Aimee Morewood and Allison Swan Dagen, center and second to right, respectively, accept the National Recognition with Certificate of Distinction for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals award in New Orleans.
West Virginia University students pursuing careers in literacy will now graduate from the award-winning Literacy Education Program, selected as one of only two programs in the nation to receive a National Recognition with Certificate of Distinction for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals.
Housed in the WVU College of Education and Human Services, the Literacy Education Program is offered fully online and prepares graduate students to become reading specialists, reading interventionists, classroom teachers and literacy coaches and coordinators. The program leads to a pre-k through adult reading specialist certification in West Virginia.
“Earning the Certificate of Distinction from the International Literacy Association serves as a testament to the outstanding preparation candidates in our program receive and as an online program provider, we take pride in this recognition,” said Allison Swan Dagen, coordinator of the Literacy Education Program and professor in the College of Education and Human Services. “Our candidates engage in high-quality learning experience while virtually collaborating with peers across the state of West Virginia and throughout the country. The online format provides the candidates with the flexibility they need to balance this advanced certification with their busy teaching careers.”
The ILA Certificate of Distinction is presented to literacy programs that meet the International Literacy Association’s 2017 Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals and lead the way to advance excellence and equity in literacy acquisition worldwide. Programs selected for this honor underwent a rigorous review process including an extensive curriculum analysis by external reviewers in the field, and a multi-day site visit by a team of faculty representing ILA.
The award is from the International Literacy Association, a global advocacy and membership organization that sets the standard for the development and evaluation of literacy preparation programs. This is the first year that the organization has issued the certificates.
Dagen and Aimee Morewood, associate professor and outreach coordinator for the Literacy Education Program, accepted the award at the International Literacy Association’s annual conference in New Orleans Oct. 12.
lk/10/28/19
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CONTACT: Allison Swan Dagen
Professor and Literacy Education Program Coordinator
WVU College of Education and Human Services
304.293.4417; allison.swan@mail.wvu.edu
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