Syllabus
Master of Science in Education
EDU 746: Professional Learning and Literacy Leadership (Spring B 2024)
Credits - 3
Description
This course will focus on the leadership skills that the professional will need as a Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach. Specifically, this course will explore the coaching relationship and how to work collaboratively to plan, implement, and supervise literacy programs at the individual, classroom, school, and district-wide level. Focus will also be on facilitating a literate environment, working with literacy in a diverse society, and developing leadership skills. This course will also fulfill the requirements that many states have for course work in Administration and Supervision of Reading and Language Arts Programs.
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Materials
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
For each course in this program, there are overall program goals. Below is a chart of how the overall program goals match the key assessments for this course. In addition, within each module, there are smaller learning objectives. These will be specified at the beginning of each week’s introduction along with how these match the broader program goals. This chart will detail the following:
- Course Objectives
- Student Learning Outcomes
- Key Assignments
- ILA Standards for Reading Professionals
Standards Alignment Chart
Assignments
Class and Grade Level Group Discussions
Discussions provide you with an opportunity to synthesize course readings and research while learning from professional peers.
Week 2: Action Plan Goals Across Grade Levels & Content Areas
You will determine at least three action plan goals for your Literacy Action Plan in support of your school’s literacy success across grade levels and content areas.
Week 3: Action Plan Goals that Target Struggling Readers and Writers
You will once again utilize theory and research to inform best practice as you create three additional Action Plan Goals. This time, your goals will be specific to supporting the needs of struggling readers and writers in your school.
Week 4: Action Plan Goals that Target School Policy, Structure, Culture & Community
You will develop at least three measurable and achievable action plan goals for infrastructure & inclusion.
Week 5 & 6: Timeline
Now that you have created and finalized your Literacy Action Plans, it’s time to think about the steps you will need to take in order to implement these plans.
Week 7 & 8: Presentation & Justification
You will need to think carefully about how to present to staff members at your school.
Grading Policy
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Grade Breakdown
| Week | Assignment | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-8 | Discussions (7 discussions @ 3 Points each | 21 |
| Week 2 | Action Plan Goals Across Grade Levels and Content Areas | 10 |
| Week 3 | Action Plan Goals That Target Struggling Readers and Writers | 10 |
| Week 4 | Action Plan Goals that Target School Policy, Structure, Culture and Community | 10 |
| Week 5 & 6 | Detailed Timeline for Implementation | 20 |
| Week 7 | Presentation of Plan and Timeline to Staff AND Research-Based Rationale and Justification | 29 |
| Total | 100 POINTS |
Grade Scale
| Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
| A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
| A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
| B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
| B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
| B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
| C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
| C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
| C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
| D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
| F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Schedule
Week 1: Mar 13 – Mar 17
Week 2: Mar 18 – Mar 24
Week 3: Mar 25 – Mar 31
Week 4: Apr 1 – Apr 7
Week 5: Apr 8 – Apr 14
Week 6: Apr 15 – Apr 21
Week 7: Apr 22 – Apr 28
Week 8: Apr 29 – May 5
|
Week |
Topic |
Activities & Assignments |
Dates |
|
Week 1 |
Introduction: The Importance of Literacy Action |
Introductions |
Discussion: Initial Post due Friday at 11:59PM; Responses due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET |
|
Week 2 |
Action Plan Goals across Grade Levels and Content Areas |
Grade Level Small Group Discussion Action Plan Goals across Grade Levels and Content Areas |
Initial Post due Wednesday at 11:59 PM; Responses due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET Assignment Due: Sunday at 11:59 PM ET |
|
Week 3 |
Action Plan Goals to Support Struggling Readers and Writers |
Grade Level Small Group Discussion Action Plan Goals That Target Struggling Readers and Writers |
Initial Post due Wednesday at 11:59 PM; Responses due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET Assignment Due: Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
|
|
Week 4 |
Infrastructure Supports for Literacy & Inclusion |
Grade Level Small Group Discussion Action Plan Goals that Target School Policy, Structure, Culture & Community |
Initial Post due Wednesday at 11:59 PM; Responses due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET Assignment Due: Sun. at 11:59 PM ET |
|
Week 5 |
Finalizing Literacy Action Plans and Vision Statements |
Grade Level Small Group Discussion Timeline (work week) |
Initial Post due Wednesday at 11:59 PM; Responses due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET Working week – Timeline due Week 6 |
|
Week 6 |
Timelines for Implementation |
Grade Level Small Group Discussion Timeline |
Discussion Due: Sun. at 11:59 PM ET *Note: Initial discussion responses should be posted by Wednesday night Assignment Due: Sun. at 11:59 PM ET |
|
Week 7 |
Justifying Literacy Action Plans and Presenting to Staff |
Presentation & Justification |
Initial Post due Wednesday at 11:59 PM; Responses due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET Assignment Due: Sun. at 11:59 PM ET |
|
Week 8 |
Critiquing and Celebrating Our Plans as a Community of Literacy Professionals | Whole-Class Discussion |
Feedback Due: FRIDAY at 11:59 PM ET |
Student Resources
Online Student Support
Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.
Questions? Visit the Student Support Education page
UNE Libraries:
- Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Blackboard/Brightspace.
- Education Databases: https://library.une.edu/library-materials/find/research-by-subject/education/
- Library Tutorial: Find an article
- Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.
UNE Student Academic Success Center
The Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of services to support your academic achievement, including tutoring, writing support, test prep and studying strategies, learning style consultations, and many online resources. To make an appointment for tutoring, writing support, or a learning specialist consultation, go to une.tutortrac.com. To access our online resources, including links, guides, and video tutorials, please visit:
Information Technology Services (ITS)
- ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673
Accommodations
Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.
Policies
Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool
The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.
Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.
You can learn more about Turnitin in the Turnitin Student quick start guide.
Technology Requirements
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements
Course Evaluation Policy
Course surveys are one of the most important tools the University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.
Information Technology Services (ITS)
ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673
Attendance Policy
Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation. Review the full attendance policy.
Late Policy
Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.
Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.
Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures
The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.
UNE Course Withdrawal
Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.
Academic Integrity
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
- Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
- Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
- Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
- Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
- Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.