Childhood Grades 1-6 Certification

Cupola atop a building on the Molloy University campus

New York State offers a number of pathways to teacher certification. One pathway is the: "Individual Evaluation for Additional Certificate Pathway". It is designed for teachers who hold a valid New York State Teaching Certificate and wish to earn an additional certification, such as, Childhood Grades 1-6, without having to earn an additional degree. Candidates for NYS certification through this "Individual Pathway" must meet certain Content Core and Pedagogical Core requirements and must also meet any non-coursework requirements, such as the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations and fingerprint clearance, as specified. 

  The following are the course requirements for the Individual Pathway Childhood Grades 1-6:

Content Core (18 credits)
    -College Coursework - Concepts in Historical and Social Sciences - 6 credits
    -College Coursework - Scientific Processes - 6 credits
    -College Coursework - Mathematical Processes - 6 credits

It has been our experience that most teachers have the 18 credits needed in the content core. If you should need credits in this area we would suggest that you look into taking the needed credits at a local community college.      

Pedagogical Core (9 credits)
    -College Coursework EXCLUSIVELY at Student Developmental Level - Childhood-Grades 1-6 - 6 credits
    -College Coursework - Teaching Literacy Skills Methods - 3 credits  (It has been our experience that most teachers have this course in their background)

The following courses are offered at Molloy meet the pedagogical core requirements:
EDU 5277, Strategies, Methods & Environments for Teaching Childhood Students with Disabilities (meets 3 of the 6 credits required in the college coursework exclusively at the Student Development Level - Childhood-Grades 1-6)
EDU 5279, Curriculum, Content, Practices, and Environmental Issues for Teaching Childhood Students with Disabilities (meets 3 of the 6 credits required in the college coursework exclusively at the Student Development Level - Childhood-Grades 1-6)
EDU 5062, Language and Literacy: Principles and Practices for Childhood Classrooms (meets the 3 credits required in the college coursework for Teaching Literacy Skills Methods and may meet 3 of the 6 credits required in the college coursework exclusively at the Student Development Level - Childhood-Grades 1-6)   
It has been our experience that most teachers have this course in their background.

Fall 2022 Schedule of Classes
Molloy's online admission/registration system is called Lion's Den. The Lion's Den web page for Professional Studies courses can be found at: https://lionsden.molloy.edu/ICS/Professional_Studies/
Please note: New students for the Summer Fall- when completing the online application/registration form please select "2022 Fall Institute" as the term in the drop down.

EDU 5277.02
10/26 -12/20/22
Asynchronous online
Kirsten Watts

EDU 5279.03
9/7 -12/20/22
Asynchronous online
Chamblin

How many courses do you need to become certified?
Most teachers may have courses in their background that would satisfy some of the course requirements. The only definitive answer about how many courses that you may need must come from NY State. We suggest looking at the courses that you have taken to see if any of those courses are similar to what is required by NYS. If any course that you've taken sounds similar, we would suggest holding off taking that course or courses until you receive the official notification from NYS.

To have your credentials evaluated by NYS visit the NYS Office of Teaching Initiatives  and file for certification for Childhood Education to find out which courses that you have taken before may qualify. Do this as soon as possible - even before you enroll in any courses! There is a $100 fee to apply teacher certification, but once you've paid the fee you do not have to pay it again as long as you complete the process within three years and do not ask for more than two evaluations. Click here for detailed instructions on applying for certification.

Practicum, Field study or Student Teaching
Under this pathway you are not required to do a practicum, field study or student teaching. NYS does not require teachers who are NYS certified to complete student teaching again when they are applying for additional certification. 

Course Scheduling
Courses for the fall have switched  to online formats due to the current meeting restrictions. The courses will be offered in a Hybrid Online format. Courses given in the hybrid format will be taught using two online platforms: Zoom (which is a synchronous platform, meaning that it is taught "live"), as well as using Canvas (which is an asynchronous platform, meaning that you can go in at any time to access the course materials).  The course will consist of 15 hours of "live" in-class instruction using Zoom at specific days and times, 15 hours of online work using Canvas and additional assignments that will require teachers to use strategies and research concepts learned in class and online that would necessitate a minimum of an additional 15 hours to complete satisfactorily, for a total of 45 contact hours of instruction for each 3-credit course. The online portion of our courses is not taught in "real time", meaning students do not have to log in during the time of the classroom course. Therefore, you do not have to attend at a given time. You can log on at any time to take the course. However, there will be assignments that will be due at specific times. The fall schedule usually comes out in late April and the spring schedule usually comes out in November.  The summer schedule usually comes out in January with registration beginning in March. 

Tuition

Each course in the program is offered at $945 per 3-credit graduate course. This is a discounted tuition rate. Tuition is normally about $3,800 per 3-credit graduate course. The tuition is off-set by a professional development scholarship that is given to those teachers who already possess a master's degree, possess a valid New York State Teaching Certificate and are not pursuing a master's degree with Molloy College. No other discounts are offered. Students and teachers who are pursuing a master's degree at Molloy College are not eligible to enroll in Certification Pathway courses.  

Admission and Registration Procedure
The program does not have traditional deadline dates because courses are offered throughout the year and they do not follow a semester schedule. There are no defined overall start and end dates for the program. Therefore, you can apply to the program at any time. The registration process is rather simple because you are not applying for a Molloy degree. There is an online application that you need to complete, but that is for information purposes only. Everyone is accepted as long as you are a NYS certified teacher. There is no application fee and GREs are not required. If you are enrolling in the program for the first time, there is a combined application/registration form that you will complete online.  Once you register for the first time you will be sent an email within one to two business days with your username to login your student account to access the system for future registrations and to access Canvas, our online learning platform.

You should register at least a week before the course start date at the latest in order to register for the first time. After that you can register up until the day before the class, but then you run the risk that a course could be full.

All registrations for courses are conducted online. Click here for the application/registration procedures. The online registration process differs if you are a continuing student or if you are a new student. 

If you have any questions, contact Alina R. Haitz by email at:  ahaitz@molloy.edu.

Closed Courses
Once you have found the section of the course that you wish to take, just check the "Status" of the course to see that it is "open", if so, just click the box next to the course code to register and pay for the course. If the status is "closed" you will need to select another section. Please do not contact the instructor or administrator for permission to register for a closed section of a course. Permission will not be granted to enter a closed section of a course.

Absences/Makeups
Hybrid courses are offered in an accelerated, part classroom and part online format. The number of classroom sessions is generally between 3-5 sessions. Missing even one session in this format can be very detrimental. Therefore, it is imperative that teachers attend each classroom session.  If you know that you are not going to be able to attend one or more sessions prior to registering for a course, please select another section of the course. Please do not contact the faculty member teaching the course regarding a make-up for a known absence prior to the start date. Make-ups are not permitted.  

Virtual Information Session
August 9 th at 4 pm
Email Alina Haitz at ahaitz@molloy.edu to receive the Zoom link

Virtual Office Hours
Thursdays, 4 pm - 5 pm.
Email Alina R. Haitz at ahaitz@molloy.edu to RSVP and receive the Zoom meeting information.
If Thursdays do not work for your schedule, please contact Alina R. Haitz to set up a call for an alternative time/day.