English Education, B.A.

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The degree program followed in the Bachelor of Arts. Courses in this program lead toward New York state initial teacher certification, English, grades 7-12. Secondary education programs are designed to blend on-campus preparation with field experiences in a variety of school settings, culminating in full-time student teaching. Literacy, multicultural education, and information technology are integrated throughout all aspects of the program. The program conforms with the New York State Learning Standards in English Language Arts and with the recommendations for teacher preparation of the National Council of Teachers of English.

Program Requirements

Prospective teachers of English choose English and American Literature or Creative Writing and Literature as a major within the liberal arts and sciences. During the second semester of the sophomore year (a minimum of 45 semester hours of college course work), the student then chooses English Education as a co-major. For program admission policies, procedures, and program requirements, see Secondary Education, Undergraduate Program.

In addition to the English course requirements for the B.A. in English, prospective teachers of English must also include in their programs of study the following courses:

6 s.h. of American literature (ENGL 51, The American Literary Identity, or ENGL 143, American Literature I, and ENGL 52, The American Experience on Context, or ENGL 144, American Literature II, preferred);
6 s.h. of English literature (ENGL 41, English Literature I and ENGL 42, English Literature II, preferred);
3 s.h., of world literature (ENGL 43, Western Literature I or ENGL 44, Western Literature II;
3 s.h. chosen from: ENGL 103, Structure of English preferred, ENGL 101 or 102 or LING 101, 151, 152, 161, or 190.

The co-major in English Education consists of a minimum of 31 semester hours of education course work, including each of the following:

Introductory Courses - Semester Hours: 10

FDED 111 - The American School Semester Hours: 3
or
FDED 127 - Introduction to Philosophy of Education Semester Hours: 3
SED 100 - Educational Technology in Secondary and Middle Level Education Semester Hours: 1
SED 102 - Adolescent Development and Learning Semester Hours: 3
(See footnotes *)
SPED 102 - Inclusion: Meeting Special Needs in PreK-12 Programs Semester Hours: 3
(See footnotes *)

General Methods Courses - Semester Hours: 6

LYST 101 - Literacy for Middle/High School Teachers Semester Hours: 3
SED 151 - The Secondary School Teacher Semester Hours: 3
(See footnotes *)

Special Methods and Curriculum Courses - Semester Hours: 6

SED 152 - Teaching of English Semester Hours: 3
(See footnotes *)
SED 164 - Young Adult Literature Semester Hours: 3

Education Elective (Under Advisement) - Semester Hours: 3

SED 170 - Current Issues and Trends in English Education Semester Hours: 3

Student Teaching and Corequisite Seminars - Semester Hours: 6

SED 179 - Student Teaching (Undergraduate) Semester Hours: 6
(placement in grades 7-9 and grades 10-12)

Footnotes

* Participation/observation in middle and secondary schools are required in each of the following courses:

SED 102 - Field Placement–grades 7-9
SED 151 - Field Placement–grades 7-12
SED 152 - Field Placement–grades 10-12
SPED 102 - Field Placement–grades 7-12
LYST 101 - Field Placement–grades 7-12

See course description for additional information.

Students receiving a grade lower than C- in a professional education course must repeat the course and receive a grade of C or higher in order to remain in the program.

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 Teaching, Literacy, and Leadership. 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 English content courses

Graduation Requirements

Graduation from the program requires:

Completion of all graduation requirements for the bachelor’s degree in the major content area in which the certification will be sought
Completion of all course requirements for the co-major in the concentration area within secondary education
No grades lower than C- and no unresolved INC grades in professional education course work
A minimum GPA of 2.75 in overall course work
A minimum GPA of 2.5 in the major area in which the certification will be sought
An electronic portfolio, illustrating the student’s education course work and professional accomplishments, a comprehensive examination, or a curriculum project completed under the supervision of the program director.

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.

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