Program Overview

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Literacy Education (All Grades) (MSEd)

The Literacy Education (All Grades) (MSEd) program is designed for teachers with New York State (NYS) certification in Early Childhood, Childhood, Middle Childhood, and Adolescent Education to become teachers of literacy across all grades (from birth to grade 12). This program leads to certification in Literacy (All Grades).

Academic Plan

• LTRCY-MSED

Total Credits

• 31

Program Code for Certification

• 43369

Advisors

• Yang Hu, Faculty Advisor and Clinical Placement Specialist
• Arisa Baksh, Certification, Graduation and Administrative Advisor

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. 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.

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.
• Apply differentiated and culturally sustaining instruction that includes a range of reading methods and approaches.
• Apply differentiated and culturally sustaining writing instruction.
• Engage in justice-based linguistic instruction that centers and honors students’ language diversities.
• 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.
• Select and use diverse children’s and young adult literature that offers students windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors.
• 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.
• Focus on equity-, asset- and justice-based learning that centers hope, joy, and 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.

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.

Transfer of Credits or Waiver

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.

Waiver

For students who have taken equivalent courses more than five years ago or at the undergraduate level, the program allows for waivers of specific courses.

Courses Permitted for Transfer or Waiver

• EDLIT 73000 Languages, Literacies, and Cultures
• EDLIT 73350 Methods for Teaching Writing
• EDLIT 73250 Inclusive and Diverse Children’s and Young Adult Literature
• EDLIT 73950 Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Literacies for Students with Diverse Needs

Transfer of Credit or Waiver Not Approved

Transfer of Credit or waiver is never approved for the following courses:

• EDLIT 73450 Literacies within the Disciplines
• EDLIT 74150 Literacy Assessments
• EDLIT 74250 Practicum I for Equity-based Literacy Inquiries
• EDLIT 74500 Literacy Research for Change
• EDLIT 75750 Practicum II in Literacy Assessment & Intervention: Birth-4
• EDLIT 75850 Practicum III in Literacy Assessment & Intervention: Grades 5-12
• EDLIT 76000 Practicum III in Literacy Assessment & Intervention: Grades 5-12

Clinical Experiences

Students in the Literacy Education All Grades (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.

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.

Professional Teaching Portfolio (ePortfolio)

The Professional Teaching Portfolio (ePortfolio) is an additional requirement of the Literacy Education – All Grades (MSEd) program for graduation. The Professional Teaching Portfolio 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.

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.

Certification and Licensure

This program leads to New York State certification in Literacy (All Grades). 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.

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.
• The Professional Certificate is an advanced certificate.

Application Checklist

• Review Your Fingerprint Status
• Take Required Certification Exams and Workshops
• Apply for Graduation
• Apply for Certification

Additional Resources

• Expiring Certifications
• Out of State Certification or Licensure
• Hunter International Students (F1 Visa Holder) Certification or Licensure
• Letter Requests
• Internship Certification for Graduate Teacher Education Students