Education: Initial Teacher Certification in Inclusive Adolescence Education

The inclusive adolescence education program is designed to provide the knowledge base to support student learning in content areas at the adolescence level, as well as to specifically meet the needs of students who have special education needs in grades 7-12 by means of differentiated instruction and collaborative teaching. It enables Nazareth students to be knowledgeable about the characteristics of preadolescent and adolescent learners, and it provides the essential skills and methodologies to enable teachers to create student-focused and engaging lessons that are standards-based. This teacher certification program was developed in collaboration with academic departments.

Students who complete this program will be recommended to the New York State Education Department for Teaching Students with Disabilities, Grades 7-12 Generalist, in combination with initial teacher certification in one of the following content areas:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• English (major within English Department or Theatre Department)
• Languages: Chinese, French, German, Italian, or Spanish
• Social studies (major: History)
• Mathematics
• Theatre (dual English Language Arts certification with Theatre option)

Students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours in their content area of certification. In addition, two courses in the same foreign language are required for students earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, and one course in a foreign language (three credits) is required for students earning a Bachelor of Science degree.

*Note - NYS certification standards require that students complete 6 credits in each of the following subjects, with a minimum grade of “C” or higher in each course:  English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, all of which are part of the liberal arts core requirements.

Admission Requirements: Qualified sophomores and juniors preparing for a teaching career may be admitted to the inclusive adolescence education program when they are recommended by the department chairperson of their academic major and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.7. Please note: Students must have an academic major; they may not major in inclusive adolescence education. Required Education Course Credits: 34.