Mary Hoch, Ed.D.
Teaching Comprehension and Content Area Reading
Teaching Writing
Assessment & Diagnosis of Literacy
Instructional Strategies for Literacy Interventions
Practicum A: Literacy Interventions for Elementary Students
Practicum B: Literacy Interventions for Secondary Students
Ed.D in Reading, Language, and Literacy
Language, Linguistics, and Literacy
M.A.T. in Elementary Education
Literacy Methods I: Grades K-4
Areas of Expertise:
- Reading Assessment and Diagnosing Difficulties
- Instructional Interventions
- Reading Comprehension
- Literacy Tutoring
- Digital Literacy
- Online Learning
Biography:
Dr. Mary Hoch has been teaching at National Louis University since 2011 and has served as Director of the Center for Literacy since 2012. She teaches graduate and doctoral courses in literacy and supervises clinical practica virtually and online, overseeing the practicum experience for all reading endorsement candidates. In this role, she leads educators in implementing evidence-based, student-centered instruction, and prepares them to provide individualized literacy interventions for K–12 students. In addition to teaching, Dr. Hoch mentors doctoral students in literacy and language research, supporting their development as scholarly practitioners and emerging leaders in the field.
Before joining NLU, Dr. Hoch worked in Joliet Public Schools in multiple leadership and instructional roles, including Assistant Principal, Curriculum Specialist, and Reading Teacher. Earlier in her career, she taught in elementary classrooms across the southwest suburbs of Chicago, serving students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Throughout her career, Dr. Hoch's focus has remained on advancing literacy learning and fostering equitable opportunities for all students.
Education:
Ed.D. Reading and Language, National Louis University, 2015
M.A. Educational Administration, Governors State University, 2005
B.A. Elementary Education, Lewis University, 1997
Research and Interests:
Dr. Hoch’s research examines literacy intervention, assessment, and instructional practices within university-based literacy clinics, where she engages in national and international collaborations focused on student-centered, data-informed approaches to reading growth. Her work explores how scaffolded instruction, reflective practice, and formative assessment promote meaningful literacy gains for K–12 learners. In addition to her clinic-based research, she investigates digital and multimodal approaches to literacy learning, examining how technology and social presence shape instructional relationships in virtual environments. Her scholarship further emphasizes equity-driven literacy instruction and program enhancement, advancing inclusive, evidence-based approaches to reading assessment, intervention, and the preparation of literacy professionals.
Dr. Hoch has authored practice-based publications, in collaboration with teachers and colleagues, which focus on instructional strategy design and implementation, including her book:
Hoch, M.L., & McNally, J.L. (2020). Empowering readers: Integrated strategies to comprehend expository texts. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
In addition, select peer-reviewed journal publications include:
Gallagher, T.L., Orellana García, P., Vokatis, B., Johnson, T. Cavendish, L., Hoch, M.L., Waller, R., & Huggins, S.S. (2024). Preparing tutors for assessment, data-based instruction, and reflective practice. Literacy Practice and Research 49(1), Article 2, https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/lpr/vol49/iss1/2
Hoch, M.L., & Fry, M. (2024). Establishing social presence through online interactions: A case study in a literacy clinic. i.e.: inquiry in education, 16(1), Article 4, https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/ie/vol16/iss1/4
Hoch, M.L., & Fry, M. (2024). Self-perceptions on efficacy in reading teacher education: A case study in an online literacy clinic. The Reading Professor, 47(1), Article 8, https://scholar.stjohns.edu/thereadingprofessor/vol47/iss1/8/
Johnson, T., Cavendish, L.M., Waller, R., Hoch, M., Huggins, S., Gallagher,T., Orellana, P., Vokatis, B., & Flores, B. (2024). Re-centering students and teachers: Voices from literacy clinics. The Reading Teacher. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2350
Laster, B., Rogers, R., Gallagher, T., Scott, D. B., Vasinda, S., Orellana, P., Rhodes, J., Deeney, T., Waller, R., Hoch, M., Cavendish, L., Milby, T., Butler, M., Johnson, T., Msengi, S., Dozier, C., Huggins, & Gurvitz, D. (2024). Literacy clinics during COVID-19: Pivoting and imagining the future. Contemporary Issues in Teacher Education.https://citejournal.org/volume-24/issue-1-24/current-practice/literacy clinics-during-covid-19-pivoting-and-imagining-the-future/
Deeney, T. A., Dozier, C. L., Laster, B., Gallagher, T. L., Waller, R., Rhodes, J. A., Milby, T. M., Gurvitz, D., Hoch, M., Cavendish, L., Solomon Huggins, S., Msengi, S., McAndrews, S. L., Gray, E. S., McCarty, R., & Ferrara, P. (2023). Family perspectives of university reading clinic/literacy lab experiences: What matters. Journal of Teacher Education. doi
Laster, B., Butler, M., Waller, R., Vasinda, S., Hoch, M., Orellana, P., Rhodes, J., Deeney, T., Scott, D.B., Gallagher, T., Cavendish, L., Milby, T., Rogers, R., Johnson, T., Msengi, S., Dozier, C., Huggins, S., & Gurvitz, D. (2022). Literacy clinics during Covid-19: Voices that envision the future. Literacy Research and Instruction, doi: 10.1080/19388071.2022.2134064
Hoch, M.L., McCarty, R., Gurvitz, D., & Sitkoski, I. (2018). Five key principles: Guided inquiry with multimodal text sets. The Reading Teacher, 72 (6), 700-710. doi:10.1002/trtr.1781.
Hoch, M.L., Davis, E., & Kotarba, C. (2018). Print to screen: A scaffolded approach to digital literacy development. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 46 (1), 25-39.
Hoch, M., Bernhardt, R., Murphy-Schiller, M., & Fisher, P.J. (2013). Three important words: Students choose vocabulary to build comprehension of informational text. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 41 (3), 3-12.
Dr. Hoch presents her work at local, state, national, and international conferences, workshops, and webinars.
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