Languages and Cultures

West Chester University

Dr. Jerome Williams
109 Main Hall
West Chester, PA 19383
Phone: 610-436-2700
Fax: 610-436-3048
Jerome Williams


K-12 Certification

Nnote: As of Fall 2010, no new students are admitted to the Latin major or for certification in Latin.

We offer different levels of certification programs, according to students's prior preparation/background:

1) B.A. language major + Certification: Undergraduate students may do certification in conjunction with a major in a language. The required courses and testing are listed below. This includes any students who are transferring to WCU who have done part of a language major and/or certification elsewhere.

2) PostBacc + Certification: Non native-speaker students who are college graduates but have not finished the undergraduate major in the language and wish to become certified:

  • must complete the course requirements for the undergraduate major, to include linguistics and to finish the 10 courses for the major (minus the extras, like a second language and language cognate).
  • must complete the non-departmental undergrad requirement in anthropology
    (Note: as of Summer 2012, the two Math and two English courses requirement has been dropped).
  • certification courses:
    • you may elect to do their certification courses at the graduate level. You pay graduate tuition for all courses and the grades for all of them count in your GPA. (important: if you get an F you are dismissed from the graduate program). POST-BACC UNDERGRAD STUDENTS CANNOT ENROLL IN THE M.ED. OR M.A. UNTIL THEY FINISH THE LANGUAGE MAJOR.
    • may do the certification courses at the undergraduate level as well. HOWEVER, certified teachers will actually earn a higher salary based on the number of graduate credits they have accumulated.

Once the undergraduate major is complete you may enroll in one of three programs:

  1. Graduate certification
  2. The M.Ed. in French or Spanish with certification
  3. The M.A. in French or Spanish with certification

*** All qualified prospective graduate program applicants may take three graduate courses while they apply to the degree bearing program they seek. Application is online and includes cover form, goals essay in the target language, transcripts and 2 letters of recommendation.

*** Students seeking graduate certification in French and Spanish may additionally enroll in the M.A. or M.Ed. from the College of Arts and Sciences. (The M.Ed. from the College of Education requires certification for admission at this time. Our degree programs have the computer codes, A 108 (M.A. French), E 109 (M.Ed. French), A 112 (M.A. Spanish), E 113 (M.Ed. Spanish). Students should add PT 24 for certification.

*** Students have 6 years to finish the master's degree and they are under no contractual obligation to finish. Enrolling in the program gives a higher professional profile when applying for a job.

*** All graduate certification students should consider finishing their education courses and student teaching and getting a job BEFORE finishing the master's degree, which usually involves a substantial salary upgrade in area school districts. Also 24 graduate credits are required for Level II certification, so teachers will need graduate courses once on the job. Many school districts reimburse tuition. However, some districts seek teachers who have already finished their master's degree.

*** Students who are college graduates may do their student teaching as an internship in a contract job (usually called emergency certification) at full salary, but they still have to enroll in student teaching, EDS 411-412, and complete the program with practicum sessions and a certified language coop teacher in their school.

*** Graduate certification students may retroactively include their education courses in a master's program, but they will start the "clock ticking" on the six year limit for completing the degree with the first graduate course they take.

3) College graduates who are native speakers of the language and have completed a related undergraduate major may qualify to enter the graduate level programs. HOWEVER, it is vital to complete all the necessary courses to prepare for teaching, both the foreign language and the required education courses. If the undergraduate degree is from another country, the student must have WES evaluate the coursework for equivalency BEFORE they can be accepted to the WCU graduate program. Foreign speaker students should get their language proficiency tested, in English (TOEFL) and the language they plan to teach, both oral and written, BEFORE beginning any courses at WCU.

4) College graduates with a completed major in the language have three options:

  1. Enroll in the Post-Bacc program and take certification courses at the undergraduate level, up to five courses a semester
  2. Apply for graduate certification (however we strongly recommend that you take at least one graduate course in the language while you are being certified; alternately you can take the ACTFL required tests up front to determine any weaknesses to address).
  3. Apply to either the M.Ed. or the M.A. program in French or Spanish from the College of Arts and Sciences and include the required courses for certification in the degree. The M.Ed. counts six education courses as half of the degree, the M.A. just 3 in French and 2 in Spanish (as electives).

ALL STUDENTS SEEKING PA K-12 CERTIFICATION MUST PASS THE THREE PRAXIS I TESTS BEFORE THEY CAN OBTAIN FORMAL ADMISSION TO TEACHER EDUCATION. This is not the same thing as admission to WCU undergrad or grad school or a certification program.

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED TESTING INCLUDES the fundamental knowledge PRAXIS II TEST TO BE TAKEN JUST BEFORE STUDENT TEACHING, AND THE OPI AND WPT TESTS TO BE TAKEN DURING STUDENT TEACHING. See below for full schedule of required testing.

Required courses for PA K-12 State Certification in a language:

UNDERGRADUATE----------------------------------------------------------------GRADUATE

ANT 102 Anthropology-------------------------------------------------------------culture course

I. PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION (36 S.H.)

A. Foundations of Special Education (3) EDA 103 EDA 542
B. Ed. Psychology (3) EDP 250 EDP 550
C. Assessment for Learning (3) EDP 355 EDP 531
D. Child & Adolescent Psychology (3) EDP 349 or PSY 382 EDP 569
E. Literacy Dev. Inclusive Classrooms (3) EDR 347 EDR 550

FORMAL ADMISSION [EDF 030] TO THE TEACHING PROGRAM MUST BE COMPLETED IN ORDER TO TAKE THE FOLLOWING COURSES:

F.  Tech Tools to Transform (1) EDM 349 (1) EDM 349 (1)
G.  Spec. Ed: Processes and Proc. (2) EDA 303 (2)   EDA 511
H.   Prin. Teaching & Field Experience (3) EDS 306   EDS 505
I.    Techniques of L2 Tchg  PK-12  (3)  LAN 401  LAN 503

PREREQ: Completion of language courses through the advanced level, LIN 230 or LAN 327 [min. grade of “C”], and professional education courses including EDS 306 (excluding EDS 411/412).

J.    Student Teaching (12 semester hours)  EDS411  EDS 411
  EDS412  EDS 412

Students must take PPST Reading, Writing, and Math (the Praxis I Exams) currently required for Formal Admission to Teacher Education, listed as zero credit EDF 030.

You must take the Praxis II fundamental knowledge test and the ACTFL OPI and WPT tests, the Praxis before student teaching and the ACTFL during that semester.

World Languages PRAXIS/Certification Testing Requirements

A. The exams listed in GROUP A must be taken and scores provided in order to apply for FORMAL ADMISSION into Teacher Education at WCU. [Note: candidates will not be permitted to enroll in EDA 303, EDS 306/505, LAN 401/503 or EDS 411/412 until they have taken and passed the PRAXIS I series.]