Reading Intervention Endorsement Program
Lewis & Clark’s district-affiliated Reading Intervention Endorsement Program is strategically designed for working educators, with all courses taking place within your school district or utilizing online and/or hybrid models to ensure the endorsement is accessible to all teachers.
Apply Register as Special Student
* Students who register with special student status and program approval may enroll in one semester for a maximum of six (6) degree-applicable credits prior to formal admission to the Graduate School of Education and Counseling.

Program Overview
Total credit hours: 14
Program length: 1 - 2 years of part-time study (evenings and summer)
Program format: Hybrid
Program start date: September, January, or June
Program director: Leigh VonDerahe →
Program Goals
Practical application of student-centered instruction
Using literacy as a means for diversity, equity, and inclusion
Furthering reading & writing growth each year
Partnership Benefits
Courses are offered during evening hours and summers to accommodate working educators
Our courses are adaptive to candidate experiences & learning desires, and responsive to current literary research
Our instructors are L&C faculty, or are partnering school district employees (vetted and hired by L&C)
School district cohorts received a significant discount on tuition
District-Affiliated Reading Endorsement Program Overview
The debates around literacy and teaching reading are real, and our teaching practices have lasting effects on students, teachers, and school communities at large.
At Lewis & Clark, we believe in a research-based, comprehensive literacy framework that includes foundational skills such as systematic and explicit phonics and phonemic awareness instruction, opportunities for real writing, strong formative assessments, and high-quality, culturally responsive texts and materials. We stand firmly in a student-centered approach to learning, where educators will deepen their own personal pedagogy while adding valuable theoretical knowledge and a direct practical application of skills and strategies to their practice. At L&C, we make curiosity and commitment to being a life-long learner a cornerstone of our important work together.
The Reading Intervention Endorsement coursework is for those who currently hold a teaching license and are looking for additional professional development. The Endorsement prepares teachers to be even more responsive to the variety of literacy needs and experiences within their classrooms, and/or to work as a Reading Interventionist or Literacy Coach at any Pre-K through Grade 12 level. While the role of aReading Interventionist or Literacy Coach may look different depending on the school or district, all have the common goal of advancing the reading skills of all students.
Additionally, Endorsement coursework can:
- Further the practice of Pre-K, Elementary, and Secondary teachers who specialize in any subject area, integrating expended knowledge of literacy into current classroom practices
- Benefit administrators who are seeking ways to build the literacy practices of their school and district
- READ 634 Language and Literacy for Multilingual Classrooms—a required course in the sequence—will also count towards the ESOL Endorsement at Lewis & Clark. Many teachers go on to obtain their endorsements in both areas. Coursework completed in the Reading Endorsement can also be applied to an Inservice MEd degree at Lewis & Clark.
Interested in bringing an endorsement program to your district or organization?
Contact Emily Fortune Hancock, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Placements
efhancock@lclark.edu
What to Expect from Off-Campus Coursework
The endorsement cohorts are designed for the needs of practicing professionals, with coursework offered in the evenings and during the summer. Classes can meet in Portland Metro Area school districts and/or online. Classes emphasize individual attention and the opportunity to learn and work collaboratively with fellow teachers and school leaders. The program is designed for learning research-based theoretical knowledge of best practices as well as direct, practical application of skills and strategies to the classroom.
Additionally, off-campus coursework allows for reduced tuition.
Course Progression
- READ 614: Reading Comprehension & Instruction (3 SH)
- READ 634: Language & Literacy for Multilingual Classrooms (3 SH)
- READ 625: Assessing Reading Strategies (3 SH)
- READ 620: Innovations in Reading (3 SH)
- READ 622: Practicum (2 SH)
This course can be completed in conjunction with or after a candidate’s final course.
Teaching is located in room 415 of Rogers Hall on the Graduate Campus.
email lcteach@lclark.edu
voice 503-768-6104
fax 503-768-6115
Department
Teaching, School Counseling, and Leadership Studies
Chair
Mollie Galloway
Elementary Program Director
Laura Barbour
Secondary Program Director
Maika Yeigh
Cari Zall (summer term)
Administrative Specialist
Shanta Calem
Teaching
Lewis & Clark
615 S. Palatine Hill Road
Portland OR 97219
