Childhood Special Education – Learning Disabilities (Advanced Certificate)

This program is no longer accepting new applications for admission.

Welcome to the Childhood Special Education – Learning Disabilities (Advanced Certificate) program home page. Use this page as a guide to the Childhood Special Education – Learning Disabilities (Advanced Certificate) program from acceptance to graduation.

This post-master’s, advanced certificate program in Childhood Special Education is designed for students with existing New York State certification in either Childhood Education Grades 1-6 or a different certification area of Special Education.

Academic Plan

CSPE-AC

Total Credits

Earn at least 17 credits

Program Code for Certification

37799 – CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION

Advisors

Catherine Kramarczuk Voulgarides, Faculty Advisor
Nora McCormick, Certification, Graduation and Administrative Advisor

Newly Accepted Students

Getting Started and Orientation

New Student Checklist

Welcome to the School of Education! Visit the Newly Accepted Students page for a checklist to get you started at Hunter College.

New Student Support

If at any point you need support, please reach out to our New Student Liaison at newsoest@hunter.cuny.edu or make an appointment.

Orientations

Students will attend three orientations to cover all the information needed to start your program:

General New Student Orientation
Program Advising Session
Clinical Experiences and Fingerprinting Orientation

See “Program Related Events” for details about upcoming sessions.

Financing Your Degree

Visit the Financing Your Degree page for information.

Fingerprint Clearance Requirements

All students in teacher preparation programs as well as programs in school counseling need to be fingerprinted so that they are cleared to work with children in various settings including New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) public schools, charter networks, and other organizations. Visit the Fingerprinting page for requirements and procedures.

Program Sequences

Consult the program sequence for a suggested order of courses for the program based on start date. It also includes when to take certification exams and apply for clinical experiences in addition to other important non-course requirements. For technical registration support and troubleshooting, please visit the Register for Classes page.

Hunter College Catalog

Use the Hunter College Course Catalog to review descriptions of specific courses and academic progress standards for the program along with exit requirements.

Clinical Experiences

Students in the Childhood Special Education – Learning Disabilities (Advanced Certificate) program participate in developmental field experiences (fieldwork) that are embedded in coursework, and two semesters of Learning Lab.

Fieldwork

Fieldwork is both embedded in coursework activities and assignments as well as implemented with students you are teaching. If you are not currently teaching, placement or match for fieldwork can be discussed with your instructor and/or faculty advisor. Select courses have fieldwork requirements.

Registration Processes and Procedures

Registration permission is required from your Faculty Advisor in conjunction with the Special Education Department office. Students register for all courses through CUNYfirst.

Learning Lab

SPED 782 and 784 is the Learning Lab Clinical Experience. Teacher candidates will tutor a student twice weekly throughout the Fall and Spring semester and receive clinical supervision of that work with the student. A student will be provided on campus. There is a once weekly seminar class as well. If possible, this course may be offered hybrid online where the teacher candidate tutors a student from his or her current teaching (with school and parental permission) and then participates in a seminar that is mostly online. Your faculty advisor will tell you if this is an option prior to registering for coursework for the Fall.

Registration Processes and Procedures

Registration permission is required from your Faculty Advisor in conjunction with the Special Education Department office. Students register for all courses through CUNYfirst.

Graduation

Graduation is the official completion of your program and conferral of an academic degree. In order to graduate, students must apply for graduation using CUNYFirst the semester before the semester of their planned graduation and complete any outstanding requirements by the stated deadlines. Visit the Graduation and Commencement page for complete information.

Certification and Licensure

The Childhood Special Education – Learning Disabilities (Advanced Certificate) program is designed for students with existing New York State certification in either Childhood Education Grades 1-6 or a different certification area of Special Education. The program leads New York State certification to teach Students with Disabilities Grades 1-6.

Students must wait to apply for certification until they receive an email from the School of Education indicating their recommendation has been entered. This usually occurs six to eight week’s after the conferral of your degree.

Types of Certification

Students are recommended for both initial and professional certification:

The Initial Certificate is the entry-level teaching certificate and is valid for five years. Students who graduate from a Hunter master’s degree certification program without prior certification will be recommended for initial certification.
The Professional Certificate is an advanced certificate. Once teachers have completed three years of full-time, paid teaching experience including one year of mentored teaching, they can apply for professional certification.

Application Checklist

Review Your Fingerprint Status

All students in programs leading to New York State certification need to have their fingerprints cleared by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Visit the Fingerprinting for Hunter College School of Education Students to learn how to obtain fingerprint clearance. You can check your state clearance status on your TEACH account.

Take Required Certification Exams and Workshops

Exams

All students must fulfill the following exam requirements over the course of their program:

Educating All Students (EAS)
- Students who have completed Educating All Students (EAS) for a prior certification, do not need to take the exam again.
Content Specialty Test (CST) – Students with Disabilities

Exam Registration and Test Preparation

Register for an exam at the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations website. Need help preparing? Learn about upcoming Test Preparation Workshops.

Workshops

All students must fulfill the following workshop requirements over the course of their program:

School Violence Prevention and Intervention
- This workshop is included in coursework.
Prevention and Child Abuse Identification and Reporting
- This workshop is included in coursework.
Autism Workshop
- This workshop is included in coursework.
Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) workshop
- Students may take the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) workshop through Hunter College’s Continuing Education department or with another approved provider through the New York State Education Department (NYSED) website. Once you complete the DASA workshop, submit copies of DASA workshop certification to the Office of Academic and Student Affairs so that their CUNYfirst account can be updated via the Workshop or Exam Completion Form.

Apply for Graduation

In order to be recommended for certification, all students in all programs including advanced certificate programs, must complete their program and apply for graduation. For more information on the graduation process, please visit the School of Education Graduation and Commencement page.

Apply for Certification

Certification candidates must wait to apply for certification until receiving an email from the School of Education indicating their recommendation has been entered. This will occur six to eight weeks after the Hunter College conferral dates of June 1 for spring grads, September 1 for summer grads and January 1 for fall grads. Candidates will be recommended for Initial and Professional certification. There are 4 steps in the application process:

1. Create/Log in to your TEACH Account

Students must create/log in to their New York State Education Department (NYSED) TEACH Account. From your Teach Online Services Home page, select Apply for Certificate which is found under “Online Application.” This will start a new application.

2. Verify/Update Profile

The Verify/Update Profile section will ask for education and employment history.

For educational history, provide information from bachelor’s degree to present. For the drop down next to Degree and Major, select the option that corresponds to the degree and major earned.

For employment history enter all full-time, paid teaching experiences in both public, private and charter schools.

3. Select Certificate(s)

Enter the following information for the certificates section depending on whether you are applying for initial or professional certification.

Initial Certification

Select your Area of Interest: Classroom Teacher
Select your Subject Area: Students with Disabilities
Select the Grade Level: Grades 1-6
Select the Title: Students with Disabilities (Grades 1-6)
Select your Certificate Type: Initial

On the next page you will be prompted to enter the program code:

37799 – CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION

Professional Certification

Select your Area of Interest: Classroom Teacher
Select your Subject Area: Students with Disabilities
Select the Grade Level: Grades 1-6
Select the Title: Students with Disabilities (Grades 1-6)
Select your Certificate Type: Professional

On the next page you will be prompted to enter the program code:

37799 – CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION

4. Complete application (sign affidavit, sign application, make payment)

Read and sign the required affidavit and confirm and sign the application. Finally, make payment.

Additional Resources

Expiring Certifications

If you will not graduate from the Advanced Certificate program prior to the expiration of your initial certificate, you may be eligible for an extension through NYSED’s TEACH Online Services. Create/Log in to your TEACH account and select “Apply for a Time Extension.”

Out of State Certification or Licensure

Students applying for certification or licensure in states other than New York must complete the Out of State Certification and Licensure Form and upload the required completed form for the state they are applying to.

For students applying in states that have a web based form (ex. New Jersey), please send the access information to Melissa Boronkas, Certification Officer at mb74@hunter.cuny.edu.

For more information on certification or licensure requirements in other states, please review the interstate agreement information on the National Associate of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification site.

Hunter International Students (F1 Visa Holder) Certification or Licensure

Registering for New York State Teacher Certification Exams (NYSTCE)

During the registration process enter all 9s when prompted for your Social Security Number (SSN). Once you do receive a Social Security Number, you will need to fax a copy of your Social Security Number card and Passport to the New York State Teacher Certification Exams (NYSTCE) with a cover letter including your assigned New York State Teacher Certification Exams (NYSTCE) ID number to request they change your temporary Social Security Number replacement with your assigned Social Security Number.

The fax number for New York State Teacher Certification Exams (NYSTCE) is 413-256-7088. Follow up a few days later to ensure they have received your fax. The phone number for New York State Teacher Certification Exams (NYSTCE) is 413-256-2882.

Applying for NYSED TEACH Account without a Social Security Number

You do not need to wait for a Social Security Number (SSN) to create an account on the NYSED TEACH system. If you do not have a valid Social Security Number, you will need to email soeoasa@hunter.cuny.edu to request a TEACH Access Number first. The access number is only for use with TEACH and meeting requirements for New York State teacher certification. If you do get a social security number, you must notify NYSED.

If you apply for OPT the process will generate a Social Security Number which you will use to create your TEACH account and apply for New York State Department of Education teaching certification. You should apply for OPT as soon as you can, but you cannot apply earlier than 90 days before your program completion date.

For general instructions on setting up your NYSED TEACH account, please refer to the Certification and Licensure section on this program page.

New York City Department of Education Employment with OPT once your NYS Certificate has issued

International students cannot apply for employment with New York City Public Schools until they have a Social Security Number (SSN). International students may qualify for employment in New York City public schools once they hold New York State certification and hold an OPT visa. You will be ineligible to apply to work for the New York City Department of Education unless you hold OPT authorization, have a Social Security Number and your New York State certification has issued. Candidates fitting the above criteria may apply online to the New York City Department of Education. Once the application is received and reviewed, further instructions will follow. This policy is subject to change at any time.

Letter Requests

Please use the School of Education Letter Request Form to request a letter from the School of Education to verify your education experience.

Internship Certification for Graduate Teacher Education Students

The Internship Certificate allows a teacher or educational leadership candidate to serve as a teacher or leader of record while completing the master’s degree program. The Internship Certificate is reserved for graduate teacher or leader education students who meet certain New York State Education Department (NYSED) and Hunter College School of Education requirements. Visit the Internship Certificate page for eligibility requirements and application processes and procedures.