Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at IIT

Reading Specialists:

• Special Teachers of Reading

• Reading Clinicians

• Reading Consultants

• Reading Supervisors

A Guide for...

• Teachers and Administrators

• State and Provincial Departments of Education

• Teacher Education Institutions

• Certifying Agencies
  

Professional Standards and Ethics Committee

The Purpose of This Brochure

This statement of the roles, responsibilities and qualifications of reading specialists has been formulated by the Professional Standards and Ethics Committee and approved by the Board of Directors of the International Reading Association. It is intended that these minimum standards will serve as guides to

1. Teachers and administrators in identifying the reading specialist.

2. State and provincial departments of education in certifying specialists in reading.

3. Colleges and universities offering professional programs in reading.

4. Individuals planning to train as reading specialists.

These standards are under constant study and are periodically revised by the committee. This guide is a 1968 revision and extension of the brochure, Minimum Standards for Professional Training of Reading Specialists published in 1965.

The Need for Establishing Standards

Reading is a complex process that develops within an individual throughout years of formal schooling and adult life. As a result of expanded knowledge, the demand for trained personnel in reading at all levels has increased tremendously. With the demand high and the supply relatively short, the danger of unqualified persons attempting those tasks which only a trained reading specialist should undertake has become a very real one. One means of preventing such occurrences is by establishing minimum standards for the professional training of reading specialists.

The reading specialist may be designated as that person 1) who works directly or indirectly with those pupils who have either failed to benefit from regular classroom instruction in reading or those pupils who could benefit from advanced training in reading skills and/or 2) who works with teachers, administrators, and other professionals to improve and coordinate the total reading program of the school.

ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND QUALIFICATIONS OF READING SPECIALISTS

Definition of Roles

Reading personnel can be divided into two categories: those who work directly with children either as reading teachers or reading clinicians, and those who work directly with teachers as consultants or supervisors with prime responsibility for staff and program.

A. Special Teacher of Reading
A Special Teacher of Reading has major responsibility for remedial and corrective and/or developmental reading instruction.

B. Reading Clinician
A Reading Clinician provides diagnosis. remediation, or the planning of remediation for the more complex and severe reading disability cases.

C. Reading Consultant
A Reading Consultant works directly with teachers, administrators, and other professionals within a school to develop and implement the reading program under the direction of a supervisor with special training in reading.

D. Reading Supervisor (Coordinator or Director)
A Reading Supervisor provides leadership in all phases of the reading program in a school system.

Responsibilities of each Reading Specialist

A. Special Teacher of Reading

• Should identify students needing diagnosis and/or remediation.

• Should plan a program of remediation from data gathered through diagnosis.

• Should implement such a program of remediation.

• Should evaluate student progress in remediation.

• Should interpret student needs and progress in remediation to the classroom teacher and the parents.

• Should plan and implement a developmental or advanced program as necessary.

B. Reading Clinician

• Should demonstrate all the skills expected of the Special Teacher of Reading and by virtue of additional training and experience, diagnose and treat the more complex and severe reading disability cases.

• Should demonstrate proficiency in providing internship training for prospective clinicians and/or Special Teachers of Reading.

C. Reading Consultant

• Should survey and evaluate the ongoing program and make suggestions for needed changes.

• Should translate the district philosophy of reading with the help of the principal of each school into a working program consistent with the needs of the students, the teachers, and the community.

• Should work with classroom teachers and others in improving the developmental and corrective aspects of the reading program.

D. Reading Supervisor

• Should develop a system-wide reading philosophy and curriculum, and interpret this to the school administration, staff, and public.

• Should exercise leadership with all personnel in carrying out good reading practices.

• Should evaluate reading personnel and personnel needs in all phases of a school-wide reading program.

• Should make recommendations to the administration regarding the reading budget.

Qualifications

A. General (Applicable to all Reading Specialists)

• Demonstrate proficiency in evaluating and implementing research

• Demonstrate a willingness to make a meaningful contribution to professional organizations related to reading.

• Demonstrate a willingness to assume leadership in improving the reading program.

B. Special Teacher of Reading

• Complete a minimum of three years of successful classroom teaching in which the teaching of reading is an important responsibility of the position.

• Complete a Planned program for the Master's Degree from an accredited institution, to include

  1. A minimum of 12 semester hours in graduate level reading courses with at least one course in each of the following:
     

     1. Foundations or survey of reading
        A basic course whose content is related exclusively to reading instruction or or the psychology of reading. Such a course ordinarily would be first in a sequence of reading courses.

     2. Diagnosis and correction of reading disabilities
        The content of this course or courses includes the following: causes of reading disabilities; o bservation and interview procedures; diagnostic instruments; standard and informal tests; report writing: materials and methods of instruction.

     3. Clinical or laboratory practicum in reading
        A clinical or laboratory experience which might be an interesting part of a course or courses in the diagnosis and correction of reading disabilities.  Students diagnose and treat disability cases under supervision.

  2. Complete, at undergraduate or graduate level, study in each of the following areas:

     1. Measurement and/or evaluation.

     2. Child and/or adolescent psychology.

     3. Psychology, such aspects as personality, cognition, and learning behaviors.

     4. Literature for children and/or adolescents.
        

  3. Fulfill remaining portions of the program from related areas of study.

C. Reading Clinician

• Meet the qualifications as stipulated for the Special Teacher of Reading.

• Complete in addition to the above, a sixth year of graduate work including

  1. An advanced course or courses in the diagnosis and remediation of reading and learning problems.

  2. A course or courses in individual testing.

  3. An advanced clinical or laboratory practicum in the diagnosis and remediation of reading difficulties.

  4. Field experiences under the direction of a qualified Reading Clinician.

D. Reading Consultant

• Meet the qualifications as stipulated for the Special Teacher of Reading.

• Complete, in addition to those above, a sixth year of graduate work including

  1. An advanced course in the remediation and diagnosis of reading and learning problems.

  2. An advanced course in the developmental aspects of a reading Program.

  3. A course or courses in curriculum development and supervision.

  4. A course and/or experience in public relations.

  5. Field experiences under a qualified Reading Consultant or Supervisor in a school setting.

E. Reading Supervisor

• Meet the qualifications as stipulated for the Special Teacher of Reading.

• Complete, in addition to the above, a sixth year of graduate work including

  1. Courses listed as 1, 2, 3, and 4 under Reading, Consultant.

  2. A course or courses in administrative procedures.

  3. Field experiences under a qualified Reading Supervisor.
     

Code of Ethics

The members of the International Reading Association who are concerned with the teaching of reading form a group of professional persons, obligated to society and devoted to the service and welfare of individuals through teaching, clinical services, research, and publication. The members of this group are committed to values which are the foundation of a democratic society-freedom to teach, write, and study in an atmosphere conducive to the best interests of the profession. The welfare of the public, the profession, and the individuals concerned should be of primary consideration in recommending candidates for degrees, positions, advancements, the recognition of professional activity, and for certification in those areas where certification exists.

Ethical Standards in Professional Relationships:

1 . It is the obligation of all members of the International Reading Association to observe the Code of Ethics of the organization and to act accordingly so as to advance the status and prestige of the Association and of the profession as a whole. Members should assist in establishing the highest professional standards for reading programs and services, and should enlist support for these through dissemination of pertinent information to the public.

2. It is the obligation of all members to maintain relationships with other professional persons, striving for harmony, avoiding personal controversy, encouraging cooperative effort, and making known the obligations and services rendered by the reading specialist.

3. It is the obligation of members to report results of research and other developments in reading.

4. Members should not claim nor advertise affiliation with the International Reading Association as evidence of their competence in reading.

Ethical Standards in Reading Services:

1. Reading specialists must possess suitable qualifications (See Roles, Responsibilities, and Qualifications of Reading Specialists) for engaging in consulting, clinical, or remedial work. Unqualified persons should not engage in such activities except under the direct supervision of one who is properly qualified. Professional intent and the welfare of the person seeking the services of the reading specialist should govern all consulting or clinical activities such as counseling, administering diagnostic tests, or providing remediation. It is the duty of the reading specialist to keep relationships with clients and interested persons on a professional level.

2. Information derived from consulting and/or clinical services should be regarded as confidential. Expressed consent of persons involved should be secured before releasing information to outside agencies.

3. Reading specialists should recognize the boundaries of their competence and should not offer services which fail to meet professional standards established by other disciplines. They should be free, however, to give assistance in other areas in which they are qualified.

4. Referral should be made to specialists in allied fields as needed. When such referral is made, pertinent information should be made available to consulting specialists.

5. Reading clinics and/or reading specialists offering professional services should refrain from guaranteeing easy solutions or favorable outcomes as a result of their work, and their advertising should be consistent with that of allied professions. They should not accept for remediation any persons who are unlikely to benefit from their instruction, and they should work to accomplish the greatest possible improvement in the shortest time. Fees, if charged, should be agreed on in advance and should be charged in accordance with an established set of rates commensurate with that of other professions.

Breaches of the Code of Ethics should be reported to IRA Headquarters for referral to the Committee on Professional Standards and Ethics for an impartial investigation.

Additional copies may be obtained by writing
International Reading Association
800 Barksdale Road
Newark, Delaware 19711