Waco, TX - Education Service Center (ESC) Region 12 is proud to announce an exciting new partnership with Sul Ross State University (SRSU), offering students participating in the ESC Region 12 Master Reading Teacher (MRT) certification program the opportunity to apply the practicum and observation components of the program as credit toward SRSU’s Master of Education Reading Specialist Degree program. Participants of the MRT program are also eligible to enroll in SRSU’s M.ED. Reading online at a reduced rate. The partnership will go into effect immediately, allowing students to enroll at Sul Ross as early as the Fall 2018 semester.
“We’re thrilled to offer an opportunity for our MRT students to receive credit toward a master’s degree,” said Denise Bell, education specialist at ESC Region 12 and facilitator of the center’s MRT program. “We’ve long received feedback from participants and program evaluators that the practicum course work is as rigorous as that of college degree programs, so this partnership is really a hard-earned acknowledgement of the work our students have been doing.”
The Master of Education Reading Specialist Degree program at Sul Ross is offered completely online, accommodating the schedules of working professionals and eliminating commute times for educators within Region 12.
"We are looking forward to working with SRSU to provide a collaborative network for literacy leadership," said Dr. Jerry Maze, executive director of ESC Region 12. "We believe this research-based partnership will assist in building a new frontier of literacy in a digital age."
The reading specialist program addresses reading instruction, the implementation of reading instruction, reading assessment, and language acquisition. Students who successfully complete the ESC Region 12 MRT certification will receive credit for the practicum and observation portion in lieu of completing the SRSU practicum.
“We are excited to provide innovative and flexible online learning opportunities for educators to earn a Master’s of Education Reading Specialist degree with Education Service Center Region 12 and Sul Ross State University,” Dr. Jennifer Miller-Ray, assistant professor at Sul Ross State University said. “Together we will build the next generation of Literacy Leaders to serve our great and diverse learning population across Texas.”
Reading Specialists serve in many positions within education including central office administrators, campus reading specialists, supervisors of campus reading programs, language arts and reading curriculum designers, and private practitioners.
Students interested in applying to the Master of Education Reading Specialist Degree program at SRSU should apply online here. For more information about the program, contact Dr. Jennifer Miller (jennifer.miller@sulross.edu - 432-294-8013). Students interested in enrolling in the ESC Region 12 MRT Certification program, or those are currently enrolled, should contact Denise Bell (dbell@esc12.net - 255-297-1227).