N.J. Admin. Code § 6A:9B-14.23 - Early literacy specialist
(a) The early literacy specialist endorsement
authorizes the holder to serve as a reading specialist in preschool through
grade three. An early literacy specialist conducts in-service training of
teachers and administrators; coordinates instruction for students or groups of
students having difficulty learning to read; diagnoses the nature and cause of
a student's difficulty in learning to read; plans developmental programs in
reading for all students; recommends methods and materials to be used in the
school district reading program; and contributes to the collection of
standardized data as a means of determining and monitoring the reading
achievement of students. Additionally, the early literacy specialist may serve
as the primary general education interventionist for any student in preschool
through grade three with a reading or literacy difficulty that is the result of
dyslexia or dysgraphia.
1. The early literacy
specialist endorsement will be required, beginning at the start of the
2026-2027 school year, to serve in roles that align with the authorizations at
(a) above.
(b) A
candidate for the early literacy specialist endorsement shall have a bachelor's
degree from an accredited college or university, three years of successful
teaching experience, a standard New Jersey instructional certificate with a
preschool through grade three or elementary endorsement, and one of the
following:
1. Complete a Department-approved
post-baccalaureate program that is a minimum of 18 semester-hour credits with a
program of study consisting of the following:
i. Advanced study of reading and structured
literacy, including phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, reading
comprehension, fluency, and concepts of print;
ii. Diagnosis and correction of literacy
problems of early learners, including a supervised clinical experience of at
least 30 hours;
iii. Organization
of reading programs and professional development strategies to improve the
teaching of literacy;
iv.
Supervised clinical internship in reading that focuses on the implementation of
schoolwide literacy leadership, coaching/professional development, and the
diagnosis, planning, and correction of reading problems in a
supplemental/in-class setting;
v.
Methodology that incorporates multi-sensory instructional approaches for
teaching early literacy skills and that helps to remediate learning for
students with dyslexia and/or dysgraphia;
vi. Strategies for remediation of writing for
early learners with a focus on the development of fine-motor skills related to
the process of writing; and
vii.
Advanced study of literacy strategies for supporting students with varying
abilities and multilingual learners.
2. Hold a master's degree in early literacy,
literacy, reading, or another related field from an accredited college or
university and courses that cover the areas listed at (b)1 above, as indicated
on a transcript.
Notes
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