ILLINOIS READING RECOVERY CENTER FOR LITERACY

ul 3.18.13

ul 3.18.13

About Coaching

The Illinois Reading Recovery® Center for Literacy at National Louis University, a nationally recognized PCL training center, is committed to preparing school based teacher leaders through graduate coursework that focuses on the specialized roles and responsibilities of a literacy coach leader. The Partnerships in Comprehensive Literacy (PCL) model uses literacy coaches as agents of school renewal. PCL Literacy coaches enroll in graduate credit at National Louis University, a nationally recognized PCL training center. District Literacy Coaches earn 16 to 18 credit hours and School Literacy Coaches complete 9 hours of coursework in Implementation Year One. It is highly recommended that the Literacy Coach course work be completed within a two-year period.

The District Literacy Coach training is a 16 to 18-hour program of study designed for individuals who already have a master's degree and/or a minimum of 12 hours of appropriate reading coursework and who are seeking specialized training as a Literacy Coach. The training is restricted to candidates employed as literacy coaches in PCL schools or consortium of schools.

Admission requirements include:

  • Application that demonstrates background experiences and dispositions for becoming a literacy coach, including a curriculum vita` of professional experiences
  • Experience of leadership roles in a school, e.g., teacher leader, staff developer, school mentor, or similar role
  • Application from district and school administrators providing assurances that the candidate will be able to perform the roles and responsibilities of the Literacy Coach, including support for attending all classes during the training year.

In addition, the district literacy coach candidate must meet all university requirements for admission to NLU Graduate School:

  • A valid teaching license
  • Master's degree (or higher) from an accredited institution with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.

Program Focus

To meet the International Reading Association (IRA) Standards for Reading Professionals, the Literacy Coach program of study focuses on five major areas of preparation: 1) literacy theory and research, 2) literacy curriculum and instruction, 3) literacy assessment; 4) literacy coaching, and 5) supervising and coordinating a school's literacy program. The program of study includes a focus on teaching diverse learners, including research-based interventions for working with struggling readers. The responsibilities of the literacy coach are organized to include: 1) 50-80% of time working with teachers, including sustained coaching cycles, demonstration lessons, professional learning communities, and other related experiences; 2) 10-25% of time teaching small groups of struggling readers; and 3) 10-20% of time coordinating, monitoring, and assessing the school's literacy program, including designing curriculum, analyzing data, and sharing results.

District Literacy Coach Leader (K-12)
Post-Graduate Course Series for PCL National Registration
Illinois Teacher Leader Endorsement

The Partnerships in Comprehensive Literacy (PCL) model is a nationally recognized model for continuous school improvement dedicated to increasing student achievement. An essential element of the PCL model is the training of literacy coaches. PCL literacy coaches complete the Literacy Coach Leader program and receive on-going professional development for as long as the school remains in the model. Literacy Coach Leaders provide initial training, on-going professional development and support for building literacy coaches in a school improvement framework that includes the comprehensive literacy interventions.

The Comprehensive Literacy Intervention Model (CIM) is a well-coordinated, seamless design for providing services to struggling readers that aligns with the principles adopted by the International Reading Association's Commission on Response to Intervention (RtI). The CIM is a systemic model for reversing the reading failures of struggling readers through layered interventions, including differentiated classroom instruction and supplemental interventions in small groups and one-to-one. Key members of the CIM team are the classroom teachers (who deliver the Tier I intervention), the Reading Recovery teachers, Title I teachers, reading specialists and literacy coaches (who deliver the Tiers II and III interventions), and special education teachers (who deliver the Tier IV interventions).

National Louis University in collaboration with Dr. Linda Dorn, Center for Literacy, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Strategic Processing Coach (K-12)
Special Education Leader
Post-Graduate Course Series for National Registration
Strategic Processing Model (SPM)
Illinois Teacher Leader Endorsement

The Strategic Processing Coach program is designed for special education teachers or supervisors and follows the course of study of the Literacy Coach Leader. The role of the strategic processing coach will be to train special education teachers in the Comprehensive Intervention model (CIM), collaborate with classroom teachers, Reading Recovery teachers, reading specialists and literacy coaches to coordinate interventions and ensure a seamless design for providing support for struggling readers.

National Louis University in collaboration with Dr. Linda Dorn, Center for Literacy, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Locations

  • CHICAGO DOWNTOWN CAMPUS

    NLU’s Chicago campus on South Michigan Avenue occupies five floors of the historic Peoples Gas Building. This landmark building, across the street from the Art Institute of Chicago and Grant Park, is easily accessible by train, bus and car and is surrounded by restaurants, parking lots/garages and shops.

    122 S. Michigan Avenue
    Chicago, IL 60603
    800.443.5522

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  • ELGIN

    Conveniently located in a fast-growing business district off I-90 and Route 31, NLU Elgin features 10 classrooms with high-tech media equipment; a computer lab with high-speed Internet access; two conference rooms; and comfortable student lounges. Parking is free at this recently remodeled and upgraded teaching site, which now includes wireless Internet access.

    620 Tollgate Road
    Elgin, IL 60123
    800.443.5522

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  • NORTH SHORE

    Opened in the summer of 2006, NLU North Shore at Skokie is a state-of-the-art modern campus located just off the Edens Expressway near the Old Orchard Shopping Center. The campus includes 44 wireless classrooms equipped with high-tech media equipment; four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, including a walk-in lab in the library; six conference rooms; a public café for beverages and snacks; a student welcome center; a library for research and study; and multiple, comfortable student lounge areas.

    5202 Old Orchard Road
    Skokie, IL 60077
    800.443.5522

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  • LISLE

    Located just minutes from the East-West Tollway (I-88), NLU Lisle features 42 wireless classrooms equipped with high-tech media equipment; four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, including a separate walk-in lab in the library; a café for beverages and snacks; a student welcome center; a library for research and study; conference rooms; and six comfortable student lounge areas with wireless access.

    850 Warrenville Road
    Lisle, IL 60532
    800.443.5522

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  • WHEELING

    Located in one of Chicago's major northwest suburbs, the newly renovated NLU Wheeling includes 20 classrooms with high-tech media equipment, four conference rooms, four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, large student lounge areas with wireless capabilities and interactive video capabilities, and an extensive research library. The site also houses the university library research collection.

    1000 Capitol Drive
    Wheeling, IL 60090
    800.443.5522

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  • FLORIDA (TAMPA)

    Established in 1988 and located in one of the city's major business districts, NLU's Tampa campus serves students in 13 counties in central Florida. In addition to six classrooms, the campus features a conference room, a computer lab with high-speed Internet access, an extensive research library and comfortable student lounges.

    4950 West Kennedy Blvd. #300
    Tampa, FL 33609
    800.366.6581 | www.nl.edu/florida

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  • WISCONSIN

    NLU's Milwaukee campus has a proud history of serving graduate students in education in southeastern Wisconsin. Nearly one in five certified Wisconsin teachers looks to NLU for graduate education programs – more than any other university in the state. In addition to classrooms with high-tech media equipment, the campus offers a state-of-the-art computer lab with wireless Internet access and an extensive IDS research library.

    12000 West Park Place, Suite 100
    Milwaukee, WI 53224-3007
    414.577.2658

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