Seminar on the nature of substances of abuse, including legal as well as illegal drugs; factors associated with avoidance of and resistance to use and abuse of substances; risk factors; and research on effective school-based substance abuse prevention programs.

Seminar on the identification and reporting of child abuse and neglect; signs and symptoms to look for; ways to approach children; understanding the variety of ways children may convey that they are being abused or neglected; teacher concerns regarding reporting abuse or neglect; rationalizations for not reporting; working with systems; and the aftermath of reporting abuse or neglect.

Seminar on basic principles of child safety education; particular safety issues and risk factors for children of different ages; use of developmentally appropriate methods and materials to convey safety principles; proper use of materials and environments with attention to safety hazards, including fire; and refusal skill instruction, including skills related to fire and arson prevention as well as child abduction. 

Seminar on statutes, regulations and policies relating to a safe, nonviolent school climate; effective classroom management techniques and academic supports that promote a nonviolent school climate and enhance learning; social and problem-solving skill development for students within the regular school curriculum; warning signs within a developmental and social context that relate to violence and other troubling behaviors in children; intervention techniques to address school violence situations, and how to participate in an effective school/community referral process for students exhibiting violent behavior. 

Four tuition-free workshops are offered to assist students in preparing for the NYS Education Department Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (ALST) Assessment of Teaching Skills – Written (ATS-W), Content Specialty Test (CST) – Multisubject, and CST – Students with Disabilities.

3-hour Autism Workshop (required for NYSED certification)

6-hour Bullying and Harassment Workshop (required for NYSED certification)

This 12-session course focuses on enhancing the writing and reading comprehension skills students need to successfully complete graduate-level coursework in degree-bearing programs in the Division of Graduate Studies. The philosophy of the course is that good writing requires good thinking; good writing requires good reading, and students will become better writers and readers through practice, practice, and more practice. With this in mind, an aim of the course is to help students refine their writing and reading at the graduate level through guided instruction, hands-on exercises, many chances to interact with course instructors and peers, and opportunities to practice a variety of approaches to writing and reading. Attention is also paid to the communication skills and strategies students can use when taking required New York State teacher certification and other professional certification tests. Course learning topics and practice exercises and assignments are sequential. The course also provides students with materials on how to research topics for coursework and how to correctly apply APA style to research papers and reflection papers. Attendance at all 12 sessions is mandatory.\nThis course is offered in a friendly and supportive atmosphere. Classes meet weekly for two-and-a-half hours. Course instructors provide expert writing and reading help and are experienced in helping students write and read with greater ability and confidence.\nStudents are required to maintain a portfolio of their writing and reading assignments and exercises. Portfolios are established authentic assessment tools used to measure students’ progress in writing skills development and critical reading and to indicate where extra help may be needed in these areas. Weekly written feedback from course instructors will be included in each student’s portfolio. Summary progress reports will be provided to the students at the midpoint and final session of the course.\nGraduate-level writing should be error free. With this in mind, students will be provided with materials on standard American English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation and spelling.\nThis course is graded on a Pass/Fail basis. Students must complete all writing and reading assignments and bring their portfolios to all sessions. All assignments must be completed on time. One late assignment is permitted as long as it is completed and submitted the next scheduled session. Students who fail to comply with these requirements will be dropped from the course.

Writing Workshop

This non-credit, non-graded seminar helps candidates to prepare for the Educating All Students exam. The exam content focuses on effectively teaching diverse student populations, English Language Learners, and students with disabilities as well as competencies related to the parent-school connection and the professional responsibilities of effective educators. This exam is required by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) for all candidates seeking New York State Initial Teacher Certification and School Leadership certification.

This test preparation course is a non-credit, non-graded course that focuses on mathematical content, skills and teaching strategies measured on the Content Specialty Test Multi-Subject (Birth-2) or (1-6). This exam is required by the New York State Education Department(NYSED) to meet initial teaching certification.

CST Students with Disabilities Workshop