The MOU will allow the university to offer Certified Academic Language Practitioner (CALP) certification for bachelor of arts in education graduates, making it the first undergraduate school in the country to do so.
Bethel University and the Academic Language Therapy Association have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to give the university the ability to offer Certified Academic Language Practitioner (CALP) certification for its bachelor of arts in education graduates. The certification, which is usually reserved for graduate-level education students, is a professional certification for working with individuals with dyslexia or similar language disorders. Bethel University is the first undergraduate institution in the country that is able to offer the certification to its recently graduated bachelor of arts in education students.
According to an article on Bethel University’s website, Michelle Fish, Ph.D., who serves as the director of the university’s Center for Literacy and as an associate professor of education, was quoted as saying of the reason the university was approved to provide the Certified Academic Language Practitioner certification, “As the first initiative for our newly developed BU Center for Literacy, we ensured our curriculum was fully aligned with the science of reading. However, our desire was to make changes that would not just meet minimum state requirements but would be the gold standard for teacher preparedness in the field of reading science.”
Bethel University recently partnered with the B.E.A.R. Reading Center in South Bend, Indiana, and it also recently made changes to its education department. Changes to the program include moving away from state-minimum standards, which required two-course, six-credit reading sequence, and instead requiring a 16-credit literacy cognate and an additional 60-hour clinical literacy practicum. Both of these developments contributed to the Academic Language Therapy Association allowing the university to begin offering the ALTA Competency Exam – Practitioner Level once the student graduates from the program.
Kim Haughee, M.A.E., CALP, I-CALP, CALT, is the B.E.A.R. Reading Center Director in South Bend and the ALTA Great Lakes Chapter President. She is I-CALP certified and is the teacher of record for the program. Speaking of the benefits of the approval to offer certification, she said, “While working toward a bachelor’s degree at Bethel University, pre-service educators will be taught the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully implement Science of Reading (SoR) strategies within classrooms. Their students will have the advantage of being immersed in an instructional environment leading to proficient reading and writing outcomes.”
Jim Bennett, Ed.D., program director and department chair for education, said, “We are thrilled to be leading the charge for the Science of Reading and improved teacher training, not only in our region but also nationwide. We know that when teachers embrace the Science of Reading, students will develop a strong foundation for reading success. Our teacher training program equips teachers with the essential skills to bridge the gap between research and the classroom, promoting evidence-based methods for reading instruction and leading to improved literacy outcomes for all students.”
For more information about Bethel University, visit the school’s website.