Mallory Browning

Reading Coach/Specialist Essay

A reading specialist is defined as a “professional with advanced preparation and

experience in reading who have responsibility for the literacy performance of readers in general

and struggling readers in particular.” (International Reading Association, 2020). Whereas a

reading coach is defined as “one who helps teachers to recognize what they know and can do,

assists teachers as they strengthen their ability to make more effective use of what they know and

do, and support teacher as they learn more and do more.” (Toll, 2014). When looking at theses

definitions of a reading coach and a reading specialist, there is some overlap and similarities

between the duties of these two positions. With this being said, the two roles are very commonly

interchanged and confused. Overall, both positions “serve as building leaders in literacy

instruction, and both support the goal of improving student achievement.” (Toll, 2014).

Roles of each position may vary depending upon the context of their assigned placement.

However, the general roles of a reading specialist include providing frequent direct instruction to

students on a daily basis, evaluating students for a variety of reasons, work directly with teachers

to an extent but not necessarily focus work on this area, and directing teachers to meet

requirements or implement mandatory programs. Whereas the roles of a reading coach include

collaborating with teachers in order to improve student achievement, model lessons to help

educators learn, provide evaluation of students primarily to demonstrate for teachers or to

support teachers in their instructional decision making, identify issues with students/curriculum

and set goals to then resolve those issues, create teaching materials for educators/school, and

work with teachers mostly in response to their needs and concerns (Toll, 2014).

Qualifications of both a reading specialist and coach include the following: a valid

teaching certificate, previous teaching experience, master’s degree with a concentration in

reading and writing education, program experiences that build knowledge, skills, and

dispositions related to working with students, supporting or coaching teachers, and leading a

school reading program, completion of 21-27 graduate semester hours in reading/language arts; 6

of which of the semester hours must include a supervised practicum experience, and receive a

passing score on your states reading specialist endorsement test (International Literacy

Association). In order to qualify as a classroom literacy teacher in Virginia, one must earn their

teaching license. One can do so by completing their bachelor’s degree and state approved teacher

preparation program, complete course in child abuse recognition and intervention, become CPR

AED, and First Aid certified, and receive passing scores on the VCLA and Praxis tests. (Teacher

Certification Degrees)

The roles of a reading specialist have changed quiet a bit over the years. In 1965, Title I

of the ESEA 1965 was passed. This was the first federal initiative that was specific to

establishing funding for reading education in the U.S. This funding turned into the “Title I

teacher” program, where reading specialist “worked with struggling readers in what became

known as a pullout program” (Dole, 2004). Over time, researchers found very limited success in

these Title I pullout programs. In the year 2000, the ESEA of 1965 was revised. The new

revisions include the same goals as the old version, however, the process of ensuring

achievement changed. The new ESEA of 2000 required that all teachers need to be highlight

qualified to teach reading, the reading instruction strategies and programs used to teach reading

must be scientifically based, and informal assessment techniques are required to inform

instruction and assist teachers in monitoring student progress (Dole, 2004). Recently, the role of

a reading coach has been introduced and implemented in many schools across the U.S. The

purpose of this push of reading coaches within schools is to provide teachers with support, team-
teaching, modeling, and feedback from a trained literacy professional. This way, teachers can

take this training and information into their classroom to help support struggling readers on a

daily basis.

Personally, I would love to have the title and position of either reading specialist or

coach. However, if I had a say, I would choose reading specialist. I fell in love with teaching

because I love working with students on a daily basis. Whether it is individual, small group, or

whole class, I love working with students. I fear that I would miss out on this if I were to

becoming a reading coach. I do, however, also love working with teachers and the idea of

coaching them to become the best instructor to their students that they can be. My ideal situation

would be to work in a school that combines the responsibilities of both a reading coach and

specialist.
 Works Cited

Dole, J, A. (2014). The Changing Role of the Reading Specialist in School Reform.

Roles of the Reading Specialist. (2020). Retrieved February 26, 2020, from

https://www.readingrockets.org/article/roles-reading-specialist.

Standards 2010: Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2020, from

https://www.literacyworldwide.org/get-resources/standards/standards-for-reading-

professionals/standards-2010-role-5

The Virginia Teaching and Certification Resource. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2020, from

https://www.teachercertificationdegrees.com/certification/virginia/

Toll, C. A. (n.d.). What is Literacy Coaching? In Why Coaching? International Reading

Association.