French or Spanish, B.A. with Education Certification

Education Certification in French or Spanish

French and Spanish majors seeking entrance to the Education Certification Program must consult their language advisors regarding specific requirements for the program.

The Modern Languages and Classics Department will recommend for participation in the Education Certification Program students who have achieved: 1) an overall GPA of at least 3.0; 2) a GPA of 3.2 in the major field, and 3) a score of at least an Advanced Low on their Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) which is based on the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) standards. Students are responsible for the expense of the OPI.

It is the responsibility of the student to understand and fulfill the various requirements of Siena College, the Major Department, Education Department, and the state to which they plan to apply for teacher certification. French or Spanish majors seeking initial teaching certification in grades 7-12 will need to maintain at least a 3.2 in French or Spanish, as well as an Education and overall GPA of 3.0. In addition, only courses with a grade of C or above are acceptable toward meeting content core and pedagogical core requirements for teacher certification in the State of New York. See http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/ag.html for details.

OPI requirements for acceptance to the Education Certification Program:
The targeted level of oral proficiency is a rating of Advanced Low on the OPI. We use the following criteria for acceptance into the Education Certification Program:

1. Students who receive a minimum of Advanced Low will be admitted immediately into the Education Certification Program;
2. Students who receive an Intermediate High on the oral OPI will be conditionally accepted into the Education Certification Program but must engage in remedial academic work to improve their language skills, and
3. Students who receive less than Intermediate High on the OPI will not be admitted into the Education Certification Program.

The OPI must be taken within a month of returning from an abroad experience. Fall experience: by January 31; Spring experience: by June 30. Study abroad is an optimal way to achieve oral proficiency. A minimum of a semester abroad in a French or Spanish speaking country is strongly advised. Students will not be recommended for certification until they achieve a minimum of Advanced Low as defined by the ACTFL standards.