Mount Saint Mary College is proud to announce a new addition to its popular graduate Education program: an advanced certificate in Gifted Education.
This four-course, 12-credit graduate program will provide certified teachers and administrators with a solid background and expertise in serving the needs of gifted and talented kindergarten to 12th grade students.
Students will earn this certification in one year through a hybrid (part in person; part online) program at the Mount. A new cycle of these courses begins in the Fall semester.
“Districts in New York are adding specially-designed instruction and enrichment programming for gifted students, but in order to teach in those programs, educators must be certified,” explained Vicki Caruana, associate professor and Gifted Program coordinator at the Mount. “Our advanced certificate program is the only such offering in the Hudson Valley and has the potential to serve the needs of teachers and administrators from Rockland County north to the Canadian border.”
Meeting the educational needs of every child in the classroom can be challenging, said Caruana, and this certification will help educators to achieve that goal.
“Every child deserves a quality education in which they learn and grow to their potential,” she noted. “The needs of gifted students are unique…and they deserve teachers who are prepared to meet those needs.”
In addition to offering the certification, Mount Saint Mary College is partnering with area districts to help prepare their educators to teach in gifted programs. This includes an initial cohort of five educators who will receive their gifted and talented certification.
“The Newburgh Enlarged City School District is actively building gifted programming into their existing curriculum and have supported a beginning cohort of teachers to complete this program,” explained Caruana. “Working with these teachers has been an honor and privilege.”
Mount Saint Mary College’s rigorous education program has produced two New York State Teachers of the Year in the last decade: Debra Calvino ’81 (2010) and Dana McDonough ’91, MSEd ’00 (2016).
But Mount Education students begin making a difference long before earning their diplomas: The college is known for its commitment to service and community engagement. Mount Education students enjoy many real-world, experiential learning opportunities during their training. Through programs such as the college’s Collaborative for Equity in Literacy Learning (CELL) and partnerships with local organizations such as the Newburgh Ministry, Mount teacher candidates, graduate and undergraduate, help instill a love of reading in local youth as part of their community fieldwork requirement.
The Mount’s nationally accredited Education program embeds fieldwork in coursework beginning in sophomore year, and earns high marks in preparing students for New York State licensure.
To learn more, attend the Graduate Showcase event at the Mount on April 17. For more information or to register, visit msmc.edu/gradevent For more information, visit msmc.edu.