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 New York State 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
Program Code for Certification
24524 – LITERACY BIRTH-GRADE 6
Advisors
- Jody Polleck, Faculty Advisor and Clinical Placement Specialist
- Bonnie M. Veronico, 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 Values
The mission of the Hunter College School of Education Literacy Program is to prepare literacy teachers and leaders who work in Birth through Grade 12 school communities. Our goal is to ensure that our literacy teachers and leaders provide equitable access to curriculum, instruction, and assessments that are aligned to their students’ histories, literacies, communities, and identities (Muhammad). We are an evolving program that is responsive to sociopolitical and sociocultural contexts, continually reflecting on the needs of our literacy teachers and taking action to best serve their interests and needs. Throughout the duration of their program, literacy teachers and leaders will work towards…
Self-Reflection and Transformation
- Reflect on their own identities and communities and how those impact their students, instruction, leadership, and school communities.
- Reflect critically and continually for transformation and action.
- Acknowledge and integrate current sociopolitical and sociocultural contexts into their curriculum and instruction.
Awareness and Application of Humanizing and Equity-Based Literacy Instruction
- Engage in and use literacy research, theory, and evidence-based practices.
- Create culturally-affirming and inclusive literacy environments.
- Center students’ linguistic and cultural diversities and various ability levels.
- Integrate culturally-affirming and healing-centered social-emotional learning (Ginwright; Simmons)
- Apply differentiated and culturally sustaining instruction (Ladson-Billings; Paris & Alim) that includes a range of reading methods and approaches (i.e., phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension).
- Apply differentiated and culturally sustaining writing instruction (Johnson; Tatum; Winn & Johnson)
- Engage in justice-based linguistic instruction that centers and honors students’ language diversities (Baker-Bell).
- Understand the connections between literacies and equity.
- Understand literacies as socially constructed, infusing meaningful collaborations into their classrooms.
- Use innovative, arts-based instruction to enliven and promote critical and socially engaged literacy teaching and learning (Eisner; Greene).
- Select and use diverse children’s and young adult literature that offers students windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors (Bishop).
- Develop and use rich literacy assessments that consider students’ cultural diversities, languages, and abilities.
- Develop and use culturally sustaining interventions that align with differentiated assessments.
- Use critical pedagogies to empower their students to engage in social justice, agency, and advocacy efforts (Friere; Janks; Morrell).
- Focus on equity-, asset- and justice-based learning that centers hope, joy, and love (Duncan-Andrade; Love).
- Develop and sustain relationships with students’ families and communities.
Advocacy and Leadership
- Work to decenter whiteness in literacy curriculum and instruction.
- Aim to dismantle and disrupt inequities within school communities.
- Become equity-based literacy coaches and leaders who center transformative practices (Aguilar).
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. 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 Processes and Procedures 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) – Literacy
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.
- Dignity for All Students (DASA) workshop
- Students who began their program prior to Fall 2023 must take the workshop in addition to the courses required for their program. Students may take the DASA workshop through Hunter College’s Continuing Education department or with another approved provider through the New York State Education Department (NYSED) website. For students who begin in Fall 2023 and Spring 2024, please consult with your advisor about how you will complete this workshop. For students who begin in Fall 2024 or later, this workshop will be included in the coursework requried for your program. 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.
- Educating All Students (EAS)
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 5 steps in the application process.
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.
1. 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, select Certificate of Advanced Studies.
For employment history enter all full-time, paid teaching experiences in both public, private and charter schools.
2. 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: Literacy
- Select the Grade Level: Birth – Grade 6
- Select the Title: Literacy (Birth – Grade 6)
- Select your Certificate Type: Initial
On the next page you will be prompted to enter the program code:
- Program Code: 24524 – LITERACY BIRTH-GRADE 6
Professional Certification
- Select your Area of Interest: Classroom Teacher
- Select your Subject Area: Literacy
- Select the Grade Level: Birth – Grade 6
- Select the Title: Literacy (Birth – Grade 6)
- Select your Certificate Type: Professional
On the next page you will be prompted to enter the program code:
- Program Code: 24524 – LITERACY BIRTH-GRADE 6
3. 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 candidate to serve as a teacher of record while completing the master’s degree program. The Internship Certificate is reserved for graduate teacher education students who meet certain New York State Education Department (NYSED) and Hunter College School of Education requirements. For more information on the Internship Certificate with Hunter College, please review the Internship Certificate page.
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.