Teacher candidates should consult as early as possible with both their major advisor and the director of the teacher education program to which they wish to apply. Transfer students who have completed their sophomore year should apply for admission to the teacher education program as soon as they are admitted to the University. Only students who have been admitted to the teacher education program will be allowed to register for the pedagogy courses.

Oral Language Proficiency in English for Applicants whose Native Language is other than English
All applicants to teacher education programs whose native language is other than English must demonstrate oral language proficiency in English by taking the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL- iBT) Speaking Component with a minimum score of 28. At the discretion of the program director:

1. The iBT test will be required of applicants to foreign language (French, German, Italian, Spanish) education programs.
2. Students may be recommended for remediation courses in English as a Second Language if oral language proficiency is not appropriate to program goals. Satisfactory completion of these courses will be required for continuation in the teacher education program.

Pedagogy/Methods I Semester

1. Enroll for first pedagogy course and the associated field experience.
2. Begin taking the core education courses: PSY 327, SSE 350 and LIN 344 (CEE 505, PSY 595, and LIN 544 for graduate students).¹
3. Candidates intending to student teach in the fall must pass the LAST² no later than the preceding December; candidates intending to student teach in the spring must pass the LAST no later than the preceding July. See the section below on Standardized Tests for more information.

¹ Students in the graduate TESOL program are not required to take LIN 544. Graduate students in foreign languages should take FLA 540 instead of LIN 544.
² See the section on standardized tests below.

While fingerprinting is required for state certification, many schools now require that candidates doing field experience or student teaching also be fingerprinted. Since it takes 2-3 months to get results back, teacher candidates are urged to have fingerprints taken during the first pedagogy course. Fingerprinting is offered several times each semester through the School of Professional Development. For more information, send an email to SPD_Teachercertprograms@notes.cc.sunysb.edu, or visit the following web page: http://www.sunysb.edu/spd/career/tworkshops.html.

Pedagogy/Methods II Semester

1. Enroll for second pedagogy course, along with the corresponding field experience course, and complete all education and content requirements.
2. New York State requires that all prospective teachers complete seminars in Child Abuse, Substance Abuse, and School Violence Prevention. These seminars are offered several times each semester, and students should enroll for them while taking the second pedagogy course. However, class size is limited, so sign up early. To obtain registration materials, contact the School of Professional Development at the address noted above.
3. In consultation with program faculty, candidates should take the Content Specialty Test (CST) exam during this semester or during student teaching.
4. Foreign Language Teacher Education students are required to participate in and receive a minimum proficiency rating of Advanced-Low in an official ACTFL OPI. Please refer to the Overview of Programs/Foreign Languages section of this Guide for further information.

Student Teaching Semester

1. Enroll for student teaching seminar and two supervised student teaching courses.
2. Teacher candidates must pass the ATS/W and the relevant CST to qualify for an initial teaching license. The ATS/W should be taken during the student teaching semester.
3. Contact Career Center to create a resume and establish a credentials file. Start applying for jobs.
4. Apply for graduation.
5. Certification: Midway through student teaching, you will either receive instructions relative to an application on NYSED’s TEACH website for certification from the University's Certification Officer or a notification regarding any deficiencies. In order to receive an institutional recommendation, all students must submit a FERPA release form and information sheet which is appended to your instructions to the Teacher Certification Office. This is mandated by Federal law as Stony Brook may not release any information on a prospective candidate for license without this written release. Candidates for license must also access the TEACH online system to apply for license. This online application is in addition to and distinct from any information imparted by the University on a student’s behalf to NYSED.
6. Teacher Education Program candidates who are not native born or naturalized U.S. citizens, or who do not hold a permanent resident green card, may now achieve an initial certification and teaching license in New York State. However, they must either obtain a green card or become a naturalized citizen prior to obtaining a professional teaching license. There are no waivers from this requirement as set forth by the New York State Education Department (NYSED).