Program Overview

Program Coordinator So Lim Kim, (845) 257-2826, kims23@newpaltz.edu
Program ID 074
Credits 16
Modality In-person and Hybrid
Full-time/Part-time Part-time
Licensure/Certification Bilingual Education Extension

Program Description

This 16-credit Advanced Certificate in Bilingual Education is designed for persons who already have New York State teacher certification and wish to obtain the New York State Bilingual Extension, or currently enrolled students pursuing a master’s degree in another SUNY New Paltz program (must already hold or be pursuing Initial Certification in that program). The program will:   

  • Review the historical and theoretical frameworks that have shaped bilingual education policies, program models, and teaching and assessment practices.   

  • Examine the cultural influences of bilingual education settings, identifying salient theoretical issues related to culture and social organization as they pertain to the education of ethnolinguistic and minoritized children.   

  • Explore approaches to developing literacy in a new and native language in elementary, middle, and secondary schools.   

  • Allow participants to take part in the real-world application of bilingual and bicultural classroom practices in all content areas, the teaching of an additional language (ENL), and the development of bilingualism.   

Apply to a SUNY New Paltz graduate programInstitutional Admission Requirements

  • Official transcripts from every college/university attended with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. 

  • Current NYS initial/professional certification in any of the following areas: early childhood, childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, special subject, literacy (all grades), career and technical education, students with disabilities (all grades), students who are blind or visually impaired, students who are deaf or hard of hearing, and students with speech and language disabilities.   

NOTE: NYS certification in neither ESOL (all grades) nor a World Language (e.g., Spanish, French, etc.) are eligible for a bilingual extension certificate. 

  • Professional reference who can speak to the applicant’s asset-based dispositions/ideologies and anti-racist stance to be an effective bilingual educator.  
  • An admission essay that explains the candidate’s interest in working in a bilingual/bicultural classroom.

Program Admission Requirements

  • Be working full-time as a classroom teacher.    

  • Admission Interview to demonstrate bilingualism.    

  • Register for and pass the Bilingual Education Assessment (BEA) exam and complete any missing teacher certification workshops prior to applying for certification.   

Application Deadlines

April 15 Fall Admission

Application review starts April 15th and continues until capacity is reached or July 31st.

Curriculum Requirements

Term One (3 Credits)
EED581Foundations of Bilingual/Bicultural Education 3
Term Two (13 Credits)
SED577Applied Linguistics for Teachers of English as a New Language (ENL)3
SED573Teaching English as a New Language I3
SED507Fieldwork I Second Language Education1
Term Three
EED585Teaching Reading and Language Arts in a Bilingual Setting 3
EED583Methods and Materials in Bilingual Education 3
Total Credits16

Graduation Checklist 

  • 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.  

Requirements for Completion of Degree 

Candidates are required to: 

  • Develop a plan of study with an advisor upon matriculation; 

  • Complete prescribed course-work and other requirements within five years of matriculation; 

Program Learning Outcomes

Candidates who successfully complete the Advanced Certificate in Bilingual Education will: 

  • Content Knowledge: Demonstrate content area mastery by completing at least 16 hours of coursework in bilingual/bicultural methods and content.    

  • Planning: Be able to plan lessons that are standards-based, clear, logical and organized, rely upon a variety of appropriate instructional strategies and appropriate technologies, and differentiate instruction, providing opportunities to promote appreciation of diversity, tolerance, and inclusion in safe, democratic, and equitable learning environments.    

  • Assessment and P-12 Learning: Be able to choose, design, and implement authentic and appropriate formative and summative assessments to evaluate student learning, differentiate and adapt assessments for bilingual learners through logical decision-making, consider assessment data when making instructional decisions, and identify effective or problematic teaching moments as they are occurring in order to facilitate student growth in specified content, cognitive skills, and/or social skills.    

  • Pedagogical Practice: Demonstrate the ability to maximize student learning by incorporating content and pedagogical content knowledge, appropriate and effective technology, and a variety of developmentally and contextually appropriate evidence-based instructional strategies to make learning meaningful for students while teaching.    

  • Dispositions: Exhibit the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to practice an ethically informed and self-reflective philosophy, demonstrate the ability to respond appropriately to challenges that arise in teaching, and develop respectful relationships with students, families, communities and colleagues.    

  • Critical Thinking: Identify, analyze, and evaluate different methods of planning, assessing, and teaching in order to develop well-reasoned arguments that support pedagogical decisions.   

  • Information Management: Use technology and basic research techniques in order to locate, evaluate, and synthesize best-practices concepts in content knowledge, planning, assessment and pedagogical practice.