Program Overview:
Program in Early Childhood and Childhood (Elementary) Education (Birth to Grade 6)
The Teacher Education Department identifies the purposes of its education sequence for Early Childhood and Childhood Education candidates seeking initial certification at the graduate level as the development of education professionals who are reflective practitioners able to link content, theory, and practice, and create effective learning environments for children with the full range of abilities and experiential backgrounds. Reflecting these purposes, the education sequence combines classroom, laboratory, and field experiences that are guided and facilitated by the College’s faculty and supervisors who have had experiences in diverse classroom settings and who exemplify the reflective, scholarly, caring education professional.
The program provides the education course work required for initial and professional certification for birth-grade 6 in New York State and reciprocal states.
- Applicants who are not provisionally or initially certified in Early Childhood, Childhood, or Elementary Education, but wish to be, should apply for admission to this Early Childhood and Childhood Education Program for Initial Certification (birth to grade 6), explained below.
- Applicants who are provisionally or initially certified in Early Childhood, Elementary or Childhood Education who seek a master’s degree and wish to work toward their permanent or professional certification are referred to the master’s program in Curriculum and Instruction.
Career opportunities for graduates of the Early Childhood and Childhood Education programs include classroom teacher in the preschool or elementary school, professional with State Education Departments, consultant to private agencies, and staff person for a publishing house.
Objectives
Consistent with the Conceptual Framework of the School of Education of The College of Saint Rose, graduates of the Early Childhood and Childhood Education program must demonstrate:
- Professionalism in exercising their roles as childhood educators in social contexts;
- Effective oral and written communication and interpersonal skills;
- Knowledge of elementary school curriculum, content, and best practices commensurate with pupils’ needs, ages and previous learning;
- Ability to plan, implement, and evaluate child-centered instruction and learning and engage in innovative practice;
- Organization and positive classroom management techniques;
- Ability to teach exceptional children effectively;
- Responsiveness to the characteristics of children that reflect their cultural, socio-economic and personal histories; and
- Ability to integrate a variety of technological methods and programs to enhance student learning and practitioner effectiveness.
Program Contact:
Dr. Christina Pfister
Teacher Education Department Chair
Email: pfisterc@strose.edu
Program Requirements:
The 48-51 credits of graduate study include:
a. Educational Research (3-6 Credits)
Thesis may be taken for three or six credits, but students who wish to stay within the 48-credit minimum should select Thesis for three credits.
b. Teaching of Literacy (9 Credits)
ELE 515 - 15 field hours in first or second grade are required
ELE 516 - 15 field hours in third-sixth grade are required
ECE 536 - 15 field hours with children birth-age 3 are required
c. Core Course Work (27 Credits)
EDU 506 - 10 field hours in grades first-sixth grades are required
ECE 531 - 15 field hours in prekindergarten or kindergarten are required
ECE 585 - 20 field hours in kindergarten–second grade are required
ELE 580 - 15 field hours in first-sixth grades are required
ELE 585 - 15 field hours in first-second grades are required
ELE 586 - 15 field hours in third-sixth grades are required
SED 515 - 15 field hours are required
d. Additional Non-credit Requirements (0 Credits)
All workshops must be completed prior to student teaching.
e. Student Teaching and Student Teaching Seminar (8 Credits)
f. Portfolio Evaluation (1 Credit)
Requirements for College Recommendation for Certification*:
- General education requirement (30 credits): college-level study in the areas of English (6 credits including composition), social science (3 credits from economics, political science, history, sociology, geography, anthropology, psychology), mathematics (3 credits), science (3 credits), information retrieval/educational technology (3 credits), artistic expression (3 credits), humanities (3 credits literature, philosophy, and religious studies, classics, history, languages, performing arts, music, cultural studies, communication), language other than English (3 credits which may include Sign Language), and 3 credits of further disciplinary study in one of the core areas.
- Requirement for the academic concentration (30 credits): A concentration in a liberal arts or science area, including Art (may not be predominately Studio Art), American Studies, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, English/Language Arts, General Science, language other than English, Mathematics, Music (may not be predominately studio studies), Physics, Psychology or Human Development, or Social Studies.
* Applicants with insufficient credit in the general education requirement or the academic concentration requirement and/or with academic concentrations or majors not listed above are encouraged to apply but may need to complete additional course work. Analysis of transcripts may lead to recommendations that individuals accepted into the program complete the additional course work in general education and/or approved academic concentrations or majors. Deficiencies may be competed at the undergraduate or graduate level. For further information students should contact advisors with questions or concerns regarding deficiencies. Teacher candidates select appropriate courses in consultation with their faculty advisor.
Master's Degree Program in Early Childhood and Childhood Education (Birth-Grade 6) for Initial Certification: Requirements for Degree and College Recommendation for Certification
This program is designed for students who do not hold initial or provisional certification in Childhood Education or Early Childhood Education. The program requires a minimum of 48 credits of study and includes a one-semester, full-time student teaching experience. Consistent with New York State guidelines, this initial certification program in Early Childhood and Childhood Education requires 150 hours of classroom field experience prior to student teaching. These are course-embedded field experience hours that must be completed in birth-grade 6 settings. Students must obtain fingerprint clearance from the New York State Department of Education or equivalent security clearance prior to the commencement of all field experiences. Fingerprinting information is available in the Field Placement and Advising Office of the School of Education, and on the New York State Department of Education “TEACH” website. Field experiences occur during the normal school day. Candidates are required to be available to complete the necessary field experience hours during the school day.
Admission into the College does not ensure good standing in the program in Early Childhood and Childhood Education, nor does good standing in the Early Childhood and Childhood Education program ensure admission to student teaching. Teacher candidates must apply for student teaching in accordance with program guidelines while completing education course requirements. In order to be eligible for initial teacher certification in New York State, teacher candidates must pass required New York State Teacher Certification Examinations. Upon fulfilling the academic requirements of the program and being recommended for certification by the College, receiving fingerprint clearance, and passing examinations required by the New York State Education Department, students qualify for initial certification in Early Childhood and Childhood Education (Birth-grade 2 and grades 1-6) in New York State, and will have fulfilled the academic requirements for professional certification. Candidates must apply for certification to the New York State Education Department. Application must be completed online through the New York State Department of Education “TEACH” website. Application instructions and links can be found on The College of Saint Rose website.
Internship/Field Experience/Service:
For students in the graduate B-6 program 150 field experience hours are required. The following courses have embedded field experience hours:
Required Courses
Culminating Academic Experiences:
Student Teaching, Student Teaching Seminar, and Portfolio
| EDU 580 | Mth Tch Native LA-Cont Areas | 3 |
| EDU 581 | Mth Tch ELA as New Lang | 3 |
| EDU 582 | Mtd Tch Eng as New Lang-Cnt Ar | 3 |
Educational Research
Bilingual Education Extension (Optional):
Bilingual Education - ADV CERT
Grades 7-9 Extension (Optional):
The New York State Education Department offers an extension for grades 7-9 to the teaching certificate for Childhood Education (grades 1-6). An extension is not required as part of the Early Childhood and Childhood Education program at The College of Saint Rose. An extension will show that the certified childhood education teacher has additional expertise to teach a subject in grades 7-9. in the area of the extension. Subjects for the 7-9 extension are Biology, Chemistry, English, Mathematics, Physics, Social Studies or Spanish. Early Childhood and Childhood Education students who wish the College to recommend them to the New York State Education Department for the extension must complete an academic concentration of at least 30 credits in the extension area, all requirements for the Early Childhood and Childhood Education (Birth-Grade 6) program, all requirements for initial teacher certification, and the following additional requirements:
Requirements (6 Credits)
EDU 530: A 10-hour classroom field experience is required.
Students should also take the subject-specific Content Specialty Test, a component of the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE).
Professional Accreditation:
The College of Saint Rose, sponsored by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet, Albany Province, is chartered by the Board of Regents of New York State. All of its degrees and programs are registered and its professional programs are fully approved by the Board of Regents through the New York State Education Department.
The College of Saint Rose is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (267-284-5000). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
The specialized accrediting agencies noted below are recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and/or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation: Programs offered by The College of Saint Rose for the preparation of all school professionals, leading to initial and advanced certifications, are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education/Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.
Admissions and Financial Aid Information:
General Admission Information
Eligibility for admission to The College of Saint Rose graduate programs is typically based upon the following minimum requirements:
- Submission of a completed application, a resume, and Statement of Purpose of approximately 300 words detailing the applicant’s goals for graduate study.
- Evidence of the possession of a U.S. baccalaureate degree or equivalent from an accredited institution through submission of official transcripts from all post-secondary education.
- Academic and professional qualifications for graduate study, as indicated by two letters of recommendation. The Communication Sciences & Disorders and School Psychology programs requirethree letters of recommendation.
- A grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), overall and in the undergraduate major.
- Other admission criteria specified by academic programs such as submission writing samples, portfolios, test scores, and participation in interviews or admissions workshops.
Applicants to The College of Saint Rose are responsible for completing their applications by submitting all required components. Prospective students can access the online application and application instructions at www.strose.edu/gradapply.
See Graduate Admissions section for more information.
Financial Aid
The College of Saint Rose has long been committed to the premise that a quality education should be within the reach of qualified students. To this end, the College serves its student body through a comprehensive program of federal, state, and institutional financial aid. While the basic responsibility for financing education lies with the students and their families, scholarships, loans, and/or assistantships can supplement insufficient family resources. The amount of aid available through the College is limited and is awarded on the basis of academic merit. All financial assistance from the College is subject to adjustment if the recipients are later granted aid from other sources. Financial aid awards are contingent upon students’ maintaining good academic standing and satisfactory academic progress.
See Financial Aid section for more information.
Additional Early Childhood and Childhood Education Admission Requirements:
- Admission to the program in Early Childhood and Childhood Education is contingent upon meeting general admissions requirements for graduate study at The College of Saint Rose. In order for the College to recommend candidates for certification in New York State, teacher candidates must meet course work requirements in the education sequence, the general education requirement, and the requirement for an academic concentration or a major in an area of the liberal arts or sciences. The course work requirements in general education and an approved academic concentration or major are not offered as a part of the graduate programs. (The Early Childhood and Childhood Education program satisfies requirements for the education sequence only.)
Following are the requirements for the graduate program in Early Childhood and Childhood Education:
Requirements for Admission
- GPA requirement: satisfactory completion (i.e., minimum GPA of 3.0) of the bachelor’s degree at an accredited institution;
- Submission of GRE score.
- Interview: applicants may be required to have a personal interview with a representative from the Department of Teacher Education.
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