MSEd in Literacy Education Grades 5-12

Program Overview

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. 

Admission 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**

**

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.

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

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.