Literacy Education – Birth-Grade 6 (MSEd)
Welcome to the Literacy Education – Birth-Grade 6 (MSEd) program home page. Use this page as a guide to the program from acceptance to graduation.
This program is designed for teachers with NYS certification in Early Childhood or Childhood Education to become teachers of literacy at the Early Childhood and elementary grade levels.
Academic Plan
LTYB6-MSED
Total Credits
Earn at least 31 credits
Advisors
- Jody Polleck, Faculty Advisor and Clinical Placement Specialist
- Bonnie M. Veronico, Administrative Assistant
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
Program sequences provide 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.
Fall Start
Spring Start
Hunter College Catalog
To review descriptions of specific courses and academic progress standards for the program along with exit requirements please use the course catalog for the year you were admitted to the program.
Course Catalog Summer 2022 onward
Course Catalog prior to Summer 2022
Clinical Experiences
Students in the Literacy Education – Birth-Grade 6 (MSEd) program participate in developmental field experiences (fieldwork), and supervised teaching (practicum).
Fieldwork
Fieldwork is a classroom experience in a New York City Public School in conjunction with a course. Select courses have fieldwork requirements.
Placement Procedures
Most students working full time as head teachers are eligible to complete their fieldwork requirements in their current job if it is aligned to their pending certification/area of study. Students must meet with the program coordinator/faculty advisor to determine the eligibility of their placement.
The following are required for eligibility:
- Teaching position must be aligned with pending certification
- Site must be pre-approved by the program coordinator/faculty advisor
- Students must submit documentation from worksite/school program director
If students are not currently working as a teacher, they should contact the program leader for placement.
Fieldwork Hours Time Record Form
Supervised Teaching: Practicum
All students participate in practicum as part of their course of study. Students are observed by Hunter College Clinical Supervisors throughout the semester both in an onsite learning lab and in their current jobs if it is aligned with their pending certification/area of study.
Registration, Placement Processes and Procedures
If students are not currently working as a teacher, they should contact the program coordinator for placement.
Required Exams
Students must pass the following New York State exams before registration permission is granted for practicum:
- Content Specialty Test (CST) – Literacy
Internship Certificate
Current students who are eligible for practicum and secure a teaching position that requires NYS certification may apply for an internship certificate. Students must apply for practicum first and will only receive instructions thereafter.
Visit the Internship Certificate page for eligibility requirements and application processes and procedures.
Supervised Teaching Time Record Form
Professional Teaching Portfolio
The Professional Teaching Portfolio (ePortfolio) is an additional requirement of the Literacy Education – Birth-Grade 6 (MSEd) program for graduation.
The Professional Teaching Portfolio (ePortfolio) is a collection of authentic, learner-specific artifacts that give evidence of student competence in meeting International Reading Association (IRA) standards, as well as, growth and accomplishment as a learner, literacy teacher and educator.
The Professional Teaching Portfolio provides a space and structure to reflect—where students watch over their learning, gaining a better understanding of themselves as learners, teachers and thinkers. Students integrate knowledge and learning between and among courses, between theory and practice, and between graduate classrooms and classrooms in which students teach.
The Professional Teaching Portfolio provides not only a holistic picture of student learning progression, but also a platform for mentoring, allowing the literacy faculty to get to know students better as a learner outside individual courses.
Timeline for Completion
Initial Workshop
The Initial Professional Teaching Portfolio Workshop takes place at the end of the first semester. Attendance is required. Students will be introduced to the ePortfolio platform and begin to reflect on their first semester learning at Hunter.
Initial Entries
Students complete the following Initial entries before the second semester begins:
- Welcome
- About Me
- Progress Artifacts
- Artifact Tags
Students select 1 or 2 progress artifacts from each first semester course. Faculty mentors review entries and provide feedback within the first three weeks of the following semester.
Ongoing Entries
Students complete the following ongoing entries after the end of each semester:
- Progress Artifacts
- Artifact Tags
Students select 1 or 2 progress artifacts for each course taken per semester. Faculty mentors review entries and provide feedback within the first three weeks of the following semester.
Midpoint Entries
Students complete a draft of the following midpoint entries before taking EDLIT 731/EDLIT 756:
- Benchmark 1
Benchmark 1 will be reviewed by the faculty advisor. Students continue to revise throughout the semester.
Final Workshop
The Final Professional Teaching Portfolio Workshop takes place during break before the final semester. Attendance is required. Students will learn how to revise Benchmark 1 into Benchmark 2 and select three showcase artifacts to illustrate accomplishments.
Final Entries
Students complete the following entries before the start of their last semester.
- Benchmark 2
- 3 Showcase Artifacts
- Area of Concentration
Professional Teaching Portfolio Review
All entries must be completed and ready for review during the final semester (early March for spring semester, early October for fall semester). Any revisions if necessary must be completed before final review (late April for spring semester, late November for fall semester) in order to meet graduation requirements.
Certification and Licensure
This program leads to New York State certification in Literacy Birth to Grade 6. Visit the Certification and Licensure page for information and support.
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.