Department of Teacher Education
Sharon Harris-Ewing, Ph.D., Chair
Roberts Wesleyan College offers programs leading to New York State Teacher Certification and fulfills the terms of the Interstate Agreement on Qualification of Educational Personnel.
To speak with a representative in the Department of Teacher Education, call 585.594.6610.
Admission to Teacher Education Programs
Students apply for admission to the Early Childhood and Students with Disabilities programs, the Childhood and Special Education programs, the Adolescence Education programs, or the Physical Education program during the spring of the freshman year. Students in the Music Education program apply for admission during the fall of the sophomore year. All Education students must be formally admitted to the Teacher Education Program and complete all education requirements before student teaching. Progress toward the degree and readiness to student teach will be appraised regularly between admission to the program and acceptance for student teaching. Students should refer to the progress chart below and contact the Undergraduate Teacher Education Office at 585.594.6448 for detailed admission requirements.
| Admission to the Teacher Education Program | Student applies for admission after successfully completing a minimum of two Teacher Education Department courses with the minimum required grade for the course. Student must also complete Principles of Speech CMC 101 and Principles of Writing CMP 101 with a grade of C along with successful completion of a writing sample. Student must maintain a GPA of 2.7. |
| Progress Reviews | Student's progress is formally reviewed each semester. Students will be evaluated by faculty from the Teacher Education Department as well as faculty from outside the department. Students will be required to maintain a 2.7 GPA and successfully complete all required OPE hours. |
| Application to Student Teach | Students apply to student teach when they have completed all teacher education courses with the minimum required grade for each course and have achieved a grade of C or better in all courses in their concentration. Students must have a GPA of 2.7. The student teaching application deadline is January 15th before a fall placement and no later than September 1st for a spring placement. |
| Student Teaching Appraisal | Student's performance is formally reviewed at the end of student teaching. Student receives a grade of pass or fail. |
| Application for Degree | Student submits "Application for Degree" form to be signed by Teacher Education advisor/advocate when all program requirements have been successfully met. |
Field Experience
Student fieldwork in area classrooms, called Observation/Participation Experiences (OPE), begins during the first year of a student’s program. Students are responsible for transportation to all OPE sites with the excepton of EDU 195. Students must satisfactorily complete all required OPE experiences prior to student teaching.
- Early Childhood/Students with Disabilities dual certification program requires 150 hours of OPE
- Childhood/Special Education dual certification program requires 150 hours of OPE
- Adolescence Education (7-12) program [without Students with Disabilities] requires 100 hours of OPE
- Adolescence Education (7-12) with Students with Disabilities 7-12 Generalist dual certification program requires 150 hours of OPE
- Music Education (K-12) program requires 100 hours of OPE
- Physical Education (K-12) program requires 120 hours of OPE
Student Teaching
Education students, guided by a master teacher and college supervisor, will spend one semester in area schools for their student teaching experience. Students will be responsible for transportation to their student teaching placements. The deadline for student teaching applications is one full semester prior to the student teaching semester:
- January 15 – in order to student teach the following fall semester
- September 1 – in order to student teach the following spring semester
- Prerequisites for applying to student teach:
- Successful completion of all Observation Participation Experience (OPE) hours.
- Formal admission to the Teacher Education Department and continued satisfactory progress reviews.
- All EDU courses completed and required minimum grade for each EDU course attained.
- Must have a minimum of 2.70 grade point average.
Double Majors within the Department
Double majors within the Teacher Education Department are not allowed. However, in some cases, Adolescence Education majors may be allowed to earn a second major in their content discipline. Students should refer to the department of their discipline to determine whether this is allowed.