IRA names winner of first Certificate of Distinction

The University of Texas at San Antonio's (UTSA) reading preparation program has been named as the first recipient of the International Reading Association's Certificate of Distinction. The International Reading Association (IRA) introduced this new program in fall of 2007 to honor outstanding reading preparation of elementary and secondary teachers. Four programs participated in the pilot.

UTSA will be formally recognized at a special session on Wednesday, May 7, during the IRA Annual Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. The session will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Room C210 of the Georgia World Congress Center.

Ultimately, by establishing clear standards of excellence for programs that prepare teachers to teach reading in the classroom and by recognizing exemplary programs, IRA's Certificate of Distinction has the potential to have a major impact in the field of reading education.

Members of IRA's Quality Undergraduate Elementary & Secondary Teacher Education in Reading (QUESTER) Task Force reviewed written applications and made three-day site visits. The task force examined the programs for specific elements and sub-elements in the areas of Content, Faculty and Teaching, Apprenticeships, Field Experiences, Practica, Diversity, Candidate and Program Assessment, Governance, Resources, and Vision.

Both reviewers and the UTSA program participants found the clearly defined rubrics helpful. The reviewers also visited schools in which students were teaching. For UTSA staff, preparing the written report, gathering artifacts, and participating in the site visit was "extremely insightful," said faculty member Misty Sailors.

The UTSA is a fast-growing university with close to 30,000 students. The education program serves 1,600 students and is the largest producer of teaching degrees for Hispanics in the United States. All education majors take 12 hours of literacy courses. One unique aspect of the program is the Reading Place/Plaza de Lectura at UTSA's downtown campus, which provides literacy tutorials to inner-city children and offers opportunities for teacher candidates to work with struggling readers.

To have a reading preparation program considered for a Certificate of Distinction, contact IRA’s Gail Keating at 302-731-1600, x226 or gkeating@reading.org. You can also visit the following page on the IRA website. The application deadline is August 15, 2008.