/College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Linguistics

Frequently Asked Questions

For 48 credit program students:

If you already have NYS certification in some area other than TESOL, and your goal is to acquire TESOL certification, then you should enroll in the 30 credit  program.  If you do not hold any NYS certifications, and your goal is to teach PreK-12 ENL in the U.S, then the 48 credit program would be appropriate for you

If you are enrolled in the 48-credit TESOL program and this is your first teaching certification, yes, you are required to student teach in order to become NYS TESOL preK-12 certified. 

If you already hold a NYS teaching certification in another subject area, you should be enrolled in the 30-credit TESOL program and, no, you do not need to student teach.

You must complete ALL course requirements for the MA-TESOL and have an overall GPA of 3.0 or above before enrolling in the following culminating student-teaching courses: 

LIN 574 Managing Instruction, Assessment, and Resources 

LIN 581 Supervised Student Teaching grades N-6

LIN 582 Supervised Student Teaching grades 7-12

Permission must be granted by the Department Administrator in order to enroll in the above courses.

Please note, some required courses are only offered in either the fall OR the spring semester. Careful planning in advance is necessary to ensure that you’ll be eligible to student teach “on schedule”. All student-teaching courses are offered each semester, permitting MA TESOL students to student-teach as soon as they are eligible.

For more information about  the program, contact Michelle Carbone at  michelle.carbone@stonybrook.edu  (Graduate Program Coordinator). For academic advising, contact Tatiana Luchkina at  tatiana.luchkina@stonybrook.edu  (MA-TESOL Program Director). For questions regarding certification, contact Mariann Coogan, Director of TESOL Teacher Preparation & Certification at mariann.coogan@stonybrook.edu

All MA TESOL students, regardless of the program they are in, are required to complete 100 hours of field experience. These hours are completed over the course of two semesters, in conjunction with Methods I (LIN 524) and Methods II (LIN 579) courses as noted below. Students will observe ENL classes and keep records of their experiences. With the classroom teacher’s permission, as you are observing, you may also provide academic and language learning assistance in the class. Transportation is not provided -- you are responsible for your own transportation to/from the district schools. 

LIN 524 TESOL Pedagogy: Theory and Practice (Methods I) 

LIN 579 Field Experience N-12

LIN 529 TESOL Pedagogy: Language & Literacy Development Through the Content Areas (Methods II) 

LIN 579 Field Experience N-12

The MA-TESOL (48 Credits) planner is attached here.

Once enrolled in LIN 524/579 or LIN 529/579, students are typically asked to reach out to local school districts, asking permission to observe in ENL co-taught and stand-alone classrooms. Once approved by a district, students will set up a schedule with the classroom teacher and/or administrator and record their completed hours on an official document that will be submitted to the LIN 579 instructor at the end of each semester. 

In order to enter a public school and observe (field experience) or teach (student teaching), you are required to get fingerprinted. It is recommended that you complete the fingerprinting process prior to starting the semester. You only need to get fingerprinted ONCE, as it continually remains valid. 

You may call MorphoTrust/IDEMIA at: 877-472-6915 to schedule an appointment, or visit http://www.nysed.gov/educator-integrity/fingerprinting  for detailed instructions.  A fee of approximately $102 is expected.

A form request will be emailed out to students who are approaching readiness for student teaching.  Applications for student teaching are accepted during the semesterprior to student teaching. Deadlines to apply:

  • October 15 for Spring 
  • March 15 for Fall

Once you’ve submitted your student teaching application and have been cleared by the Department Administrator, Teacher Candidates (TCs) will be assigned by the Director of Field Experience and Clinical Supervision to work with one or more tenured Cooperating Teachers (CTs) in our partnership schools. TCs may alternatively request student teaching assignments in the New York City schools through the SUNY Urban Teacher Education Center (SUTEC), which coordinates student teaching in the New York City schools for all SUNY campuses.TCs will be notified by the Director once their placements have been arranged.

Yes. The SUNY Urban Teacher Education Center (SUTEC) is committed to serving the needs of SUNY campuses with teacher preparation programs, assisting those students who wish to fulfill their student teaching requirements in New York City schools, and serving as a vital resource for research on urban education. Once you’ve completed your coursework and have been cleared by the Department Administrator, you will fill out a student teaching application, which includes a request for a NYC placement. You will be placed into schools by SUTEC, but will be supervised by the Director of ENL Field Placement/Clinical Supervision at Stony Brook University and will be required to attend the weekly seminar course (LIN 574), offered on campus. 

 

During your 75 days of student teaching, you will have two placements - approximately one half of the semester with a K-6 placement and the other half with a grades 7-12 placement. Student teachers are expected to follow the schedule of the school district’s calendar,therefore, vacation weeks such as fall break and spring break will not be the same days off as indicated on the SBU calendar. It will  likely be necessary to continue student teaching past the end date of the Stony Brook semester in order to complete 75 days. Be prepared to plan for this to happen. 

Following a brief orientation period, it is encouraged that TCs assume as much responsibility as quickly as possible for all aspects of teaching. Instructing typically increases during your time in the district, leading to teaching full instructional days by the end of the student teaching experience. Lesson planning, grading and other professional duties are included as part of your teaching experience as well. With the approval of the cooperating teacher, students may wish to continue in their placements through the end of the public school semester, beyond the 75 days, as it would provide valuable experience in conducting midterm or final exams (the Regents exams, in particular); it would also provide a sense of closure and accomplishment; and would demonstrate initiative and concern.

Since student teaching is a full-time commitment, five days/week, you are strongly discouraged from working during this semester. Teacher candidates should try to arrange their finances so that outside employment is not necessary during this semester.

The experience of student teaching is meant to prepare you to run a classroom on your own.  Thus, the expectations are as high as the support is strong. You will be supported along the way by your Cooperating Teacher and the Director of Field Experience and Clinical Practice. A weekly seminar, given on campus by the Director, will also be required.

ALL teacher candidates must...

1. Create a TEACH account with the NYSED: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/dtale/certification_licensing/

2. Attend the following workshops: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/spd/career/tworkshops.php

  • NCE 600 Identifying & Reporting Child Abuse 
  • NCE 601 Identification & Referral of Substance Abuse 
  • NCE 602 Prevention & Identification of School Violence 
  • NCE 603 Fingerprinting http://www.nysed.gov/educator-integrity/fingerprinting
  • NCE 604 DASA (Dignity for All Students Act) Training in Harassment, Bullying & Discrimination Prevention & Intervention

It is strongly recommended to complete these workshops before student teaching. Class size is limited and advance registration is required. Click on link to get more information: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/spd/career/tworkshops.php

3. Take and pass two NYS Teacher Certification Exams: 

  • Educating all Students (EAS) 
  • Content Specialty Test - ESOL (CST)

For the most recent information or registration go to www.nystce.nesinc.com

4. Submit your Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA)