• A baccalaureate degree earned from a regionally accredited institution, evidenced by a transcript.
• Validated minimum undergraduate grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. (Students below 3.0 will be considered for provisional acceptance.)
• A current or pending license to teach in the United States.
• Complete the application for admission.
• Online process to verify identity as required by federal regulations.
• Dyslexia Endorsement requires Experience Verification Form or other sufficient documentation of at least three years of teaching experience in a K-12 setting. Once you have submitted the application for admission, you will enter your administrator name and email address on the landing page of the application portal under the Experience Verification Form. Please contact Ginger Hermon at ghermon @ grandview.edu if you need additional administrator(s) to complete the online Experience Verification Form.

The Dyslexia Specialist Endorsement program follows a cohort model, with a new cohort beginning each year in mid-May. For best consideration, applicants are encouraged to apply by April 1, as initial admission decisions are made at that time. However, applications will continue to be reviewed on a rolling basis until the cohort is full.

We recommend submitting your application by May 1 to be considered for the upcoming cohort. Applications received after the cohort is full will be placed on a waitlist or considered for the following year. Once a completed application is submitted, applicants can expect to receive an admission decision within approximately one week.

We may need to be selective in the program admission. Decisions may be based on academic history, rationale for pursuing the program, teaching experience, or additional factors such as practicum placement.

The Dyslexia Specialist Endorsement and Science of Reading certificates will be offered so that learners can attend remotely from anywhere in the US. We will have synchronous online meeting times so students can attend from their chosen location.

Program Format:

• Courses will be offered online with synchronous learning opportunities
• Classes will meet via zoom Tuesday nights 5:30-8:00 p.m.
• Two classes will have optional, in-person sessions on campus in Des Moines, Iowa:

• Dyslexia Practicum 1: Advanced Assessment - In order for students to have hands-on training using the required assessments, they are encouraged to attend two Saturday sessions (9-4:30) in person. Remote students will have the option of attending via zoom.
• Principles for Effective Structured Literacy Intervention: Routines and Protocols. This will be a 3-day in-person workshop. Remote students will have the option of attending via zoom.

View Program Course offerings

Students will be prepared throughout the courses to take the KPEERI Exam. They will be expected to take this assessment as a component of the final course in the sequence. This exam measures candidates' knowledge of structured literacy practices and is a component of CEERI certification, which is something our program plans to work towards. You can learn more about the test here: https://effectivereading.org/kpeeri-exam-disabled/

The Dyslexia Specialist Endorsement was newly released from the Iowa Department of Education in Iowa in 2021. This endorsement was created by a Dyslexia Task Force that was appointed by the Iowa Legislature to respond to needs and concerns voiced by parents across the state. One of the outcomes of the Dyslexia Task Force was to develop a Dyslexia Specialist Endorsement. This Endorsement will prepare educators to meet the unique needs of readers who exhibit characteristics of dyslexia.  Nearly 1 in 5 children has dyslexia (NIH, 2020), but educators are often underprepared to notice signs of dyslexia and to create learning environments that meet the needs of these learners.

According to the International Dyslexia Association “Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.” Adopted by the IDA Board of Directors, Nov. 12, 2002.

Experts say up to 20% of the population has dyslexia (NIH, 2020). One study showed that the prison population is 80% illiterate and 48% have dyslexia (Moody et al., 2000).  Dyslexia is a neuro-biological condition that often runs in families. People with characteristics of dyslexia can learn to read and doing so depends on early identification of struggle and proper teaching techniques. Addressing the needs of people with dyslexia is a key human rights issue. 

There is a nation-wide movement to change instruction from the three cueing system, often referred to as Balanced Literacy, to a more structured approach with a solid basis of foundational phonemic and phonics instruction. This instruction follows a scientifically based, developmentally appropriate trajectory through phases of reading underpinned in research. This Structured Literacy approach  ensures that students advance along this path as they master skills incrementally. Throughout this process, instructors go to great lengths to eliminate unintended skill gaps with high levels of direct and explicit instruction paired with continuous progress monitoring.

Educators who work tirelessly, often with disappointing student achievement results, are seeking more training in this pedagogy in an effort to to help children learn to read more efficiently with effective instructional repertoire. Grand View is a proud leader in the state of Iowa in the effort to provide this unique opportunity to gain cutting expertise in a program tailored to meet the needs of advanced practicing educators.

Grand View is excited to share that LETRS participants who have completed Units 1 and 2 and applied for graduate credit through the American College of Education (ACE) can transfer that credit to replace EDGR 586: Linguistics for Educators, one of the foundational courses in both of our programs. This is a valuable opportunity for LETRS-trained educators to continue advancing their knowledge and credentials in structured literacy instruction! Official ACE transcript is required.