, regardless of the method of delivery chosen. In addition, online courses and programs can mean a huge cost-savings in many non-evident ways: No more high gas charges. No childcare needed. The flexibility can allow one to maintain a job while attending school. Regardless of state residency, out-of-state non-resident students are not charged non-resident tuition for online course credit hours.

Details

  • Total tuition costs and fees may vary, depending on the instructional method of the courses in which the student chooses to enroll.
  • The more courses a student takes in a single term, the more they will typically save in fees and total cost.
  • Face-to-Face or partially online courses are charged at the general tuition rate and all mandatory campus fees, based on the student's residency (non-residents are charged at a higher rate).
  • Fully or entirely online course tuition rates and fees my vary depending on the program. Students enrolled in exclusively online courses do not pay non-Resident rates.
  • Together this means that GA residents pay about the same if they take all face-to-face or partially online courses as they do if they take only fully online courses exclusively; while non-residents save money by taking fully online courses.
  • One word of caution: If a student takes a combination of face-to-face and online courses in a single term, they will pay both all mandatory campus fees and the higher eTuition rate.
  • For the cost information, as well as payment deadlines, see the Student Accounts and Billing Services website

There are a variety of financial assistance options for students, including scholarships and work study programs. Visit the Office of Financial Aid's website for more information.

Coursework

The endorsement is comprised of three online courses (9 credit hours): READ 7263, SLPA 7720, and SPED 6500.

General

This course introduces candidates to appropriate assessments to analyze P-12 students' language and literacy strengths and needs to determine interventions for progress monitoring as well as enrichment strategies. Candidates will survey formal and informal assessments, authentic assessments, instructional strategies, and purposeful materials for advanced, proficient, striving (formerly known as struggling) readers/writers, and students with dyslexia and other disorders, as well as culturally and linguistically diverse learners.

View Instructors, Syllabi and Other Details

Enrollment requires advisor permission. A study of etiology, characteristics, assessment, diagnosis, intervention, and prevention of speech and language disorders in children, including those children with multicultural backgrounds and special needs. This course is designed to focus on characteristics of growth, norm-reference and criterion-referenced measures, and assessment and intervention procedures and strategies related to reading and literacy development.

View Instructors, Syllabi and Other Details

This course entails the study and application of curriculum, methods, classroom organization, and management for students who are struggling readers and/or have diagnosis of high incidence disabilities; specifically, in literacy (reading, writing, English Language Arts).

View Instructors, Syllabi and Other Details

Morris Council, III Ph.D.

Morris Council, III Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Assistant Department Chair

Lama Farran, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Lama Farran, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Robert A. Griffin, Ed.D.

Robert A. Griffin, Ed.D.

Associate Professor / Assistant Chair of Reading Programs

John Ponder, Ph.D.

John Ponder, Ph.D.

Department Chair, Associate Professor

Guidelines for Admittance

  • All graduate applicants must complete the online Graduate Application. A one-time application fee of $40 is required.
  • Applicants should also review the Graduate Studies Website for individual program specific requirements and tasks that must be completed prior to admission. See Graduate Studies Application Process.
  • International applicants are subject to additional requirements and application deadlines. See Procedures for International Students.
  • Official transcripts from a regionally accredited institution are required and should be sent directly to the UWG Graduate Admissions Office.

Program Specific Admittance Guidelines

  • To be eligible for the professional Dyslexia Endorsement, candidates must hold a level four (4) or higher renewable professional certificate in any teaching, service or leadership field.
  • To be eligible for the Five‐Year Induction Dyslexia Endorsement, the applicant must hold a level four (4) or higher Five‐Year Induction certificate in any teaching field.
  • Official transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended.   
  • GPA of 2.7 or higher. 

Application Deadlines

The list of Graduate School Admission Deadlines is located here.                   

Admission Process Checklist

The Graduate Studies Application Process checklist is available here.

Contact

Graduate Admissions
graduate@westga.edu
678-839-1394

Department of Early Childhood through Secondary Education
Dr. Robert Griffin, Assistant Chair of Reading Programs
rgriffin@westga.edu
678-839-6152

The list of Graduate School Admission Deadlines is located here.                 

International Dyslexia Association's Knowledge and Practice Standards (KPS) for Teachers of Reading:

  • Standard 1: Foundations of Literacy Acquisition
    • Standard 1 addresses foundational concepts about reading developmentand reading difficulties that are derived from interdisciplinary research.
  • Standard 2: Knowledge of Diverse Reading Profiles, Including Dyslexia
    • Standard 2 covers knowledge of diverse profiles of reading difficulty, including dyslexia, very slow reading, and language comprehension problems.
  • Standard 3: Assessment
    • Standard 3 pertains to knowledge of assessment relevant to evidence-based practices with a response-to-intervention (RTI) framework.
  • Standard 4: Structured Literacy Instruction
    • Standard 4 addresses Structured Literacy teaching, offering detailed guidance with regard to the nature of effective instruction in each major skill domain (phonological sensitivity and phoneme awareness, phonics and word recognition, reading fluency, vocabulary, listening and reading comprehension, and written expression). Standard 4 also offers guidance regarding expectations for teachers engaged in fieldwork or practicum (e.g., in interpretation of assessments, planning differentiated instruction, lesson design, corrective feedback, and so forth).
  • Standard 5: Professional Dispositions and Practices
    • Standard 5 delineates ethical standards for the profession.