A Day in the (School) Life of a Licensed Reading Specialist

Quick Interview with Irene, an Expert in Personalized Reading Growth for Struggling Readers!

What is a reading specialist?

Reading specialists are licensed educators trained to plan, teach, and evaluate instruction for students struggling with reading or writing. Through their various roles as coaches, literacy specialists, data experts, tutors, and coordinators, reading specialists support students, teachers, and parents in the development of reading and writing, particularly for those who find reading challenging.

Why did you become a reading specialist?

I decided to pursue a career as a reading specialist after teaching internationally for over 15 years and observing how helping a struggling reader made such a huge difference in their social, emotional, and academic life. I loved the "lightbulb moments" and the impact it had not only on the reader but also on their family! During COVID, after staying home for several years with my four children and watching how they learned in such different ways, I transitioned from teaching in international school classrooms with a room full of students, to teaching students 1:1 or teaching small groups of teachers strategies for helping older struggling readers.  I wanted to continue helping struggling readers who were unable to get the specialized support they needed or needed more individualized strategies.

I think about how a student succeeds in school, and so much of it comes down to reading and writing well. If they don't have those foundational skills and struggle with them every day, they are going to be turned off from school at an early age. I'd like to think that I play a part in shifting the mindset and changing that for the readers and educators I work with.   At least that's the goal... to intervene in an interesting, joyful, and effective way, accelerate growth for readers, and get them on a better track in terms of their literacy development. The hope is that they can continue their development without me, toward becoming lifelong readers, writers, and learners.

I work with older struggling readers because I love seeing the amazing progress they can make when given targeted instruction designed specifically for them. For me, it’s both challenging and fulfilling at the same time!

What does a day in the life of a reading specialist look like?

Half of my day consists of pull-out intervention for struggling readers, working one-on-one. The other half is dedicated to small-group interventions and creating professional development for other teachers in schools around the globe.

My day is on a tight schedule. In a typical school setting, specialist intervention periods are scheduled five days a week. I break a 40-minute block into 3-4 activities. For a small group of older struggling readers, I always start with an explicit review of skills they are comfortable with, including fluency skills around sounds and words. We spend about five minutes on this, then move to fluency work on a new skill. Next, we practice the new skill in different ways to keep learning engaging and inclusive. We focus on new skills for about 10-15 minutes.

The final part of the block involves putting these skills into action! This is my favorite part of our session. We read together, putting all our strategies together.  We might look at a favorite paragraph from a book, practicing phrasing, vocabulary, and comprehension. Writing is also incorporated, as it ties into both fluency and comprehension. We include writing every other session to reinforce learning. 

Improvement takes time and repetition, with data-keeping and time for reflection. This is crucial for teachers and students, to understand the process and how they can improve collectively and individually. I keep each session normed, engaging and fun, yet explicit and direct. Our time together is limited, and because they are older struggling readers, we have no time to lose!

Do you do anything else besides working with students or in small groups?

Yes! At my school, I attended PLC (professional learning communities) meetings, data meetings, and parent or community meetings. We worked to improve our individualized reading programs every year. We created and maintained specialized book libraries for teachers and staff to use with students. Additionally, we often coached teachers on best resources or practices for supporting their struggling readers. Each one responded differently to strategies, so I had to really be on my toes! I was part of a team that developed goals and action steps for students, and helped teachers implement those strategies in their classrooms.

Another key aspect of working as a reading specialist is conducting assessments. We are responsible for designing and administering them to students, with results often driving their learning. That's why accuracy is crucial. We don't rely on just one assessment; instead, we gather multiple data points to get a comprehensive picture of a student's performance. Along the way, we also conduct smaller assessments to ensure we're on track at the right time.