Gifted Education Extension Certificate

New York State offers a number of pathways to teacher certification. One pathway is the "Individual Evaluation."  It is designed for teachers who hold a valid New York State Teaching Certificate, have a Master's Degree and wish to earn an extension, such as Gifted Education, 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 for the Gifted Education Extension (PreK - 12):

NYS Requirements College Coursework (12 credits)

• Identifying characteristics of gifted students
• Tools and methods for identifying and assessing gifted students
• Learning environments for students who learn differently from classmates
• Curriculum design for gifted students
• Collaborating with other school staff to provide individualized instruction

The following online graduate-level and 3-credit courses are offered at Molloy to meet these requirements: 

EDU 5290 - Identifying and Assessing Gifted Students
EDU 5291 - Designing Curriculum and Instruction for Gifted Students
EDU 5292 - Differentiating Instruction for Diverse Learners
EDU 5293 - Collaboration and Leadership in Gifted Education

Please note: If you plan to take all four courses; we require teachers to take them in the sequence above.

Schedule of Classes and Online Format
All of the graduate Gifted Education courses are offered entirely online in a totally asynchronous format. The courses are not taught in "real time", meaning that students do not have to attend at a given time. However, there will be assignments due on specific days/times. You are required to start the class at some point during the first day of the course and you are not allowed to register past the first day of the course start date. The online courses run for about 4 weeks in the fall, spring and summer. However, the courses must be taken in sequence as outlined above.  

Requirements and NYS Evaluations of Credentials (TEACH Online)

You will have to apply directly to NYS for your certification through the TEACH online system. However, you may have courses in your background that would satisfy some of the course requirements. 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 have taken is similar, we would suggest taking a different course. The only definitive answer about how many courses you may need must come from NYS. To file for the extension in Gifted Education and have your credentials evaluated by NYS, visit the NYS Office of Teaching Initiatives. There is a $100 fee to apply for teacher certification, but once you have 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 to the NYS TEACH online system for certification and an evaluation.

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

Tuition
The tuition is discounted to $945 per course. There are no application or course fees. This is a discounted tuition rate. Tuition is normally about $4,000 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 and are not pursuing a master's degree with Molloy University. There are no other discounts given. Students and teachers who are pursuing a master's degree at Molloy University are not eligible to enroll in this program at the discounted rate.

Admission and Registration Procedures
The extension does not have a deadline because courses are offered throughout the year, and they do not follow a semester schedule. There are no defined overall start and end dates. Therefore, you can complete an application and registration at any time. Everyone is accepted as long as they are a NYS certified teacher. There is no application fee and GREs are not required. If you are registering for the first time, you will be sent an email within a few business days with your username to log in to your student account, to access the system for future registrations as well as Canvas, our learning management system.

We suggest that you 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.

Click here for the application/registration procedures. 

Quick Links:

• Registration Procedure
• Student Accounts, Technology, and Canvas
• Grades and Transcript Requests
• Applying for Gifted Certification with NYS
• Gifted Ed Course Descriptions

Questions?
Email Krista Lombardo at klombardo@molloy.edu

If you have specific questions about the gifted education coursework, please contact Dr. Vicky Giouroukakis.