Program Overview
| Program Coordinator | Barbara Chorzempa |
| Program ID | 059P |
| Credits | 39 |
| Modality | In-Person |
| Full-time/Part-time | Full-time or Part-time |
| Transfer Credits | 6 |
| Capstone | Practicum* |
| Licensure/Certification | Students with Disabilities (All Grades) and Literacy Education (All Grades) |
*Candidates accepted into the Teaching Students with Disabilities and Literacy Difficulties program will complete 3 practicum experiences: SPE773, LED780, and SPE775.
Program Description
The MSEd in Teaching Students with Disabilities and Literacy Difficulties has been carefully designed to prepare teacher candidates with the skills and qualifications needed to begin a fulfilling career as a Special Educator, Literacy Specialist, or as a General Educator with extensive knowledge in inclusive and literacy practices. This dual certification program consists of 39 credit hours and leads to the Students with Disabilities All Grades certificate as well as Literacy Education All Grades.
Admission Requirements
- Evidence of NYS initial certification in any of these areas:
- Childhood Education grades B-6 or 1-6
- Adolescence Education1 grades 7-12 in one of the following disciplines: Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Physics, Social Studies, Mathematics, English Language Arts; or
- Visual Arts Education (all grades), Music Education (all grades), Health Education (all grades), Technology Education (all grades) or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (all grades)
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One official transcript of all undergraduate and graduate work providing evidence of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with at least a 3.3 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale. Including the following courses:
- 6 credits of English composition courses with a grade of at least B
- 6 credits of History
- 6 credits of Science
- 6 credits of Mathematics
NOTE: While coursework in these areas are required for certification, students may be considered for conditional admission and complete them prior to program completion.
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Graduate Admissions Essay:
Describe your personal and professional experience that led you to apply to the Teaching Students with Disabilities and Literacy Difficulties program. How do you see this program helping you advance toward your professional goals? The response should be 300-400 words in length. The special education and literacy faculty will examine the writing sample with respect to content, clarity, and organization of ideas, grammar, and style.
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Three letters of professional recommendation written on professional letterhead. All letters must:
- Be dated and current.
- Address how long the writer has known you and in what capacity.
- Address your suitability for graduate work in special education and literacy, referring to your academic abilities, ability to work with students and others, and your professional commitment
- Two letters should be written by faculty with whom you have taken a college level class. These letters of reference should address your academic performance and your ability to successfully complete a rigorous graduate program in Special Education and Literacy. We prefer that these letters come from full-time faculty at a college or university.
- One letter should be written by one of the following individuals: a student teaching supervisor, a cooperating teacher, an administrator in a school, or a supervisor in an agency that is related to education. This letter of reference should address your ability to work with children or adolescents.
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Interview may be required.
Admission Deadline
| April 15 | Fall Admission |
Review begins April 6th and will continue until the cohort is full but applications must be started by the April 15th deadline to be considered for the program.
Plan of Study
This program may be completed in 2 years if enrolled full time, or students may pursue it in a part-time fashion by spreading their coursework over 3 years.
2 Year Plan of Study
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Term (12 Credits) | ||
| SPE566 | Introduction to Education of Students with Disabilities | 3 |
| SPE567 | Educational Assessment of Students with Disabilities | 3 |
| EDI798 | Principles of Research | 3 |
| LED510 | Teaching Writing & Multimodal Text Production | 3 |
| Spring Term (12 Credits) | ||
| SPE559 | Instructional and Behavioral Environments | 3 |
| SPE773 | Practicum and Seminar in Teaching Students with Disabilities I | 3 |
| LED740 | Workshop in Understanding Literacy Difficulties | 3 |
| LED745 | Workshop in Diagnosing Literacy Difficulties | 3 |
| Fall Term (9 Credits) | ||
| SPE757 | Instructional Practices in the Content Area for Students with Disabilities | 3 |
| LED720 | Theoretical Foundations of Reading and Writing | 3 |
| LED780 | Workshop in the Intervention of Literacy Difficulties | 3 |
| Spring Term (6 Credits) | ||
| SPE775 Clinical Practices in Teaching Students with Disabilities & Literacy Difficulties | 3 | |
| Diversity Elective | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 39 | |
3 Year Plan of Study
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Term 1 (6 Credits) | ||
| SPE566 | Introduction to Education of Students with Disabilities | 3 |
| EDI798 | Principles of Research | 3 |
| Spring Term 1 (6 Credits) | ||
| SPE559 | Instructional and Behavioral Environments | 3 |
| SPE773 | Practicum and Seminar in Teaching Students with Disabilities I | 3 |
| Fall Term 2 (9 Credits) | ||
| LED510 | Teaching Writing & Multimodal Text Production | 3 |
| SPE567 | Educational Assessment of Students with Disabilities | 3 |
| (Optional) SPE757 Instructional Practices in the Content Areas for Students with Disabilities. 1 | 3 | |
| Spring Term 2 (6 Credits) | ||
| LED740 | Workshop in Understanding Literacy Difficulties | 3 |
| LED745 | Workshop in Diagnosing Literacy Difficulties | 3 |
| Fall Term 3 (6 Credits) | ||
| LED780 | Workshop in the Intervention of Literacy Difficulties | 3 |
| LED720 | Theoretical Foundations of Reading and Writing | 3 |
| Spring Term 3 (6 Credits) | ||
| SPE775 Clinical Practices in Teaching Students with Disabilities & Literacy Difficulties | 3 | |
| Diversity Elective | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 39 | |
- 1
Students may complete SPE757 in either their second or third fall term.
Program Requirements
This program requires a minimum of 100 hours in an educational setting. As a result, part of your teacher preparation program will be conducted in the professional field under supervision with students and cooperating teachers. The required practica are offered during the spring and fall. This is important to consider in planning your program since working in the field demands that you have time available to spend in schools, clinics, and classrooms. This may necessitate an adjustment to your daily schedule.
Clinical Experiences
To ensure candidates acquire the competencies to perform various teaching/leadership roles and implement a variety of instructional strategies, all candidates accepted into the Teaching Students with Disabilities and Literacy Difficulties (All Grades) graduate program will complete 3 practicum experiences (i.e., SPE773, LED780, and SPE775) for a total of 100 hours. That is, candidates will complete a minimum of 25 hours in clinical experiences related to teaching students with disabilities (SPE773), 25 hours in clinical experiences related to providing literacy instruction (LED780), and 50 hours in a dual clinical practices experience (SPE775). The clinical experiences shall require candidates to work with actual students with disabilities in Pre-kindergarten through grade 6 and grades 7-12 educational settings, as well as in a college-supervised practica in teaching literacy to students across the grade range, including pre-kindergarten through grade 4 and grades 5 through 12.
Graduation Checklist
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Apply for graduation via my.newpaltz.edu under “Graduation” tab according to the schedule in the academic calendar.
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Resolve any pending admission conditions (outlined in your acceptance letter) and/or missing documents if applicable.
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Review your progress report via my.newpaltz.edu to ensure that you have completed all program requirements.
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Remember that only two grades below a B- may be applied to your plan of study.
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Contact your advisor if you need to amend your plan or process transfer credit.
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Ensure that you are in good academic standing with a GPA (Grade Point Average) of 3.0 or higher and that you are making satisfactory academic progress towards your degree completion.
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Pass your capstone or culminating assessment.
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Complete your degree within the specified time limit outlined in the Program Overview.
Requirements for Completion of Degree
Candidates are required to:
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Develop a plan of study with an advisor upon matriculation;
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Complete no more than 6 credits of course-work toward the degree prior to matriculation;
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Complete prescribed course-work and other requirements within five years of matriculation;
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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 Objectives
Content Knowledge: Teacher candidates who successfully complete the Teaching Students with Disabilities and Literacy Difficulties graduate program will
- develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to apply their understanding of academic subject matter content to inform their programmatic and instructional decisions for individuals with disabilities (i.e., mild, moderate, severe and multiple disabilities) as well as students who are also culturally diverse. This includes but is not limited to: a) the historical, social, and legal foundations of special education; b) characteristics of learners with disabilities, including the needs of students with autism; c) general (e.g., literacy and mathematics) and specialized curricula (e.g., methods of enrichment and remediation, transition planning); and, d) state/national, professional and ethical standards.
- 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: Teacher candidates who successfully complete the Teaching Students with Disabilities and Literacy Difficulties graduate program will
- develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to plan universally and/or specially designed lessons that a) address appropriate standards, b) include differentiated instructional strategies, c) utilize assistive and adaptive technologies (as appropriate), and d) promote safe, caring, respectful and productive learning environments.
- demonstrate ability to 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.
P-12 learning: Teacher candidates who successfully complete the Teaching Students with Disabilities and Literacy Difficulties graduate program will
- develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to design, administer, score, and interpret informal and formal assessments that inform the educator’s comprehensive understanding of a student’s interests, strengths and needs, and guide educational decisions.
- 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: Teacher candidates who successfully complete the Teaching Students with Disabilities and Literacy Difficulties graduate program will develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to demonstrate the use of professional ethical principles and professional practice standards; conduct themselves as reflective practitioners; participate effectively in institutional change, social justice, and student advocacy; and establish positive, professional interpersonal relationships with students, families, colleagues, staff, administrators, and professors.
Pedagogical practice: Teacher candidates who successfully complete the Teaching Students with Disabilities and Literacy Difficulties graduate program will
- develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to select, implement, and evaluate curriculum, instructional materials and practices, and behavior management techniques needed to promote active student engagement and maximize student learning, including a variety of developmentally and contextually appropriate evidence-based practices and culturally responsive practices.
- 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.
Critical thinking and reasoning: Teacher candidates who successfully complete the Teaching Students with Disabilities and Literacy Difficulties graduate program will
- develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to not only develop their own critical thinking skills by evaluating their methods for planning, implementing and assessing students with disabilities, but also provide opportunities to develop the critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-regulation skills of their students across the disciplines.
- 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: Teacher candidates who successfully complete the Teaching Students with Disabilities and Literacy Difficulties graduate program will develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to:
- use available instructional technologies to extend and/or enhance instructional assessment, planning, and delivery activities designed for students with disabilities; and,
- support the social, environmental, and academic needs of students with disabilities through considerations of assistive and augmentative technologies.
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.
