Program Coordinator
Yang Hu
901 West Building
212 772-4753
yang.hu@hunter.cuny.edu 

The MS in Adolescent Literacy Program is a 30-credit graduate program designed to prepare teachers to meet New York State requirements for professional certification as a literacy teacher grades 5-12.

The curriculum is designed to help teachers develop professional dispositions and expertise in literacy education, in accordance with standards established by the International Reading Association, New York State Commissioner’s Regulations and the knowledge required for the NYSED Literacy Content Specialty Test. Strategies for helping  English language learners and the use of technology are integrated in every course. The program of study emphasize strategies for developing middle and high school students’ abilities to comprehend, discuss, study and write about multiple forms of text (print, visual and oral), taking into account their interests in the Internet, hypermedia, and various interactive communication technologies. The 30-credit course of study consists of three cores: Content Core (15 credits), Intervention Core (9 credits), and Leadership Core (6 credits).

The Adolescent Literacy program is designed to serve certified teachers who wish to:

1. become knowledgeable and skilled in integrating the teaching of literacy in the content areas in middle and high schools;
   
2. develop the expertise to work collaboratively with content area teachers in implementing effective literacy instruction across the middle and high school curricula;
   
3. look forward to a career as a leader in the teaching of literacy at the school, district or city-wide level;
   
4. obtain advanced preparation in one-on-one and small group literacy intervention programs;
   
5. earn a master’s degree or gain the 30-credits above the master's degree for their salary differential.
   

Career opportunities for graduates of the Adolescent Literacy program include:

1. middle and high school content area teachers with special expertise in integrating the teaching of language and literacy into their specialty;
   
2. middle and high school literacy specialists and coaches;
   
3. literacy specialists in hospitals and community centers;
   
4. literacy specialists in private tutoring practice;
   
5. literacy specialists in the educational publishing industry
   

Core Beliefs of the Literacy Program

The courses, content, and competencies of the Hunter College Literacy Program are built upon shared core beliefs and values about literacy, adolescents, and teachers.  The core beliefs that guide the coursework in the program are:

• The goal of literacy is to produce lifelong learners (among teachers and students) who use literacy to meet their needs and purposes  This belief is reflected in competencies and methods of evaluation throughout the program.
• Literacy is a dynamic, social process of speaking, listening, reading and writing that involves discourse practices, values and beliefs acquired at home and learned in school.  This belief is reflected in coursework in adolescent literacy, language literacy and learning, young adult literature, and orientations to content in many other courses.
• Literacy skills can (and should) be instructed, experienced and learned in many different ways to meet multiple needs and purposes.  This belief is reflected in coursework in instructional approaches, writing, literacy within the disciplines, remediation and the organization of literacy programs.
• Involvement of and communication with families, communities, supplemental service providers and professional colleagues is essential in supporting the literacy development and meeting the learning needs of diverse adolescents within urban settings.  This belief is reflected in modules in special needs adaptations and coursework in leadership, diagnosis, assessment and embedded competencies and methods of evaluation in many other courses.
• Diversities in all forms (including exceptionalities and giftedness) at many levels and in many contexts are strengths that should be built upon for effective literacy learning to occur.  This belief is reflected throughout the program in competencies, methods of evaluation, and orientations to content.
• Assessment is the foundation upon which instruction, curriculum design, and program development should be based.  This belief is reflected in coursework in assessment, diagnosis, instructional approaches, leadership, and embedded in competencies and methods of evaluation in other courses.