State Teacher Certification
TEACHER CERTIFICATION IS CONFERRED BY NEW YORK STATE ONLY WHEN THE STUDENT APPLIES TO THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AFTER THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION RECOMMENDS THOSE WHO COMPLETE A DEGREE OR PROGRAM. OTHERS MUST APPLY ON THEIR OWN BEHALF.
It is the responsibility of the candidate to be familiar with and to fulfill all of the Liberal Arts requirements, tests, workshops, and any other requirements for certification. New York State certification requirements are subject to frequent change. The information herein is accurate as of the date of publication. Efforts are made to communicate changes to certification requirements via Manhattanville email, but it is the responsibility of candidates to remain up-to-date and to meet current requirements.
Initial certification in most subject areas requires the following Liberal Arts prerequisites. These can be completed at any regionally accredited institution of higher education or non-regionally accredited college with comparable curriculum and standards to those at Manhattanville, must be reported on an official transcript, and must have earned a letter grade of C or better. Documentation of course content may be requested. Satisfaction of a content requirement granted by an institution of higher education reported on an official transcript or official letter, by means other than coursework, may also satisfy these prerequisites.
New York State considers Liberal Arts courses to be those that are independent of specific application, theoretical as opposed to practical, and not directed toward a particular career or profession. A course designated as Liberal Arts by another college does NOT automatically qualify.
Courses offered in the areas of Literature, some Dance and Theater courses, Languages, Musicology and Music Theory, History, Art History and Theory, Philosophy, some Religious Studies, Area Studies, Communication theory, some Criminology courses, and most Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences are generally considered Liberal Arts.
Courses offered in English Composition, Health and Physical Education, Management and Finance, Business, Accounting, Education, Library Science, most Engineering classes, most Law and Criminal Justice courses, many Communications courses, many Journalism courses, Studio Art, Theatre Production, Music performance, applied sciences, many Computer Science courses, Fashion and Design, Counseling, Resource Conservation or Management, Recreation or Hospitality, Social Work, Speech Therapy, Nutrition, most Nursing and Health Science courses, and some Environmental Studies courses, among others, are not considered Liberal Arts.
Coursework is required in Mathematics, Science, Literature, Foreign Languages (including American Sign Language), and History (or other Social Science course with a substantial History component.)
College-level Study is also required of Written Analysis and Expression; Visual or Performing Arts; Oral Communication (Communication is practice in close and critical reading or research and/or conveying information orally.)
Different programs may have more specific and/or additional Liberal Arts requirements. For details, see individual program plans.
Credit for Life Experience: Candidates who enter the graduate program with significant life experience in Visual or Performing Arts, Oral Communication, or Writing, may petition for credit towards the relevant New York State certification pre-requisite. The petition will consist of an essay of 3-5 pages and documentation of the experience. This will be evaluated by the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, in consultation with appropriate faculty. Documentation of the experience may take a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, copies of art work or published writing, recommendation by a mentor, published reviews, event programs, etc.
Every Manhattanville candidate for an initial teaching certificate must complete at least 30 credits in Liberal Arts including at least 18 credits in ONE Liberal Arts discipline. For ALL Secondary subjects, Art and Music, the candidate must present at least 30 credits outside of the Masters in the specific area of certification. For detailed requirements, see the relevant program plans in this catalog. In certain cases, these courses may be completed as part of the graduate program. Physical Education also requires specific pre-requisite courses. Courses other than those specified may also be required by the Chair of the Art Department or the Director of Music, on the basis of the required portfolio review or audition.
No courses graded Pass/Fail can be accepted for purposes of certification, unless the credit-granting policies of the relevant college can be documented.
Determination as to whether a specific course is acceptable in meeting a requirement will be made by the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, in consultation with the faculty where needed. A course designated as meeting a specific distribution requirement by a college does NOT automatically qualify.
Candidates for NY certification must achieve qualifying scores on the specific tests required by NYSED for the relevant subjects and/or grade levels, including a performance assessment known as edTPA, submitted electronically to NYSED.
Only candidates who are seeking NY State certification and who are not yet certified in New York must prepare and submit the edTPA to the NYS Education Department.
Normally, the edTPA will be completed and submitted during the student or supervised teaching semester. Any student or alumna/ae who fails or has not submitted any part of the edTPA may seek additional mentoring through the School of Education before or after graduation, for an additional tuition charge. Such students must seek their own placements in schools as necessary.
The School of Education follows the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity guidelines for supporting candidates in the edTPA, adopted by NYSED. Under these guidelines, mentors have strictly limited input into a student’s edTPA drafts or final submission. For students who do not pass the edTPA who wish to reapply to NYSED using the edTPA Multiple Measures Review Process, recommendation or other support by a faculty member or cooperating teacher is strictly at his or her individual discretion. Participation in the appeal process by School of Education faculty or administrators is not guaranteed
For further information on specific tests for all certification titles, students can consult http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert, the Graduate Advising Office, and the relevant program plans below.
The New York State Education Department currently requires all candidates for certification to complete a two-hour seminar on identifying and reporting suspected child abuse and maltreatment, a two-hour seminar on school violence prevention and intervention (SAVE), and a six-hour workshop on Bullying, Harassment, and Cyber-bullying (Dignity for All Students, or DASA), which must be offered by NYSED-approved providers. Certification in Special Education also requires a four-hour workshop on autism. Candidates for certification in Childhood Education must also complete a workshop at the college on Health and Safety. The workshops are offered by the college, for a fee. If the seminars are completed elsewhere, proof of completion must be provided to the college.
Fingerprinting is required prior to doing Field Experience and/or Student/Supervised Teaching. To arrange to be fingerprinted for NYSED, go to www.identogo.com.