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Academic Programs

Teaching Literacy Advanced Literacy Specialization

MSEd

  • Program Overview

    UPDATE: We’re currently revising our literacy offerings so they align with the recent changes to New York State’s reading and literacy certification process. 

    If you’d like to start a Bank Street master’s degree for reading and literacy certification, you can apply now and begin this program in Summer 2024.

    If you’re looking to start in Fall 2024 or later, we encourage you to complete this form and we will let you know about our new literacy master’s degree program when it becomes available in Spring 2025 (pending state approval).

    There may be additional programs that will match your interests, too. Please reach out to Graduate Admissions at gradadmissions@bankstreet.edu and we’d be happy to help you think through the options.

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    Earn a second master’s degree in the Advanced Literacy Specialization program and hone your skills in clinical practice.

    This degree prepares you to obtain New York State certification in Literacy, Birth through Grade 6. You will be prepared to teach as a literacy specialist or a literacy coach or to work in other leadership roles. Select this degree if you have New York State certification in early childhood education or elementary education and a master’s degree in education.

    The Reading and Literacy programs are designed to prepare you to understand that literacy is a set of dynamic, interrelated, and sociocultural processes that include speaking, listening, reading, writing, and viewing. Using the core understanding that children’s literacy learning is shaped by the values, beliefs, and experiences acquired at home, school, and in their communities, you will learn to design curriculum and instruction that is responsive to the children you teach.

    This program culminates in a Master of Education and requires 30 to 33 credits.

    Graduate student and child looking at a laptop together

  • Admissions Requirements

    In addition to the main admissions criteria, there are additional requirements needed to apply for this program:

    • Applicants must already hold a valid New York State certification in General Education at the Early Childhood or Childhood level.
    • Applicants must already hold a master’s degree in Education

  • Coursework

    View the coursework for this program.

  • Supervised Fieldwork/Advisement

    Supervised fieldwork/advisement lies at the heart of a Bank Street education. Through sustained experiences in the field, supervision from core faculty, and close collaboration with peers, our graduate students develop the ability to connect theory to practice and to reflect deeply on their own growth as educators. In this program:

    • You can work as a full-time teacher in a classroom (grades 1-6) with an additional summer clinical placement OR as a student teacher in two consecutive placements in classroom and clinical settings three days per week.
    • You work as a teaching assistant in a graduate class to gain experience working with adult learners.
    • You learn from an experienced educator—your advisor—who individualizes your fieldwork throughout the school year.
    • You participate in a weekly conference group with your advisor and 5-7 other students when you collaboratively deepen your learning about teaching and learning.

  • Career Opportunities

    Your degree will provide you with a range of career opportunities:

    • You can teach in elementary school classrooms in grades 1-6 in public, charter, or independent schools.
    • You can teach as a reading specialist or literacy coach in public, charter, or independent schools.
    • Graduates who choose to teach outside of New York State can usually arrange for reciprocity for teaching certification in their new location.

    Student reading

  • Faculty

The opportunity to collaborate with peers of all different backgrounds helped to mold my own perspective on education and shape my teaching practice. I feel equipped with a repertoire of skills to address the diversity of reading-related challenges that we see in students today.
Jane Moskowitz, GSE ’18
Graduate student and child reading a book

Meet Our Alumni

  • Xiania Foster, an alumnus of Reading & Literacy, is a literacy staff developer for the organization, Teaching Matters. This article features her work with teachers to help them improve reading instruction. Read more >>
  • Clio Stearn, an alumnus of Reading & Literacy, has published a critical analysis of current approaches to socio-emotional learning in American schools. Read more >>

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