Educational Leadership: Collaborative Leadership Advancing School Success (CLASS) (MSEd)

Welcome to the Educational Leadership: Collaborative Leadership Advancing School Success (CLASS) (MSEd) program home page. Use this page as a guide to the program from acceptance to graduation.

The Collaborative Leadership Advancing School Success (CLASS) program is a clinically-based school leadership program that engages teachers as learners and leaders, readying students to supervise and support the professional development of fellow teachers and the management of systems at the building and district levels.

Upon successful completion of the two-year program students will receive a master’s degree from Hunter College and eligibility for New York State School Building Leader and School District Leader certification.

Academic Plan

EDLC-MSED

Total Credits

Program Code for Certification

43186 – EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Advisor

Kathleen Smith (ks286@hunter.cuny.edu), Program Leader, Faculty Advisor and Internship Advisor
Alissa Herbert, Certification, Graduation and Administrative Advisor for Partnership Program Students
Claudine Schwartz, 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

Welcome to the School of Education! Students will attend two orientations to cover all the information needed to start your program:

General New Student Orientation
Program Advising Session

General New Student Orientation

The School of Education hosts monthly virtual new graduate student orientations titled “New Student Orientation – Teacher Education and Leadership”. These 60 minute online sessions will provide you with an overview of Hunter College and the School of Education. Additionally, you will find answers to many of your questions regarding registration, student life and certification. See “Program Related Events” below for details about upcoming sessions.

Program Advising Session

The Educational Leadership: Collaborative Leadership Advancing School Success (CLASS) (MSEd) program hosts program advising sessions that cover the course of study, progress standards and fieldwork requirements. See “Program Related Events” below for details about upcoming sessions.

Program Sequence

The program advisor will notify students of the cohort’s particular course of study before registering for classes. Course sequence is subject to change. To view course descriptions, progress standards and exit requirements visit the catalog.

Program Sequence

Semester 1

CLASS 71000 – Continuous Improvement 1: Moving Students (KC) (4 credits)
CLASS 71500 – Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Leadership 1: Individual Efficacy (4 credits)

Semester 2

CLASS 72000: Continuous Improvement 2: Moving Adults (4 credits)
CLASS 72500: Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Leadership 2: Collective Efficacy (4 credits)

Exams

School Building Leader (SBL) Exam
- This exam is required for certification not graduation.
Educating All Students (EAS) Exam
- Students who have previously taken the Educating All Students (EAS) exam and passed do not have to take it again. This exam is required for certification not graduation.

Semester 3

CLASS 73000: Continuous Improvement 3: Moving Systems (4 credits)
CLASS 73500: Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Leadership 3: Families and Communities (4 credits)

Exams

School District Leader (SDL) Exam – Parts 1 and 2
- This exam is required for certification not graduation.

Apply for

Graduation

Students must apply for graduation the semester before their planned graduation. Refer to the Graduation and Commencement page for full policies and procedures.

Semester 4

CLASS 74000: Continuous Improvement 4: Ensuring Sustainability (4 credits)
CLASS 74500: Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Leadership 4: Coalitions for Change (KC) (4 credits)

Apply for

Certification

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 weeks after the conferral of your degree. Refer to the Certification and Licensure page for more information.

Transfer of Credits

A matriculated student may request a transfer of credit for a graduate-level course completed at another institution. To be eligible, the course must have been taken within the past five years and closely match the content of a required course in the student’s Hunter College program. The request will be reviewed by faculty for equivalence. Each program sets the courses for which a transfer will be considered. Graduate students are limited to 12 transfer credits.

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

Fieldwork and internship requirements for the Educational Leadership: Collaborative Leadership Advancing School Success (CLASS) (MSEd) program are embedded in your current school. These experiences are designed to help you learn and practice effective leadership and school improvement skills at your school over the two-year program. You are not required to complete an internship outside of your current school.

You will also participate in intervisitations at other participating schools. This will allow principals and teachers at participating schools to give feedback on instructional and operational decision-making systems. The CLASS program will facilitate the arrangement of intervisitations.

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

Graduates of the Educational Leadership: Collaborative Leadership Advancing School Success (CLASS) program are eligible for the following New York State Certifications:

Professional Certification in School District Leader (SDL)
Initial Certification and Professional Certification in School Building Leader (SBL)

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 weeks after the conferral of your degree. At that time, students can then apply for both the Professional Certificate in School District Leader (SDL) and Initial Certificate in School Building Leader (SBL). Once administrators have completed three years of full-time, paid work in Administration, they can apply for the Professional Certification in School Building Leader (SBL).

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 page 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.
School District Leader (SDL) Part 1 Exam
School District Leader (SDL) Part 2 Exam
School Building Leader (SBL) Part 1 Exam
School Building Leader (SBL) Part 2 Exam

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.

Hunter International Students who hold F1 Visas but do not have a Social Security number must email soeoasa@hunter.cuny.edu to request a TEACH Access Number (TAN). The TEACH Access Number (TAN) must be used in lieu of a Social Security Number for registering for New York State Teacher Certification exams and applying for New York State (NYS) certification.

If you get a Social Security Number, you must update your information on your TEACH Account by requesting a Social Security Number change via the New York State Education Department. You must also update the information on your New York State (NYS) Teacher Certification Exam account. Your social security number will replace your TEACH Access Number (TAN).

Workshops

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

Child Abuse Identification (Second Update)
- This workshop is not included in coursework. The Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) offers a free 2-hour self-directed online training course to satisfy the updated requirement. There are other services that provide the training, however, they are not free of charge.
Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) workshop
- Students may take the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) workshop with an approved provider listed on the New York State Education Department (NYSED) website.

Report Workshop Completion

Students must report workshop completion via the Workshop Completion or Exam Completion form.

Apply for Graduation

In order to be recommended for certification, all students 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 School District Leader (SDL) Professional Certification and School Building Leader (SBL) Initial 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. At that time, students will then apply for both School District Leader Professional Certification and School Building Leader Initial 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 employment history enter all full-time, paid teaching experiences in both public and private schools.

Hunter College is an approved New York Teacher Certification Program. When prompted provide the following information:

Award Title: Master of Science in Education
Program Code: 43186
Major: Education
Enter all full-time, paid teaching experience (in both public and private schools).

3. Select Certificates

Enter the following information for the certificates section. Students must add each certificate they are applying for.

School District Leader (SDL) Professional Certification

Select your Area of Interest: Administration and Pupil Personnel Services
Select your Subject Area: School Administration and Supervision
Select the Grade Level: Pre K-12 All Grades
Select the Title: School District Leader
Select your Certificate Type: Professional

School Building Leader (SBL) Initial Certification

Select your Area of Interest: Administration and Pupil Personnel Services
Select your Subject Area: School Administration and Supervision
Select the Grade Level: Pre K-12 All Grades
Select the Title:School Building Leader
Select your Certificate Type: Initial

On the next page, enter the Program Code 43186.

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

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

Apply for School Building Leader (SBL) Professional Certification

Once teachers have completed the following they can apply for School Building Leader (SBL) Professional Certification:

3 years of paid, full-time work experience, acceptable to the Commissioner, in Administration. Acceptable experience relates to hiring, terminating, evaluating, and supervising professional school staff, overseeing the school budget, and developing curriculum. Experience assisting administrators or supervisors, however, will not be considered.
1 year of “Mentored Experience in Educational Leadership”, referring to the guidance and professional support that experienced, certified educators provide to new educators in their first year of employment in a public school.

There are 4 steps in the application process:

1. Create/Log in to your TEACH Account

2. Verify/Update Profile

Hunter College is an approved New York Teacher Certification Program. When prompted provide the following information:

Award Title: Master of Science in Education
Program Code: 43186
Major: Education
Enter all full-time, paid teaching experience (in both public and private schools).

3. Select Certificates

Enter the following information for the certificates section.

School Building Leader (SBL) Professional Certification

Select your Area of Interest: Administration and Pupil Personnel Services
Select your Subject Area: School Administration and Supervision
Select the Grade Level: Pre K-12 All Grades
Select the Title:School Building Leader
Select your Certificate Type: Professional

On the next page, enter the Program Code 43186

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

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 Bonnie Veronico, Certification Officer at bbaldigo@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) and Applying for NYSED TEACH Account without a Social Security Number

Hunter International Students who hold F1 Visas but do not have a Social Security number must email soeoasa@hunter.cuny.edu to request a TEACH Access Number (TAN). The TEACH Access Number (TAN) must be used in lieu of a Social Security Number for all processes involving certification such as fingerprinting, creating your TEACH Account, registering for New York State Teacher Certification exams, and applying for New York State (NYS) certification.

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.