• Official transcripts from every college/university attended with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• Completion of 12 credits of study of a language other than English. All courses must be taught in the target language.
• Current NYS professional certification in any subject area.
• An admission essay demonstrating experience and/or interest in working with culturally and linguistically diverse students.
• Letter from current employer verifying employment in a NYS school district.
• Professional reference who can speak to the applicant’s interest in working with culturally and linguistically diverse students.

• File a “plan of study” during the first semester after matriculation.
• Any deficiencies in the candidate’s previous training must be completed prior to graduation.
• Completion of prescribed course work and other requirements within five years after matriculation.
• Maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better with no more than two grades below B-.

Additional State Certification Requirements

In addition to degree requirements, candidates must meet several New York State certification requirements which include:

1. Participants must successfully complete the NYS Content Specialty Test (CST) in English to Speakers of Other Languages.
2. Participants must have completed all the required state-mandated workshops.

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Adv Cert

Candidates who successfully complete all required components of the Adv Cert in TESOL K-12 program at SUNY New Paltz will:

• Content Knowledge: Demonstrate content area mastery by completing at least 15 hours of coursework in TESOL methods and content
• Planning: Be able to plan lessons in TESOL that are standards-based, clear, logical and organized, rely upon a variety of appropriate instructional strategies and appropriate technologies, and differentiate instruction, providing opportunities to promote appreciation of diversity, tolerance, and inclusion in safe, democratic, and equitable learning environments.
• Assessment and P-12 Learning: Be able to choose, design, and implement authentic and appropriate formulative and summative assessments to evaluate student learning, differentiate and adapt assessments for ELLs through logical decision-making, consider assessment data when making instructional decisions, and identify effective or problematic teaching moments as they are occurring in order to facilitate student growth in specified content, cognitive skills, and/or social skills
• Pedagogical Practice: Demonstrate the ability to maximize student learning by incorporating content and pedagogical content knowledge, appropriate and effective technology, and a variety of developmentally and contextually appropriate evidence-based instructional strategies to make learning meaningful for students while teaching.
• Dispositions: Exhibit the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to practice an ethically informed and self-reflective philosophy, demonstrate the ability to respond appropriately to challenges that arise in teaching, and develop respectful relationships with students, families, communities and colleagues.
• Critical Thinking and Reasoning: Clearly articulate and issue or problem; identify, analyze, and evaluate ideas, data, and arguments as they engage in planning, assessing, and teaching; and acknowledge limitations such as perspective and bias as they develop well-reasoned arguments to form judgements and/or draw conclusions that support pedagogical decisions.
• Information Literacy: Locate appropriate resources effectively using appropriate tools; evaluate information with an awareness of authority, validity, and bias; and demonstrate an understanding of the ethical dimensions of information use, creation, and dissemination as they relate to the field of education.