Program Requirements
Prospective teachers of French, Italian, Spanish, German or Russian select the
language they wish to teach as a liberal arts and science major (see specific
language requirements). After completing a minimum of 45 semester hours of college
semester hours of course work, the student then chooses Foreign Language Education
as a co-major. For admission policies, procedures, and program requirement, see Secondary Education,
Undergraduate Programs.
In the specific language studied, the prospective teacher must earn 24-36 semester
hours above level 4 (depending upon the particular language major) and must acquire
sufficient competence to utilize the language as an instrument of oral and written
communication. Before student teaching, the prospective teacher must present to
the Office of Field Placement a statement from the chairperson of his/her language
major(s) attesting to proficiency in written and oral communication in that language.
In addition, prospective teachers of French, Italian, Spanish, German, or Russian
must be knowledgeable of the culture and society of the country or countries in
which the target language is spoken.
All prospective teachers of French, Italian, Spanish, German, or Russian must
complete a minimum of each of the following: 6 semester hours of culture, 3 semester
hours of conversation practice, 3 semester hours of grammar, and 3 semester hours
of composition (see academic advises within the major for specific courses). The
adviser may recommend additional course work in one or more of these areas to
remedy identified weaknesses. Prospective teachers of French, Spanish or Italian
will register for FREN 107, SPAN 108, or ITAL 108 for a total of 1 semester hour.
The co-major in Foreign Language Education consists of a minimum of 31 semester
hours of education course work, including each of the following:
Student Teaching Prerequisites
After completing at least 19 semester hours of professional education course
work and an adviser audit of content area course work, students may apply for
admission to student teaching. Application forms may be obtained in the Department
of Curriculum and Teaching. Admission criteria are as follows:
- A cumulative GPA of 2.75 or better on overall course work or permission of adviser
- No grades lower than C- and no unresolved INC grades in professional education
course work
- A GPA of 2.5 or higher in course work in the target language
Teacher Certification Requirements
Upon the successful completion of a teacher education program, students will
be eligible to apply for the University’s recommendation for New York state certification.
For Initial Certification, students are required to have passing scores on each
of the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE): the Liberal
Arts and Sciences Test (LAST), the Assessment of Teaching Skills–Written (ATS-W),
and the Content Specialty Test (CST). Students not receiving passing scores on
all three examinations will not be eligible for certification.
Note
It is strongly recommended that students complete the Liberal Arts and Sciences
Test (LAST) of the New York State Teacher Certification Examination prior to student
teaching and the Assessment of Teaching Skills–Written (ATS-W), and the Content
Specialty Test (CST) during student teaching. All three NYSTCE’s should be completed
prior to graduation. Students not receiving passing scores on all three examinations
will not be eligible for certification.