Education

Patricia Tempesta, Assistant Professor and Interim Chair

The Department of Education coordinates all teacher education programs, both undergraduate and graduate, for the School of Humanities and Sciences. In addition to providing courses required for H&S teacher education programs, the department offers a limited number of open elective courses. The department also promotes educational outreach for teacher education programs campus-wide by sponsoring seminars, workshops, and conferences for teachers and prospective teachers. It administers a number of formal partnerships with area schools including Partnership in Teaching, Access to Education (ACE), Ithaca College-South Hill School Partnership, Ithaca College-Boynton Middle School Partnership, and the Ithaca College-Frederick Douglass Academy Partnership.

The Office of Teaching and Certification, housed in the Department of Education, assists all teacher education students with issues pertaining to teacher certification. This office also maintains data on all student teacher placements, facilitates cooperating teacher payments, and serves as the chief liaison with the New York State Department of Education on all teacher education matters.

Undergraduate teaching certification programs are offered in the following areas:

School of Health Sciences and Human Performance

• Health Education

• Health Education and Physical Education

• Physical Education

School of Humanities and Sciences

• Art

• Biology

• Chemistry

• English

• French

• German

• Mathematics

• Mathematics-Computer Science

• Physics

• Social Studies

• Spanish

School of Music

• Music Education

• Performance/Music Education

Overall, Ithaca College students who complete the teacher preparation program consistently score in the 98th percentile or higher on New York State Teacher Certification Exams. For more information, see
New York State Education Department Office of Teaching Initiatives

Required Core Program

The following required core program is for all teacher education candidates in the School of Humanities and Sciences. For requirements in other schools' teacher education programs please see the listings under those schools.

Additional Requirements

1. All teaching-option students must successfully complete a year of college-level study in a language other than English. Students may test out of this requirement by taking the language placement test and placing at level 2 or above. Some departments require two years of language study; please consult departmental requirements.

2. All teaching-option students must successfully complete a writing course at the numbered WRTG-10600 or above.

3. All teaching-option students must successfully complete the second-year review and maintain a minimum 2.75 GPA in their subject. Some departments require a higher GPA; please consult departmental requirements. If a student receives an unsuccessful review or a review with stipulations, the student must participate in and successfully pass a second review the following year. Unsuccessful reviews and reviews with stipulations will be accompanied by a written statement outlining what must be done before the next review is completed.

4. Students must earn a grade of B or better in the pedagogy sequence to qualify for student teaching. A grade of B- does not qualify.

5. EDUC-49810 Professional Semester in Education and EDUC-41210 Seminar in Reflective Practice constitute a full course load during the student-teaching semester. No additional courses may be taken.

6. All candidates for initial certification must successfully complete all three sections of the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations: the liberal arts and sciences test, the assessment of teaching skills-written, and the content area exam.

7. The student's department chair and the education department chair in the School of Humanities and Sciences must approve any exceptions to the above requirements.