Reading Interventionist/Specialist

Reading interventionist working with student

by Carrie Hall, PhD

What Is a Reading Interventionist, and What Do They Do?

A reading interventionist – also known as a reading specialist, reading teacher or literacy coach – is an educator who obtained a specialized reading intervention endorsement that qualifies them to teach reading and/or reading intervention to students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12.

In a nutshell, reading interventionists:

  • Work with learners who struggle with reading, in either a one-on-one and/or small-group setting.
  • Often collaborate with general education teachers and others on a Response to Intervention (RTI) team or other student support team, with the goal of determining the learners' needs, including the tiers of instruction to support the learners.
  • May coach teachers on how to support their struggling students in learning to read.
  • May be responsible for designing intervention plans to support learners in becoming proficient readers. Along with designing plans, they also implement these interventions and monitor student progress along the way.
  • Work closely with special education teachers to discuss interventions, strategies and implementation for students in an Individual Education Program (IEP) for a diagnosed learning disability when it is directly connected to reading. In some school spaces, the child with an IEP will receive intervention in the special education setting and additional support from a reading interventionist.

Which Students Do Reading Interventionists Work With?

Reading interventionists work with students who often read “below” to “significantly below” grade level. These students have a wide range of needs, including letter and sound recognition, word recognition, decoding words, minimal phonemic awareness, low reading fluency, challenges with comprehension and spelling, and a limited vocabulary.

Why Become a Reading Interventionist?

According to data from proliteracy.org, approximately 48 million adults in the U.S. cannot read above a third-grade level. In the 2022-23 academic school year, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported that only 33% of fourth-grade students were proficient in reading. Illiteracy impacts individuals, schools, society, the economy and the nation. Some of the consequences of illiteracy as reported by the National Literacy Institute may include:

  • Poverty: 46 to 51% of American adults have income well below the poverty level due to their inability to read, and 20% read below the level needed to earn a living wage.
  • Incarceration: 85% of juvenile offenders struggle with reading, and 3 out of 5 people in prisons in the U.S. can’t read. Some states define future projections on the amount of beds needed in prisons based on results from state testing at the elementary level.

Choosing to be a reading interventionist allows you to learn the skills necessary to personally work toward changing illiteracy outcomes by working with students who are at risk of illiteracy. Knowing you’re part of the growth, progress, success and potential long-term life trajectory of students learning to read is life-giving and rewarding.

The joys of being a reading interventionist include witnessing successes such as:

  • A student demonstrating progress in reading
  • The excitement from a student who is aware of their reading struggles and is experiencing success
  • A student’s excitement when they can read and understand what they are reading, which is a new outcome for them
  • A general education teacher reports successes that they are seeing in the classroom
  • A general education teacher expresses that your support and coaching have allowed them to better support their struggling readers in the classroom
  • A family member sharing their gratitude for what your support has meant outside of the school setting

How Do I Become A Reading Interventionist in Oregon?

In the state of Oregon, to obtain a reading intervention endorsement, the licensed teacher must have completed a commission-approved reading intervention preparation program that meets the Reading Intervention Endorsement Program Standards (OAR 584-421-0440, Oregon Laws-OAR 584-220-0165).

To become a reading interventionist in Oregon, you must be a licensed teacher to add the endorsement. In Oregon, the International Dyslexia Association standards are utilized in the preparation programs, which provides a deeper dive into supporting learners with dyslexia or classifications of dyslexia.

Here are some scenarios and the pathway to becoming a reading interventionist teacher for each:

I Have No College Credits, Some College Credits, or an Associate’s Degree

If you haven’t earned a bachelor’s degree yet, your options are:

George Fox University offers both a traditional on-campus bachelor’s in elementary education as well as an online accelerated bachelor’s degree in education.

I Have a Bachelor’s Degree, But Need a Preliminary Teaching License

To earn a preliminary teaching license, you need to complete a teacher preparation program. Since you already have a bachelor’s degree, a master of arts in teaching (MAT) is your best next step. You can earn your MAT and then get a reading interventionist endorsement afterward, but it’s generally faster to complete an MAT program that combines both.

George Fox University’s MAT Plus Reading Interventionist program enables you to earn your MAT degree and reading interventionist endorsement together, preparing you to be licensed and endorsed to teach in both general and reading interventionist settings.

I Have a Bachelor’s Degree and a Preliminary Teaching License

If you’re already a licensed teacher with a bachelor’s degree, you just need the additional training to become a reading interventionist. You can either complete a stand-alone reading interventionist endorsement program (recommended if you already have a master’s degree) or a masters in education (MEd) program with a built-in reading interventionist endorsement.

George Fox University offers a reading interventionist endorsement-only program and a master’s in education with a reading interventionist endorsement.

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