General and Program Specific Requirements for Teaching a Special Subject for Teacher Certification

05. Teaching a Special Subject (all grades) (computer science, dance, family and consumer science, health education, indigenous culture and language studies, music, physical education, technology education, theater, or visual arts)

Content Core Requirements

For all subject areas, with the exception of computer science and indigenous culture and language studies, the content core shall be a major or its equivalent, defined as a minimum of 30 semester hours, in the subject area of the certificate that, in combination with the pedagogical core, provides a knowledge base for assisting students in meeting the State learning standards, as applicable to one of the following subjects and prescribed in Part 100 of this Title: dance, family and consumer sciences, health education, music, physical education, technology education, theatre, or visual arts.

The content core for computer science certification (all grades) shall be a minimum of 12 semester hours that provides a knowledge base for assisting students in  meeting the State learning standards for students in computer science.

The content core for indigenous culture and language studies (all grades) shall be a minimum of 18 semester hours that provides a knowledge base for assisting students in understanding indigenous culture and/or languages.

General Pedagogical Core Requirements

1. human developmental processes and variations, including but not limited to: the impact of culture, heritage, socioeconomic level, personal health and safety, nutrition, past or present abusive or dangerous environment, and factors in the home, school, and community on students’ readiness to learn -- and skill in applying that understanding to create a safe and nurturing learning environment that is free of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs and that fosters the health and learning of all students, and the development of a sense of community and respect for one another;
2. learning processes, motivation, communication, and classroom management -- and skill in applying those understandings to stimulate and sustain student interest, cooperation, and achievement to each student’s highest level of learning in preparation for productive work, citizenship in a democracy, and continuing growth;
3. means for understanding the needs of students with disabilities, including at least three semester hours of study for teachers to develop the skills necessary to provide instruction that will promote the participation and progress of students with disabilities in the general education curriculum. The three-semester hour requirement shall include study in at least the following areas: the categories of disabilities; identification and remediation of disabilities; the special education process and state and federal special education laws and regulations; effective practices for planning and designing co-teaching and collaboration with peers; individualizing instruction; and applying positive behavioral supports and interventions to address student and classroom management needs. When such requirements cannot be completed in three semester hours, the remaining study requirements may be included in other courses. This three semester hour requirement may be waived at the discretion of the commissioner, upon a showing that the program provides adequate instruction to prepare candidates on understanding the needs of students with disabilities through other means;
4. language acquisition and literacy development by native English speakers and students who are English language learners -- and skill in developing the listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills of all students. For programs in indigenous culture and language studies six semester hours of such study are required;
5. curriculum development, instructional planning, and multiple research-validated instructional strategies for teaching students within the full range of abilities -- and skill in designing and offering differentiated instruction that enhances the learning of all students in the content area(s) of the certificate;
6. uses of technology, including instructional and assistive technology, in teaching and learning -- and skill in using technology and teaching students to use technology to acquire information, communicate, and enhance learning;
7. formal and informal methods of assessing student learning and the means of analyzing one’s own teaching practice -- and skill in using information gathered through assessment and analysis to plan or modify instruction, and skill in using various resources to enhance teaching;
8. history, philosophy, and role of education, the rights and responsibilities of teachers and other professional staff, students, parents, community members, school administrators, and others with regard to education, and the importance of productive relationships and interactions among the school, home, and community for enhancing student learning -- and skill in fostering effective relationships and interactions to support student growth and learning, including skill in resolving conflicts;
9. means to update knowledge and skills in the subject(s) taught and in pedagogy;
10. means for identifying and reporting suspected child abuse and maltreatment, which shall include at least two clock hours of coursework or training regarding the identification and reporting of suspected child abuse or maltreatment, in accordance with the requirements of section 3004 of the Education Law;
11.  means for instructing students for the purpose of preventing child abduction, in accordance with Education Law section 803-a; preventing alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse, in accordance with Education Law section 804; providing safety education, in accordance with Education Law section 806; and providing instruction in fire and arson prevention, in accordance with Education Law section 808; and
12. means for the prevention of and intervention in school violence, in accordance with section 3004 of the Education Law. This study shall be composed of at least two clock hours of course work or training that includes, but is not limited to, study in the warning signs within a developmental and social context that relate to violence and other troubling behaviors in children; the statutes, regulations and policies relating to a safe nonviolent school climate; effective classroom management techniques and other academic supports that promote a nonviolent school climate and enhance learning; the integration of social and problem solving skill development for students within the regular curriculum; intervention techniques designed to address a school violence situation; and how to participate in an effective school/community referral process for students exhibiting violent behavior.
13. means for the prevention of and intervention in harassment, bullying (including cyberbullying) and discrimination in accordance with section 14 of the Education Law. Such study shall include six clock hours of coursework or training on the social patterns of harassment, bullying and discrimination, as defined in section 11 of the Education Law, including but not limited to those acts based on a person’s actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender or sex; the identification and mitigation of harassment, bullying and discrimination; and strategies for effectively addressing problems of exclusion, bias and aggression in educational settings.

Program-Specific Pedagogical Core Requirements

 Special Subject of Health

For teachers of health education, study for instructing students in middle childhood and adolescence about child development and parental skills and responsibility, pursuant to Education Law section 804-b; and for instructing students in middle childhood and adolescence about methods of preventing and detecting certain cancers, pursuant to Education Law section 804(3-a). 

Clinical Experiences: Field Experiences, Student Teaching and Practica Requirements

For registered programs with candidates who first enroll prior to the Fall 2024 semester:

• at least 100 clock hours of field experiences related to coursework prior to student teaching or practica; and
   
• at least 15 of the 100 clock hours of field experience shall include a focus on understanding the needs of students with disabilities.

The program shall also include:

• at least two college-supervised student-teaching experiences of at least 20 school days each; and the student teaching of the special subject shall include both settings, pre-kindergarten through grade 6 and grades 7 through 12; or
   
• at least one college-supervised student-teaching experience of at least 40 school days, provided that

1. the combined field experiences and student teaching of the special subject shall include both settings, pre-kindergarten through grade 6 and grades 7 through 12; and
    
2. the mentoring teacher of record at the school or school district where the student teacher is placed holds a certificate in the certificate title or in a closely related area; and is designated by the school or district as a teacher mentor or coach or is rated effective or highly effective in their most recent annual professional performance review conducted pursuant to section 3012-c of the Education Law or holds a national board certificate.