Site Coordinator
Dr. Sassy Sasson
2900 Bedford Avenue
James Hall-Room 2111
Brooklyn, NY 11210
Main: 718-951-5214
ssasson@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Success Stories
The LEAP to Teacher program at Brooklyn College serves over 100 undergraduate and graduate students every semester with a high rate of retention and graduation.
The Murphy Institute’s LEAP to Teacher (LTT) program at Brooklyn College serves as a central resource for participating paraprofessionals with questions or concerns about any aspect of their learning journey at Brooklyn College. The main purpose of the LEAP to Teacher program at Brooklyn College is to enable employed paraprofessionals in the NYC Department of Education (D.O.E) to further pursue their education and advance their career. We help each student to enter and complete all degree requirements in a timely fashion and without undue stress. We have the best interest of each and every student at heart. All services will be held virtually until further notice.
Academic Programs
Undergraduate Studies
The School of Education at Brooklyn partners with the LEAP to Teacher program to prepare a new generation of teachers to serve the diverse New York City student populations. It offers undergraduate programs in Early Childhood Education; Art Education; Childhood; Bilingual, Special Education and Secondary Education.
Paraprofessionals can also study any other undergraduate subject area available at Brooklyn College.
Graduate Studies
Brooklyn College offers a wide range of graduate master’s programs. These include Early Childhood, Middle School, and Secondary Education. There are specialized programs in School Counseling, School Psychology, Special Education, Bilingual Education, and Educational Leadership. Additionally, an internship certificate option is available for most programs which enables students to begin full-time teaching after completing half of their courses toward a master’s degree.
Academic Support
On-Campus LTT Services
The LEAP to Teacher program provides a full range of support services to undergraduate and graduate students. These services may include:
- Assistance with the pre-admissions, application, and registration process
- Ongoing advisement to ensure a positive and rewarding college experience from pre-admission through graduation
- Assistance with assignment comprehension and writing improvement
- Tutoring services for writing improvement (resumes, cover letter, essays, applications)
- Assistance with special opportunities, including scholarships, D.O.E Career Training Program (CTP) vouchers, and financial assistance
- Networking with alumni to provide career opportunities
Off-Campus LTT Services
The LEAP to Teacher program offers a variety of free non-credit courses and workshops. These workshops/courses are designed to enhance students’ math and writing skills, and to prepare them for the New York State Teachers Certification Exams.
New York State Teaching Assistant Certification Exam Preparation Workshop
Assessment of Teaching Assistant Skills (ATAS)
The Murphy’s LEAP to Teacher Program offers a free 6- week exam preparation workshop for CUNY students who have over 40 credits interested in obtaining the NY State Teaching Assistant Certification and becoming a Teacher Assistant/ Teaching Paraprofessional to provide direct instructional services to students under the general supervision of a certified teacher. The workshop prepares students for taking the New York State Assessment of Teaching Assistant Skills test (NYS-ATAS), which is the required test for getting the teaching assistant certification. Please visit the test preparation workshops schedule to RSVP. For more information please contact LTT@slu.cuny.edu.
Educating All Students (EAS)
The EAS exam preparation workshop focuses on the skills needed to effectively teach diverse populations. Please visit the test preparation workshops schedule to RSVP.
The workshop covers the following topics:
- Techniques to approach various multiple choice questions
- Constructing an effective constructed written response
- Test-taking strategies
Combined Early Childhood and Childhood Multi-Subject (CST)
The CST exam preparation workshop focuses on the strategies required to be successful in the multi subject specialty test for grades K- 6th. Please visit the test preparation workshops schedule to RSVP.
The workshop covers the following topics:
- Literacy and English Language Arts (Multiple choice and constructed written response)
- Mathematics (multiple choice and Constructed written response)
- Arts and Sciences (multiple choice)
- Test-taking strategies
edTPA
The edTPA is a performance-based, subject-specific assessment and support system that aspiring teachers must complete in order to become a NYC DOE teacher. It is designed to emphasize, measure, and support the skills and knowledge needed by all teachers in the classroom.
The edTPA assessments, ranging from Pre-K – 12th grade, feature a common set of tasks focusing on Planning, Instruction, and Assessment. This workshop will cover the different tasks that must be completed in order to be successful with your edTPA portfolio. Finally, it will help students understand and use the edTPA handbook and other support materials toward preparing their portfolios.
Please visit the test preparation workshops schedule to RSVP.
The workshop will review:
- Task 1: Planning for Literacy Instruction and Assessment
- Task 2: Instructing and Engaging Students in Learning
- Task 3: Assessing Student Learning
- Task 4: Assessing Student learning in Mathematics
- Tips and tricks to use in order to help with a successful edTPA
- The Do’s and Do-Not’s of your edTPA
Elementary Assessment of Teaching Skills (ATS-W)
The Elementary Assessment of Teaching Skills (ATS-W) workshop provides an opportunity to master exam strategies in replacement of the edTPA. This workshop will cover the exam format for pre k -6th grade. As it stands, this exam is being offered during the Spring and Summer semesters in place of the edTPA. Please visit the test preparation workshops schedule to RSVP.
The workshop’s format will include:
- Overview of exam format, scoring etc.
- Techniques and strategies for answering different kinds of multiple choice questions
- Written response content, development and organization; successful examples analyzed and discussed
- Extensive and intensive practice with realistic questions and written response prompts
The Mathematics for Future Teachers Course certificate program is a free course that focuses on how to efficiently teach Pre-K and elementary mathematics. Running consecutively on Saturdays, students learn the importance of becoming an effective problem solver, how to identify common math misconceptions, as well as how to prepare for the CST exam. Embedded tutoring is also provided. To apply for this course, please contact your LTT Site Coordinator to complete an application.
As a collaborative effort, the LEAP to Teacher Program and the School of Education at CSI organize the annual Mathematics Connection Conference every May. The conference offers: a wide variety of interactive presentations, panel discussions, activities for children, specially designed for teachers and educational students. Please contact your LTT coordinator to get more information or email ltt@slu.cuny.edu.