Program Requirements

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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 at the beginning of the Secondary Education heading.

In the specific language studies, the prospective teacher must earn 24-36 semester hours above level 4 (depending on the particular language major) a d 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 adviser 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:

Note

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Students in this program who wish to extend their certification in foreign language education at the elementary level should meet with their adviser.

 

Student Teaching Prerequisites

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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:

1. A cumulative GPA of 2.75 or better on overall course work or permission of adviser
2. No grades lower than C- and no unresolved INC grades in professional education course work
3. A GPA of 2.5 or higher in course work in the target language

Graduation Requirements

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Graduation from the program requires

1. Completion of all graduation requirements for the bachelor’s degree in the major content area in which the certification will be sought
2. Completion of all course requirements for the co-major in the concentration area within secondary education
3. No grades lower than C- and no unresolved INC grades in professional education course work
4. A minimum GPA of 2.75 in overall course work
5. A minimum GPA of 2.5 in the major area in which the certification will be sought
6. An electronic portfolio, illustrating the student’s education course work and professional accomplishments.

Teacher Certification Requirements

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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

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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.