Admission Requirements

Applications for admission to this advanced certificate program in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Technology  are made to the Graduate Admission Office. Students who do not fully meet admission requirements may be required to complete prerequisite courses concurrently with the completion of the certification program requirements. Admission is based on a comprehensive review of multiple criteria. The department understands that any single criterion may not reliably predict a student’s potential for success in the program. Students may consider applying even if they fail to meet one of the criteria listed below but feel that other aspects of their experience might compensate. All individual cases will be reviewed by an Admissions Counselor before being referred to the graduate program for further review.

1. Possession of a master’s degree or higher.
2. New York state certification in an area other than TESOL (permanent, initial, or professional).
3. A minimum overall GPA of 3.0, or it’s equivalent (e.g., a 3.0 in a completed graduate program). We encourage you to submit all transcripts from your undergraduate work and any graduate work for consideration.
4. Two letters of reference addressing the applicant’s potential to succeed in the teaching profession and in the program coursework.
5. Interview with the director of the TESOL Program.
6. A written personal statement of professional intent or rationale.
7. 12 s.h. of foreign language study or demonstrated proficiency in a second language.
8. Students who hold permanent certification must also complete General Education and Content core requirements.

General Education Core Requirements

In order to ensure that prospective teachers have a broad education in the liberal arts and sciences, all students must have completed undergraduate course work from the content areas below.

1. Language other than English (12 s.h.; can be satisfied with placement into level beyond 5)

Course work for the general education core in the liberal arts and sciences must have a GPA of 2.75 or above with no grades below a C-.

Please note that programs may have general education requirements that exceed the minimum registered with the state. Degrees will not be conferred unless all general education core deficiencies have been met.

Program Requirements - Semester Hours: 15

Field Experiences Prior to Student Teaching

A minimum of 50 clock-hours of participation/observation is required prior to practicum. At least one field placement must be in a district identified as high-needs by New York State Education Department. All field experiences are incorporated into the course curricula. Placements are arranged by the Office of Field Placement. Department policy is to place prospective teachers in districts other than those in which they reside or in schools that they attended.

Participation/observation field experiences in designated schools are required in each of the following courses:

• ELED 225 - Teaching English as a Second Language in the Elementary Classroom Semester Hours: 3

• 25 hours in settings with English Language Learners with special-needs (grades K-6)

• SED 267 - Teaching English to Adolescent Speakers of Other Languages Semester Hours: 3

• 25 hours in settings with English Language Learners in high-needs schools (grades 7-12)

Practicum

The practicum (CT 268) involves 20 days of college-supervised teaching practiced by teacher candidates in the elementary and secondary level ESL classrooms. Students will qualify for admission to practicum after they have satisfied the following requirements:

1) Completion of CT 226 or LYST 208; ELED 225; SED 267.
2) A grade point average of 3.0 or higher in overall course work.

Applications are obtainable from the Office of Field Placement and are due on May 1 for the succeeding spring semester and February 15 for the succeeding fall semester.

Graduation Requirements

1. Completion of all course work for the Certification Program with an overall GPA of 3.0.
2. Completion of the 15 s.h. course requirements in the Certification Program with no fewer than 12 s.h. in-residence.
3. Completion of a portfolio illustrating the student’s educational and professional accomplishments.
4. Completion of all required Educational Law Seminars.
5. All course work taken in satisfaction of the degree requirements must have been completed within a three-year period.

Footnote*

Course requires participation/observation in designated schools.

Teacher Certification Requirements

Upon successfully completing a Hofstra state-approved teacher education program, students are eligible for the University’s recommendation for New York state certification. A request for recommendation must be submitted to the School of Education Dean’s Office during the semester in which the student is graduating. There will be opportunities to attend a certification workshop during the student’s final semester to receive all the necessary information regarding applying for certification. Individuals who apply directly to New York state for certification are responsible for learning about and satisfying the certification requirements set by the state. It should be noted that such requirements may differ from those in Hofstra’s registered programs.

All prospective early childhood (birth-grade 2), childhood (grades 1-6), adolescent (grades 7-12) and special subject, students with disabilities, gifted, TESOL, bilingual, literacy, speech and language disabilities teachers, as well as school leadership candidates, are required to pass the New York State Certification Examinations (NYSTCE) administered by National Evaluation Systems, Inc., including the Educating All Students Test (EAS) and, Content Specialty Test(s) (CST). Prospective School Leaders will be required to take the appropriate leadership exams. For more information regarding state testing, please contact the School of Education Dean’s Office or visit www.nystce.nesinc.com.

In addition to fulfilling the required courses of study, the Commissioner’s Regulations mandate that all prospective teachers, pupil personnel, and education leaders receive instructions regarding:

1. Identification of Child Abuse and Maltreatment
2. Fire and Arson Prevention
3. School Violence Prevention and Intervention
4. Prevention of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Abuse
5. Highway and School Safety/Prevention of Child Abduction
6. Training in Harassment, Bullying and Discrimination Prevention and Intervention is required under the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA)

New York state legislation also requires all persons seeking certification in special education, speech and language disabilities, or school administrators working in special education to have training in the area of children with autism.

Hofstra University offers the above-listed educational law seminars through the School of Education Dean’s Office. All of these seminars must be completed before the conferral of the degree and recommendation for certification.

Fingerprinting
Chapter 180 of the Laws of 2000, the Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE), requires that applicants for teaching and administrative and pupil services personnel certification and prospective employees of covered schools (school districts, charter schools and BOCES) must undergo fingerprint supported criminal history background check. However, many school districts and institutions across the metropolitan New York area now require that all student teachers, observers, interns, or externs receive fingerprint clearance before being placed in educational settings that are required for this degree program. Therefore, we recommend you apply for fingerprint clearance upon acceptance to the program. Fingerprint clearance is also required for New York state certification. For information on how to register to be fingerprinted, visit http://www.hofstra.edu/Academics/colleges/soeahs/CESS/cess_requirements_fingerprints.html.