Program Overview

Program Coordinator Sunny Duerr, (845)-257-2812, duerrs@newpaltz.edu
Program ID 030B
Credits 36
Program Length The MSEd can be completed in 3 semesters if enrolled full-time, but students must complete degree within 5 years
Modality In-person or Online
Full-time/Part-time Full-time or part-time
Transfer Credits 6
Capstone Clinical Intervention Course

Literacy education in the 21st century includes so much more than reading and writing. The School of Education at SUNY New Paltz is preparing a new generation of literacy specialists for rewarding careers, helping children of all ages discover new ways of understanding the world and expressing themselves.

Tech-Intensive Learning

The Literacy curriculum is thoroughly modern, designed to help teacher candidates support their students in a world that increasingly demands digital literacy. Earn foundational knowledge in reading and writing instruction, while gaining proficiency with technological tools and applications at the College’s Center for Innovation in Education.

Online, In-Person & Accelerated Options

We’ve created a new, flexible, fully online curriculum that lets you join a cohort of remote learners in completing classes and fieldwork requirements remotely. Our traditional, on-campus model remains available, and we can also accommodate part-time or accelerated course schedules to help you achieve your goals in a way that fits into your life.

Clinical Fieldwork at our Remote or Campus Literacy Center

The Literacy Education program employs a unique, clinical fieldwork model that creates faculty-mentored opportunities – both in-person and remotely – to apply classroom learning with families in need of diagnostic and remedial services. Work with us at the Literacy Center at SUNY New Paltz, and gain real-world experience that makes a difference in the lives of children and adolescents.

Strong & Dedicated Faculty

The Literacy faculty at SUNY New Paltz go above and beyond to support their students and the broader educational community. They are leaders in their disciplines, published scholars, educators and technology experts, devoted to helping teacher candidates grow into professional literacy coaches and advocates for education at all levels. 

Apply to a SUNY New Paltz graduate programAdmission Requirements

The following are the minimum standards for admission. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the program. Candidates for admission must:

  • Complete an admission application available online using the link above. 
  • Provide one official copy of all transcripts of all previous college/university course-work from regionally accredited institutions, with a cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher;
  • Provide evidence of initial/provisional or professional/permanent teaching certification* in elementary education (B-2, Pre-K-6, Grades 1-6), or Secondary Education (Grades 7-12 or Adolescence/Middle Grades Education, all subjects), or in Special Education, Speech and Hearing Handicapped, Music Education, or Art Education
  • Request two recommendations from college/university faculty on professional letterhead supporting the applicant’s potential to undertake graduate study;
  • Submit a well-written essay of no more than 500 words describing your educational aspirations, experience working with students in educational settings, and how training in a master’s program in literacy education will help you achieve your personal and professional goals.
*

Applicants with a GPA of at least 3.0 may apply and be provisionally accepted pending NYS Teaching Certification. If accepted provisionally, candidates must submit evidence of NYS teaching certification by the end of their first semester of graduate study.

Application Deadlines**

November 1 For Spring admission
March 15 For Summer or Fall admission
**

Although applications will be reviewed continuously, only those received by February 20th (Summer/Fall) and September 20th (Spring) can be guaranteed desired course scheduling.

Curriculum Requirements (030B)

All courses must be taken under advisement.

Sequential Core (21 Credits)
LED752Theoretical Foundations of Reading and Writing3
LED753Workshop in Understanding Literacy Difficulties3
LED754Workshop in Diagnosing Literacy Difficulties3
LED755Workshop in Intervention of Literacy Difficulties, B-63
LED757Clinical Practices in Literacy Intervention, B-63
LED759Workshop in Action Research for Literacy Leaders3
LED760Literacy Leadership and Coaching3
Distributive Core (12 Credits)
LED512Children's and Young Adult Literature3
LED528Literacy and Language Learners3
SED549Teaching Literacy Across the Disciplines 6-123
LED510Teaching Writing & Multimodal Text Production3
Diversity Elective (3 Credits)
Select one course from the list below:3
Issues in Multicultural Education
Race and Gender in Education
Education Across Borders:International Ideas and Experience
Tchg. Learners of Culturally/Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds
Issues in Literacy for Diverse Learners
Total Credits36

Students who are interested in applying for the Literacy Education 030A, Literacy Education 030B, or the Master’s Literacy Education Program should contact the Literacy Coordinator literacy@newpaltz.edu

While 6 credits of coursework may be taken as a non-matriculated student and transferred into the program, taking classes as a non-matriculated student does not guarantee the transferability of credits into the program, nor does it guarantee admission to the program. After matriculation and with approval of your advisor and the Associate Provost and Dean of GPIS, you may transfer up to six graduate credits. Credits cannot be transferred after the plan of study is approved.

Graduate Checklist

  • Apply for graduation via my.newpaltz.edu under “Graduation” tab according to the schedule in the academic calendar.   

  • Resolve any pending admission conditions (outlined in your acceptance letter) and/or missing documents if applicable. 

  • Review your progress report via my.newpaltz.edu to ensure that you have completed all program requirements.  

  • Remember that only two grades below a B- may be applied to your plan of study 

  • Contact your advisor if you need to amend your plan or process transfer credit. 

  • Ensure that you are in good academic standing with a GPA (Grade Point Average) of 3.0 or higher. 

  • Pass your capstone or culminating assessment. 

  • Complete your degree within the specified time limit outlined in the Program Overview. 

Requirements for Completion of Degree

Candidates are required to:

  • Develop a plan of study with an advisor upon matriculation;
  • Complete no more than 6 credits of course-work toward the degree prior to matriculation;
  • Complete prescribed course-work and other requirements within five years of matriculation;
  • Maintain a cumulative average of 3.0 or better. The Literacy Sequential Core courses require a B (84) or better to proceed to the next course in the sequence.  If you do not earn a B (84), you can retake one course, one time.

Program Learning Outcomes

  • Content Knowledge: Candidates will demonstrate content knowledge related to:  major theories and evidence-based practices in literacy education; Literacy curriculum and assessment; understanding and valuing diversity; learning environments that accelerate literacy development; and adult learning theory and coaching.
  • Planning: Candidates will demonstrate ability design and implement curriculum to meet the specific literacy needs of learners. Candidates demonstrate ability to adapt materials and instruction to meet the evolving needs of learners as evidenced through ongoing progress monitoring. 
  • Assessment of P-12 Learning: Candidates will demonstrate ability to correctly use a variety of literacy assessments to analyze students’ needs and strengths and establish individualized learning goals and progress monitoring plan. 
  • Dispositions: Candidates will demonstrate positive professional dispositions with their students, students’ families, their colleagues, and their professors. 
  • Pedagogical Practice: Candidates will demonstrate skill in: professional judgment and communication; use of varied evidence-based instructional and assessment approaches, tools, and texts; ability to teach from a strengths-based perspective; and design an effective physical and social learning environment.
  • Educational Technology: Candidates will demonstrate ability to use digital texts and resources to improve student literacy learning. 
  • Critical Thinking and Reasoning:  Clearly articulate an issue or problem; identify, analyze, and evaluate ideas, data, and arguments as they engage in planning, assessing, and teaching; and acknowledge limitations such as perspective and bias as they develop well-reasoned arguments to form judgements and/or draw conclusions that support pedagogical decisions. 

  • Information Literacy:  Locate appropriate resources effectively using appropriate tools; evaluate information with an awareness of authority, validity, and bias; and demonstrate an understanding of the ethical dimensions of information use, creation, and dissemination as they relate to the field of education.