Teacher Education
Kristen Driskill, Ed.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 585.594.6677.
Admission to Teacher Education Programs
Students apply for admission to the Early Childhood and Students with Disabilities programs, the Childhood and Special Education programs, ESOL program, the Adolescence Education programs, or the Physical Education program during fall or spring of the sophomore 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 585.594.6276 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. Other admission criteria are listed below. |
| Progress Reviews | Student's progress is formally reviewed by faculty at the end of every semester. Once accepted, student must maintain required course grades and overall GPA, satisfactorily complete all OPE's, and consistently demonstrate professional dispositions in order to remain a student in the Teacher Education Department Program. The Professional Dispositions and Behaviors document is used as a guide throughout this ongoing review process. |
| Assessment of Technical Standards | At a pre-determined midpoint (varies by student status and program), a student is formally assessed on the extent to which s/he demonstrates the ability to meet the Professional Dispositions and Behaviors required by the Teacher Education Program. Students not meeting the Professional Dispositions and Behaviors at this point may be told that student teaching will be postponed until they demonstrate significant improvement - or that they should consider a different vocational path. |
| Application to Student Teach | Student applies to student teach when all prerequisites have been met. Application deadlines:
A student's application to student teach will include a copy of the letter attesting to the fact that the Teacher Education faculty have determined that the student exhibits Professional Dispositions and Behaviors. Students who have not demonstrated the required Professional Dispositions and Behaviors will not be permitted to student teach. |
| Student Teaching Appraisal | A student's performance is informally reviewed throughout the student teaching placement. A student's performance is formally reviewed at the end of student teaching using the student teaching rubric. Student teaching is a pass/fail course, with the grade determined by the rubric score. A student who is not succeeding in student teaching will be given the opportunity to withdraw before the placement ends, consistent with the policy in the Student Teaching Handbook. |
| Application for Degree | A student submits an "Application for Degree" form to be signed by her/his Teacher Education advisor/advocate when all program requirements have been successfully met. |
Field Experience
Student fieldwork in area classrooms, called Observation/Participation Experience (OPE), begins during the first year of a student’s program. Students are responsible for transportation to all OPE sites with the exception of EDU 195. Students must successfully 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
- ESOL Teaching English to Students of Other Languages (K-12) 150 hours of OPE
- ESOL Teaching English to Students of Other Languages (K-12) with Childhood Education (1-6) 200 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:
- February 10 – in order to student teach the following fall semester
- September 10 – 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 Program and continued satisfactory progress reviews.
- Successful completion of all EDU courses with required minimum grade for each course.
- Minimum of 2.7 overall 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.