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 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

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

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

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

Upon the successful completion of 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 Office of Educational Support Services 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. Students 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), elementary (Grades 1-6), secondary (Grades 7-12) and special subject teachers as well as educational leaders are required to pass the New York State Teachers Certification Examinations (NYSTCE) administered by National Evaluation Systems, Inc., for state certification requirements. Students should consult with the Office of Educational Support Services regarding the appropriate examinations for their area of study.

We anticipate that teacher and school building leader candidates applying for certification on or after May 1st, 2014, will be required to take certain new exams. At the February 2012 meeting, the New York State Board of Regents approved a change to the implementation schedule for the new testing requirements for the initial certification of teachers and school building leaders. Please contact the office of Educational Support Services at Hofstra University at (516) 463-5747 or consult the state website.

For candidates graduating prior to May 2013, it is strongly recommended that students complete the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST) prior to student teaching, and the Assessment of Teaching Skills Written (ATS-W) and the Content Specialty Test (CST) during student teaching. Students not receiving passing scores on these examinations will not be eligible for certification.

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

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 Office of Educational Support Services. All of these seminars must be completed before the conferral of the degree and recommendation for certification.