The joint University of Maryland (UM)/Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS City Schools)/Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)/Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) literacy coach certificate program is designed to prepare experienced, highly qualified middle and high school teachers to serve as literacy coaches in low performing middle and high schools.

 

Literacy coaches are skilled content area collaborators who function effectively in middle school and/or high school settings for secondary teachers in the core content areas of English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.

 

They are skilled evaluators of literacy needs within various subject areas and are able to collaborate with secondary school leadership teams and teachers to interpret and use literacy assessment data to inform instruction. Finally, literacy coaches are accomplished middle and high school teachers who are skilled in developing and implementing instructional strategies to improve academic literacy in the four targeted content areas.

 

The six-course UM literacy coach certificate program serves cohorts of selected middle and high school teachers. The courses focus on a) reading, cognition, and instruction across content areas, b) diagnostic reading assessment and instruction, c) teaching ESOL reading and writing in secondary content areas, d) assessing, diagnosing, and teaching writing across content areas, e) TESOL, special education, and assistive technology, and f) coaching and mentoring teachers. In addition, literacy coach candidates participate in BCPS (City Schools), MCPS, and PGCPS professional development workshops mapped onto the literacy coach coursework. The UM courses and BCPS (City Schools), MCPS, and PGCPS professional development workshops adhere to the Standards for Middle and High School Literacy Coaches (International Reading Association, 2006).

 

Upon successful completion of the literacy coach program, candidates receive a Post Baccalaureate Graduate Certificate in Literacy Coaching from the University of Maryland.

 

OnLine Resources

Standards for Middle and High School Literacy Coaches

UM/BCPS/MCPS/PGCPS Literacy Coach Resources

UM/BCPS/MCPS/PGCPS Literacy Coach Program Staff Directory

UM/BCPS/MCPS/PGCPS Literacy Coach Assessment System

Funding: The University of Maryland (UM)/Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS City Schools)/Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)/Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Literacy Coach initiative is funded by grants from the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), Annapolis, Maryland, to the University of Maryland, the Baltimore City Public Schools, the Montgomery County Public Schools, and the Prince George’s County Public Schools, MHEC Grant No. ITQ-06-407, May 24, 2006; MHEC Grant No. ITQ-07-514, December 6, 2006; MHEC Grant No. ITQ-08-612, February 8, 2008; and MHEC Grant No. ITQ-09-711, November 10, 2008.

Source for Literacy Coach Performances: International Reading Association (IRA) in collaboration with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), and the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). (2006). Standards for middle and high school literacy coaches. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.