Undergraduate Program

Overview: Two Minors Offered in Education

Students at St. Lawrence University 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 separate minors: 1) the educational studies minor does not include student teaching, and 2) the 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. As a general survey of topics in education, the educational studies minor is also useful to students who do not intend to enter the Professional Semester at all.

The Department of Education offers opportunities for graduate study leading either to the initial certificate or to full professional certification in New York. The undergraduate and graduate programs also satisfy academic requirements for teaching certification in many other U.S. states and Canadian provinces. St. Lawrence University's teacher education programs are fully accredited nationally by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council for the period from June 29, 2007 until June 29, 2012.

The Department of Education also offers a special joint program available to undergraduate art majors at SUNY Potsdam for certification in K-12 Visual Arts. This program is only available to full-time undergraduates at SUNY Potsdam through cross-registration for coursework at St. Lawrence. (Students may obtain detailed information about this special joint program from the Art Department at SUNY Potsdam.)

The teacher education programs at St. Lawrence University are based on the conviction that teachers must be highly competent in their subject areas (e.g., 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 University, 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 is 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 education minor.

Certificate Programs Offered to Undergraduates at St. Lawrence University

7-12 English
7-12 Social Studies
7-12 Mathematics
7-12 Biology
7-12 Chemistry
7-12 Physics
7-12 Earth Science
7-12 French
7-12 Spanish
7-12 German
K-12 Visual Arts
K-12 Coaching

Requirements for New York State Initial Teaching Certification
The programs described on this Web site 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.

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, 21 semester hours (or six St. Lawrence University undergraduate courses) are required in the study of New York, United States and world history and geography. Specific requirements are outlined in the sections of the University's Undergraduate Catalog describing each separate major.

2. Completion of the certification minor (eight courses) in education, which includes the Professional Semester (student teaching). Successful completion of the program results in recommendation for an initial teaching certification in New York State and all reciprocating states and jurisdictions.

3. A passing grade in at least one semester of study at any level in a language other than English.

NOTE: Completion of one credit in a foreign language can also be used as one of the two courses needed to meet the liberal arts distribution requirement for graduation from St. Lawrence University.

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 2005-2006, 97 percent of St. Lawrence University teacher education students passed the LAST and 100 percent passed the ATS-W on the first time they took the exam. Data regarding achievement of St. Lawrence University students on the CST tests are not available for 2005-2006. Updated data from the University's third year cohort (2002-2003) shows that 97 percent of St. Lawrence University teacher education students passed the LAST and 100 percent passed the ATS-W. The CST exams were not given in 2002-2003.

5. Completion of specified workshops (offered in the professional semester curriculum) on topics mandated by New York Education Law:

• The Identification and Reporting of Suspected Child Abuse
• The Prevention of School Violence

6. Fingerprint clearance through the New York State Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Forms are available from the Department of Education at St. Lawrence.

Students take the required NYSTCE exams and obtain fingerprint clearance in the senior year. The mandated workshops are included in the Professional Semester Curriculum. With careful planning, all of the above 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 University to learn about changes to the requirements or the program.

Data on Program Completers and Teacher Demand
Approximately 65 percent of the Class of 2005 teacher education graduates from St. Lawrence University 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 2006-2007 indicates 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 University. These three courses are listed in the University's Undergraduate Catalog under the Department of Sport Studies and Exercise Science.

The Certification Minor in Education
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 pre-requisite courses is required for entry into the Professional Semester. The certification
minor requires the following courses:

EDUC 203. Contemporary Issues in American Education.
EDUC 301. Principles of School Teaching.
EDUC 305. Educational Psychology.

NOTE: PSYC 100 or 101 is a prerequisite for EDUC 305

EDUC 455. Language Acquisition and Literacy Development Across the Curriculum.
and
The Professional Semester (Student Teaching)
EDUC 405. Seminar: The Dynamics of School Teaching.
EDUC 406. Supervised Student Teaching.
EDUC 410. Methods, Materials and Literacy Development in the Content Area.

(separate sections for each certificate area)

EDUC 436. Individual Differences in Inclusive Classrooms.
EDUC 437 Classroom Organization and Management (0.5 credits)

The Professional Semester (student teaching) requires a full load of 4.5 credits 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).

The Educational Studies Minor
The educational studies minor consists of any five courses in education not included in the
Professional Semester (student teaching). Students may be admitted for the minor in
educational studies 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. Students completing the four prerequisites for the certification minor with a grade of at least 2.5 in each course are 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:

Senior standing (or higher) at the University

verified by transcript attached to the application.

Satisfactory social standing at the University

verified by communication from the dean of student life and co-curricular education.

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.

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).
Recommendation by the department of the academic major

verified by communication from the department chair or designee.
NOTE: Students seeking certification in 7-12 French, Spanish or German must complete at least one semester abroad. Students seeking certification through the joint program in K-12 Art with SUNY Potsdam must carry a 3.0 average in art courses in order to be recommended by the SUNY Potsdam Art Department.

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 University 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 University 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 the Professional Semesterr (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 four courses of the Professional Semester as graduate level courses and pay graduate tuition. Three of the four courses will count toward the master’s degree in General Studies in Education at St. Lawrence University.

The Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program is also open to St. Lawrence University 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 University's Graduate Studies Catalog, available from the Department of Education or on this Web site.

Initial Teaching Certification in Other States and in Canada
The teacher education program at St. Lawrence University provides sufficient academic preparation for initial certification in any other state that has a current reciprocity agreement with New York State for teacher preparation - currently more than 45 other states or U.S. territories. 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 meet all requirements (including testing) for certification in New York State and be issued a New York State teaching certificate. Because certification standards in other states and provinces are changing, students should check with the Department of Education for details regarding specific certification requirements in any other state or province.

St. Lawrence University: Education Department

Undergraduate Program