Inclusive Education Students Receive Certification

Congratulations to Western Carolina University’s Inclusive Education (IE) majors! December 12, 2019, the IE majors enrolled in the course SPED 423: Teaching Reading to Individuals with Mild-Mod Disabilities, became the first successful candidates to receive certification for the NC State Improvement Project: Reading to Research Classroom Practice (RRtCP).

Under Dr. Charmion B. Rush’s instruction and the through the work of the North Carolina Exceptional Children Division, 19 IE majors were honored for completing a semester of RRtCP coursework and clinical experience. RRtCP is a high-quality, statewide professional development that has been provided for educators in the research and science of teaching reading. RRtCP explicitly addresses how to teach students with persistent reading difficulties, including the specific learning disability of dyslexia.

On behalf of Western Carolina University, Dr. Rush received a competitive North Carolina State Improvement Project (NC SIP) grant to integrate the RRtCP professional development into her coursework. In addition, Western is recognized by the state as one of seven Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) identified as a NC SIP partner trained to prepare undergraduate teacher candidates with the foundational knowledge needed to support students with reading challenges.