Adolescence Education: French - Spanish

The Department of Languages and Literatures works closely with the Ella Cline Shear School of Education to prepare students to teach foreign languages at the elementary and 7-12 levels. The academic requirements for obtaining initial certification to teach French or Spanish at the 7-12 level include the completion of a major in French or Spanish. See the full description of the School of Education's requirements, which are organized in blocks.

Requirements of the Bachelor of Arts degree, the Workshop course included (FREN or SPAN 320), and specified professional preparation courses must be completed for New York State initial certification. All student teachers are required to take the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and pass at the Advanced Low or above level of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) in order to be eligible to student teach. Those students who are planning on student teaching in Fall are encouraged to take the OPI at the end of their first semester junior year, so students who do not score Advanced Low will be able to develop a plan of remediation and have another opportunity before student teaching to take the OPI and achieve the required level. To schedule either of these exams, please read the instructions on the Department’s website or contact the departmental secretary. 

Dual Certification

SUNY Geneseo does not offer dual teaching certification to Education majors. However, students desiring to become certified in two different areas are able to obtain an initial certification in one area and take all the courses (33 credit hours at the 300 and 400 levels) that are required to obtain certification in the second area of specialization. Certification in the second area is obtained from the New York State Department of Education with the assistance of BOCES (Board of Cooperative Education Services). Further information can be found on the NYS teaching certification website.