MLI reading specialist certification
Onboarding Guide
If you’ve been accepted to the Reading Specialist Certification Program, congrats! You're in the right place.
Onboarding is a key step in beginning your journey as a Reading Specialist candidate. Please read and follow each part of the process outlined below. Meeting deadlines and demonstrating professionalism now sets the tone for the work ahead and reflects the level of communication and attention to detail expected in this graduate-level program.
Get started here
First, Complete this survey:
This survey collects the contact and background information we need to finalize our roster, communicate with you, and prepare for Reading Specialist orientation. You’ll be asked for basic contact details, information about your current school and role, brief licensure and education background, and a headshot we can share with your cohort.
Please use a Gmail address and submit the survey as soon as possible so we can proceed with orientation planning and the start of the program.
next, download this checklist:
Use this printable checklist to keep track of the steps you’ll need to complete before your program begins. We encourage you to keep it somewhere you’ll see regularly and to review it as you work through the items on this page. Each time you look at the checklist, note what you’ve already completed and what still needs your attention so you can stay on track with all deadlines.
Fingerprinting & Background Check
As part of your journey, you will have to undergo a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Background Check for MLI, even if you’ve recently been fingerprinted for another purpose. This is necessary for all persons seeking to work in a school setting. Failure to pass the background check will prohibit you from enrolling in MLI. If you anticipate any difficulties with your background check, please contact Valen Warner (valen@memphistr.org) to explain your situation.
You will find a Consent to Fingerprinting and Background Check Form in your e-sign packet, and you must sign and submit that form before continuing with the fingerprinting directions below based on whether you currently live in Tennessee or live in another state.
All fingerprinting appointments should be scheduled and completed by the provided deadline. Background checks can be delayed, so it is important that you get your appointment early in order to ensure you are cleared and ready to participate. You will not be allowed to participate in the Reading Specialist program until your background check results are received by MLI.
MLI should receive the results of your background check 5 – 7 business days after you have visited the TBI service location / had your mailed fingerprint card processed.
fingerprinting & background check Questions:
Gabbie Elliott
Office Manager
gabbie@memphistr.org
E-Signature Packet
You should soon receive an e-signature packet of documents you will sign using your computer or smartphone / tablet. This will come in an email from Foxit eSign. Below is an explanation of the documents you will need to sign digitally.
We request that when signing and being given a font choice for your “e-signature” that you not select Arial or Times New Roman or anything that looks too much like a typical computer font.
VECHS FORM
This document is required by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for the purpose of accessing and reviewing Tennessee and national criminal history that may pertain to you from the FBI.
reading specialist Contract
Congrats! It’s time to make this official. Your contract is your agreement with MLI. We will go over the contract during the onboarding webinar, but please read through it before signing it. After signing, a copy of the contract will be emailed to you.
Release of Information and Consent Form
MTR is committed to tracking its effectiveness through the student growth and teacher evaluation data of program participants. All program participants are requested to give permission to any partner Memphis school district, partner charter school, or charter authorizer authorizing Memphis schools to release this data to MTR and MLI.
consent to fingerprinting and background check
You will sign a consent form in your e-signature packet that allows MLI to conduct a background check with fingerprinting. Please note that the instructions for actually being fingerprinted are given above and you need to follow those carefully. This background check also includes a search of the national sex offender database. You still need to follow the fingerprinting directions (above) after signing this consent. All Reading Specialist Candidates must complete this process through MLI, even if you have completed a screening for another organization.
noncriminal justice applicant’s privacy rights
This document explains your privacy rights as they pertain to a national fingerprint-based criminal history record check.
PHOTO AND MEDIA RELEASE
Signing this gives the Memphis Teacher Residency and the Memphis Literacy Institute permission to use your name, image, and/or photograph and other identifying information for publicity, promotional, and reporting purposes.
Transcripts
MLI requires official, degree-conferred transcripts for all colleges and universities where you completed a degree (undergraduate and graduate). Each transcript must show that your degree has been awarded and list the conferral date.
When you request transcripts from your institution’s registrar, you may choose “Send Now” as long as your degree already appears on the transcript. If you recently finished a program and the degree has not yet posted, select an option such as “Hold for posting of degree” or “Send after degree is conferred,” or wait to request the transcript until the degree is visible. In-progress transcripts that do not show a conferred degree will not meet this requirement.
transcripts for lipscomb university
Degree-Conferred Transcripts
Request 1 OFFICIAL copy of your degree conferred (final) transcript.
Rising graduates should request a final degree transcript now (if possible) to be sent AFTER graduation.
If that option is unavailable, you’ll need to wait and request a final transcript ASAP after graduation.
We prefer an electronic official transcript, which should be sent by the registrar directly to GradAdmissions@lipscomb.edu.
COVID-19 Vaccination
Vaccination and staying up to date with boosters offers protection for us as individuals as well as offering protection to students, school communities, and the collective MLI community. MLI strongly encourages vaccination for COVID-19, but you are not required to be vaccinated. We are currently precluded from requiring vaccination by the state of TN. However, if or when that ruling is retracted, MLI Reading Specialist Candidates will, at that time, be required to be vaccinated and up to date.
Fully vaccinated means a person has received their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines. Up to date means a person has received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any booster dose(s) when eligible.
Program Costs & Fees
Please see the list below of anticipated costs and fees that Reading Specialist candidates will be required to pay.
Background check
~$37
Actual cost varies by location.
course materials fee
$798
All participants are responsible for a nonrefundable $798 course materials fee due at enrollment. This fee is not covered by any program scholarship and must be paid by the participant.
textbooks
~$100
Purchased over the course of the program.
Standard tuition
$5,000 total
Payable in full, by term, or monthly. The first tuition payment is due June 1, 2026.
MTR Graduate tuition
$2,500 total
Payable in full, by term, or monthly. The first tuition payment is due June 1, 2026.
Required Summer Dates: In-Person Attendance
Please add the dates below to your calendar. In-person attendance is required. A full program calendar with all coursework dates will be shared shortly before orientation.
orientation
June 1-5, 2026 | 8:30am-3:00pm
Memphis Teacher Residency Offices
1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 366
Memphis, TN 38104
summer clinical
June 8-26, 2026 | 8:30am-12:00pm
Location: TBA
Where to Go with Questions
General questions
Valen Warner
Content Specialist
valen@memphistr.org | 901.633.2802
fingerprinting & background check
Gabbie Elliott
Office Manager
gabbie@memphistr.org
Connect with Us
We want to connect with you and help you get connected with one another! You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (all @MemphisTR). We invite you to tag us when posting about your MLI Reading Specialist experiences on social media.