Education
Minors offered (certification or pre-certification)

Students at St. Lawrence may enroll in undergraduate education courses not only as a way to explore the multidisciplinary subjects of teaching and learning for their intrinsic values, but also as a way of preparing to enter the teaching profession in public and/or private schools after graduation. The teacher education program offers two sequences of courses: an educational studies minor that does not include student teaching, and a certification minor in education that culminates in the professional semester (student teaching), which is required for teaching certification. By completing the certification minor, students may be recommended for an initial New York State Teaching Certificate upon graduation. By completing specified prerequisite courses in the educational studies minor at an acceptable level, students will be eligible to -enter the professional semester (student teaching) following graduation.
The education department offers opportunities for graduate study leading either to the initial certificate or to full professional certification in New York, as well as to certification or licensure in counseling and educational leadership. The undergraduate and graduate programs also satisfy academic requirements for certification in many other U.S. states and Canadian provinces.

The teacher education programs at St. Law-rence are based on the conviction that teachers must be highly competent in their subject areas (English, science, mathematics, etc.) and that a liberal arts education provides such competency. In addition, a liberal education prepares teachers to approach problems and inquire into ideas from multiple perspectives, qualities that are in turn modeled to their students in the schools. Integration of teaching skills and subject matter competencies is achieved throughout the student’s career at St. Lawrence, through coursework in subject matter and pedagogy, by field experiences in public schools, and by study with practicing professionals who teach the program’s courses in subject-specific instructional approaches.

The undergraduate program operates from a premise that the professional semester is a natural extension of the liberal arts tradition where learning is exemplified in its broadest possible sense. Rather than being principally dispensers of knowledge, liberally educated teachers reflect the thinking, exploration and intellectual climate that are the basis of all education at St. Lawrence. The professional semester provides an excellent opportunity to synthesize learning throughout the undergraduate curriculum — coursework in the liberal arts, the major and the minor.

St. Lawrence offers the following teacher certification programs, which are registered and approved by the New York State Education Department for grades 7-12: English, social studies, mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, French, Spanish and German. The University also offers a registered and approved teaching certification program for K-12 art.

Requirements for New York State Teaching Certification

NOTE: The programs described in this Catalog are registered and approved by the New York State Education Department and meet the regulations for initial teaching certification established by the New York State Board of Regents, effective for February 2004 and beyond.

Students can be recommended for an initial teaching certificate in New York by successfully completing the following requirements:

1.    A bachelor’s degree in the liberal arts with an academic major in a discipline functionally related to the teaching certificate. Specific requirements are outlined in the sections of the Catalog describing each separate major.
    NOTE: For students seeking certification in 7-12 social studies, students must major in history, government, economics, sociology anthropology or global studies (U.S. studies option). Regardless of the major, a minimum of 21 semester hours (or six courses) is required in the study of New York, United States and world history and geography.
    NOTE: For students seeking certification in 7-12 General Science, students must major in one of the natural sciences (biology, chemistry, geology), complete the requirements for initial certification in that subject, and also complete a total of five courses in some of the other natural sciences listed here – e.g. major in biology and complete three chemistry courses and two geology courses, or major in geology and complete two physics courses, one biology course, and one chemistry course.
2.    Completion of the certification minor (8.5 courses) in education, which includes the professional semester (student teaching).
3.    A passing grade in at least one semester of study at any level in a language other than English.
    NOTE: Students seeking teaching certification must complete one credit in a foreign language as one of the two courses needed to meet the liberal arts distribution requirement for graduation from St. Lawrence.
4.    Passing scores on three of the New York State Teacher Competency Examinations
    (NYSTCE):
    •  Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST)
    •  Content Specialty Test (CST in the area of certification)
    •  Written Assessment of Teaching Skills (ATS-W)
    NOTE: In 2006-2007, 100 percent of St. Law-rence University teacher education students passed the LAST, 97 percent passed their specific CST, and 100 percent passed the ATS-W the first time they took the exam.
5.    Completion of specified workshops (offered in the professional semester curriculum) on topics mandated by New York Education Law:
    •  The Identification and Reporting of                    Child Abuse
    •  Safety and Fire Prevention in Public Schools
    •  Violence Prevention in the Public Schools
    •  Development of a Safe Learning -Environment
    •  Prevention of Alcohol, Drug, and Tobacco Abuse in School-Age Populations
6. Fingerprint clearance through the State of New York and the Federal Bureau of -Investigation (FBI).
With careful planning, these requirements can be completed during the four-year undergraduate curriculum, leading to teaching certification upon graduation. Students should check -regularly with the education department at St. Lawrence to learn about changes to the -requirements or the program.

Approximately 65 percent of the Class of 2006 teacher education graduates from St. Law-rence entered the teaching profession as new teachers within one year after graduation. Approximately 20 percent entered full-time graduate school and the remaining 15 percent followed other career paths. Teacher supply and demand data from the American Association for Employment in Education for the year 2007-2008 indicate that there is moderate demand throughout the U.S., including the Northeast, for teachers of 7-12 English, sciences, mathematics, Spanish and German. Demand for teachers of K-12 art and 7-12 social studies and French is balanced.

Coaching Certification in New York

Students interested in pursuing coaching certification in New York State may complete the necessary coursework at St. Lawrence. These courses, which are offered through the intercollegiate athletics and recreation department, are listed under sport studies and exercise science

Minor Programs

Certification Minor

Students may be admitted for the certification minor in education at any time during the sophomore year or later, providing they have good academic standing at the University. A 2.0 grade average is required in the certification -minor for graduation and a 2.5 grade average in the prerequisite courses is required for entry into the professional semester. The certification minor requires the following courses:

Education
203. Contemporary Issues in American Education.
301. Principles of School Teaching.
305. Educational Psychology.
455. Language Acquisition and Literacy Development Across the Curriculum.

Professional Semester (Student Teaching)
405. Seminar: The Dynamics of School Teaching.
406. Supervised Student Teaching.
410. Methods, Materials and Literacy Development in the Content Area.
(separate sections for each certificate area)
436. Individual Differences in Inclusive Classrooms.
437. Classroom Organization and Management (0.5 credit)

Psychology
100, 101. Introductory Psychology.

The professional semester (student teaching) requires a full load of 4.5 courses in education, to be taken during one semester of the senior year. Student teaching in English, mathematics, science and social studies is offered only during the fall semester(s). Student teaching in foreign language and art is offered only during the spring semester(s).

In addition to the coursework in education, students seeking teaching certification should consider taking Performance and Communication Arts 111 (Rhetoric and Public Speaking).

Educational Studies Minor

The educational studies minor consists of any five courses in education not included in the professional semester (student teaching). Psychology 100 or 101 may be used as one of the five courses. Students may be admitted for the minor in education at any time during the sophomore year or later, providing they have good academic standing at the University. A 2.0 grade average is required in the minor for graduation. A student completing the four prerequisites for the certification minor with a grade of at least 2.5 in each course is eligible to apply for the professional -semester as a post-baccalaureate student.

Criteria for Admission into Student Teaching

Students intending to student teach in any fall -semester should submit an application to the education department by March 1 of the previous semester. Students intending to student-teach during any spring semester should submit an application to the education department by October 1 of the previous semester. The Teacher Education Advisory Committee will review applications for admission into student teaching on the basis of the following criteria:
1.    Senior standing (or higher) at the University, verified by transcript attached to the application.
2.    Satisfactory social standing at the University, verified by communication from the dean of student life and co-curricular education.
3.    Satisfactory academic achievement at the University, verified by one of the following:
    •  a 2.5 cumulative GPA,
    •  a 3.0 average the semester before student -                     teaching, or
    •  approval by the Teacher Education                     Advisory Committee.
4.    Satisfactory completion at the 2.5 level or higher of the four prerequisite courses in education or their equivalents (Education 203, 301, 305 and 455).
5.    Recommendation by the department of the academic major, verified by communication from the department chair or designee. (Students seeking certification in 7-12 French, Spanish or German must complete at least one semester abroad.)
6. Recommendation by the department of education faculty members under whom the student has studied, verified by internal communication with the department chair.
7. A portfolio evidencing successful completion of field experience requirements in the prerequisite education courses.

Students may register for the professional semester once they are admitted to student teaching by the Teacher Education Advisory Committee. Student teaching placements in the schools are arranged only by the University’s coordinator of teacher education and the school administrators. Because weekly seminars during the -professional semester are required, student teaching placements are generally made within St. Lawrence County.

Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program

For St. Lawrence undergraduates who do not complete the certification minor in education, the Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program offers an alternative route to initial teaching certification. In this graduate program, St. Lawrence students who complete the prerequisite courses for student teaching as part of the educational studies minor as undergraduates, and who receive a grade of 2.5 or higher in each course, may then apply for student teaching during any appropriate semester following graduation with a bachelor’s degree. Students who undertake this option must apply to the education department both for admission to the graduate school and also to the professional semester. Their applications for student teaching will be reviewed by the Teacher Education Advisory Committee using the same criteria listed above. Students in the program take the 4.5 courses of the professional semester as graduate-level courses and pay graduate tuition. Three of the courses will count toward the master’s degree in General Studies in Education at St. Lawrence.

The Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program is also open to St. Lawrence students (and graduates of other accredited colleges) who did not complete the prerequisite courses prior to graduation. In those cases, students must complete graduate courses in education that are equivalent prerequisites to student teaching, so the program will take longer than one semester. In addition, they must satisfy the University’s requirements for subject matter competency in the teaching field. Information about application procedures and details regarding the Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program are included in the Graduate Studies Catalog, available from the department of education.

Initial Teaching Certification in Other States and in Canada

The teacher preparation program at St. Law-rence provides sufficient academic preparation for initial certification in 45 U.S. states that have a reciprocity agreement with New York State for teacher preparation. To be certified in any state, the student must apply directly to the education agency in charge of teaching certification in that state; if the student has already been certified in New York, the reciprocity agreements will hold for academic preparation, and the student must submit a copy of the New York certificate as a part of the application process. These reciprocity agreements do not include competency testing requirements, which each state may determine separately.

To meet standards for a Provisional Certification of Qualification (initial certificate) in a Canadian province, students must first be certified in New York State, and then apply to the province using the current New York certificate. Because certification standards in other states and provinces are changing, students should check with the education department for details regarding specific certification requirements in any other state or province.

Professor

Arthur J. Clark, B.A., Eastern Nazarene; M.Ed., Boston College; Ed.D., Oklahoma State
Professor of Education and Coordinator of the Counseling and Development Program

Associate Professor

James C. Shuman (Chair), B.A., Carleton; M.S., Ph.D., West Virginia
Associate Professor of Education and Chair of Department; Sabbatical Spring 2005

Assistant Professors

Nicole Chase (Visiting), B.S., M.S., Russell Sage; M.Ed., Ed.S., Ph.D, William and Mary
Visiting Assistant Professor of Education

Peter Dorian Ladd, B.A., Duquesne; M.A., Ph.D., U.S. International
Assistant Professor of Education

M. Alannah Fitzgerald, A.A., Hudson Valley Community College; B.A. SUNY Albany; M.S., The Sage Colleges; Ph.D., Cornell
Assistant Professor of Education

Ying “Wannie” Wang, B.A., National Cheng-Kung University (Taiwan); M.A., California State; Ed.D., Alliant International
Assistant Professor of Education

Visiting Instructor

Edward Boyd, B.S., M.Ed., St. Lawrence
Visiting Instructor of Education