3 semester credits
Learners with exceptionalities often experience difficulties in literacy, which, in turn, negatively affect their learning and achievement. What can educators do to prepare these students for academic success? The focus of this course is on designing, implementing, monitoring and adjusting, and assessing literacy development to promote achievement across the curriculum. Education professionals use literacy assessments and interventions with students in K–12 classrooms to foster language development and to promote phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, fluency, and comprehension. Candidates explore the impact of reading and writing disabilities on learning, and consider literacy practices and strategies for developing students' academic language and supporting their diverse learning needs. In addition, candidates examine assessment data and other evidence to inform literacy instruction and incorporate assistive and other technology-based interventions.