This program provides students with a broad foundation for teaching reading as it relates to literacy acquisition and concentrated preparation in assessment and intervention in reading and writing difficulties. Students will be prepared to teach reading and writing to struggling readers both individually and in small groups and to provide literacy instruction in pull-out programs, inclusion classrooms and regular classrooms. There will be an integration of rigorous, evidence-based phonics training with authentic literacy-encompassing word recognition, reading comprehension, fluency, vocabulary development, spelling and expressive writing. This program is approved through the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and is a state-approved program for advanced licensure (reciprocity with other states) or endorsements. All graduate faculty members hold doctoral-level degrees from major research universities and are committed to teaching from a Christian perspective.