Dear Prospective Candidate:

Welcome to the Secondary Science Teacher Education Program (SSTEP) at Queens College of the City University of New York.  This prospectus contains information on our overall program philosophy, goals and other relevant information on science teacher education at Queens College.  We hope that you will find it helpful in making informed decisions about your studies in science teacher education at Queens College.

Detailed information about teaching and learning resources, faculty, student community, financial aid, academic programs, regulations and recreational facilities can be found in the Queens College Undergraduate and Graduate Bulletins, which can be obtained from the following addresses or at www.qc.edu :

The SSTEP is interested in working with you and helping you achieve your academic goals.  You are therefore encouraged to contact us with your questions, concerns and needs. We will be glad to assist you.

Dr. June K. Miller  and  Dr. Brian Murfin

Co-Program Directors for Science Education

Department of Secondary Education and Youth Services (SEYS)

Queens College, CUNY

Powdermaker Hall 150H

Flushing, New York 11367

Tel: 718-997-5156 & 718-997-5066

Fax: 718-997-5152

The Secondary Science Teacher Education Program (SSTEP) subscribes to the belief that all students have the capacity to learn and should have the opportunity to do so regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality, disability or sexual orientation.  Furthermore, it is our belief that one of the best ways to teach and learn science is for teachers and students to engage in scientific inquiry and activities that have meaning and relevance to their lives.  Scientific inquiry and activities enable students to construct their own scientific knowledge, acquire science process skills and dispositions.  In addition, they provide opportunities for students to engage in reflective dialogue to validate what they have learned.  We believe that the pursuit of scientific knowledge does not take place in a vacuum, but within a dynamic historical, social, cultural, economic and political context.  Accordingly,  science teachers must not only be armed with science content and pedagogical knowledge, but a deep understanding of the contexts in which science is practiced.

Recent reforms in science education at the state and national level such as the introduction of State and National Science Education Standards, advancements in science and technology, breakthroughs in cognitive research and development of innovative technology-based science curricula have clear implications for science teacher education.  One major implication is that science teachers can not rely solely on dated textbooks or lecture and laboratory methods to teach science.  They must be well educated in modern science and science education pedagogy and prepared to incorporate a wide variety of student-centered strategies to reach diverse populations of students in the 21^st century.

The SSTEP educates science teacher candidates who will be able to design learning environments that will promote active, student-centered learning.  Our program provides opportunities for science teacher candidates to acquire knowledge and skills in the application of technology in the science classroom.  Teacher candidates in the SSTEP learn how to employ tools of research to aid all aspects of science teaching, learning and assessment.  In addition our program provides opportunities and experiences that will enable science teacher candidates to analyze, interpret and apply proven science education practices and research findings in their classrooms to benefit students with different learning abilities and backgrounds.  The principle of life-long learning and reflective practice is the thread that runs throughout our science teacher education program.

The goals of SSTEP at Queens College are to graduate secondary science teachers who:

1.  Understand how students learn science at the middle childhood and adolescence levels and are able to apply this knowledge to actual classroom practice. 

2.  Understand how factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, language status, disability and other background factors affect students’ learning of science at the middle childhood and adolescence levels and the strategies for addressing them in the science classroom.

3.  Demonstrate knowledge of classroom management principles and are able to select classroom management strategies that will nurture students’ love for science learning, cooperation, respect for each others opinions and ideas and responsibility for their own learning.

4.  Are able to plan and implement lessons that are inquiry-based or project-based, student-centered, collaborative and address the needs of diverse students.

5.  Demonstrate understanding of the theory of science assessment and are able to design, administer, analyze and interpret different types of authentic assessments to enhance science teaching and learning.

6.  Demonstrate knowledge of curriculum development, implementation and evaluation and apply this knowledge in decision-making regarding the selection and/or participation in innovative science programs at the middle childhood and adolescence levels.

7.  Are able to interpret State and national science education standards and incorporate them in well-designed science lessons.

8.  Are able to select and use scientific tools, materials and technology to enhance science teaching and learning at the middle childhood and adolescence levels.

9.  Are able to identify and use resources outside the classroom such as museums, professional scientific organizations, scientific research laboratories, city and state parks, local scientists, parents and other places of scientific interest.

10.  Able to use a variety of computer-based technologies to access, process, analyze and create products that will enhance science learning at the middle childhood and adolescence levels.

11.  Demonstrate understanding of school-home relationships and involve parent/guardians in student’s science learning at the middle childhood and adolescence levels.

12.  Become lifelong science learners who to take advantage of various resources and opportunities to further their professional growth.

Relationship of the Program to the Education Unit’s Conceptual Framework

This program is aligned with the Core Values of the Education Unit of “promoting Equity, Excellence, and Ethics in urban schools and communities.” More specifically, the Education Unit is committed to preparing teachers and educational professionals who:

• Build inclusive communities that nurture and challenge all learners (Equity)
• Demonstrate professionalism, scholarship, efficacy, and evidence-based and reflective practice (Excellence); and
• Value diversity, democracy, and social justice (Ethics)

The following science teacher education programs are offered by the SSTEP at Queens College: (1) Baccalaureate degree - major in a traditional science with a minor in secondary science teacher education leading to initial certification in the following fields: Biology,

Chemistry, Earth Science (Geology) and Physics; (2) Post-Baccalaureate Advanced Certificate in secondary science teacher education leading to initial certification in the following fields: Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science (Geology) and Physics; and (3) Master of Science in Secondary Science Teacher Education

Program Description

The undergraduate secondary science education program at Queens College is designed for undergraduate candidates majoring in biology, chemistry, earth science (or geology) or physics and wish to earn a New York State teaching license to teach science in grades 7-12  before they graduate.   To qualify, undergraduate candidates must be matriculated at Queens College, maintain a minimum GPA of 2.75 and meet all graduation requirements in their major concentration.   To be accepted as a secondary science education minor, candidates must file a minor declaration card for secondary education (see Appendix A, page 12).  A GPA of  3.0 must be maintained in education course work to remain in good standing.  To be recommended for certification by the program, the candidate must earn a letter grade of B in student teaching. 

Under special circumstances, non-science majors who have undergraduate degrees in other subject areas may apply to the undergraduate secondary science education program.   Contact the Director of the Secondary Science Education Program for information. 

Admission Requirements

 Program of Study

The preparation of undergraduate secondary science education candidates is divided into four phases: (1) preparation in the science content, (2) preparation in education, (3) field experience, and (4) preparation for New York State Teacher Examination.  The preparation in science content is based on New York State Teacher Certification requirements, NSTA Standards for teacher education, and the Queens College major requirements.  In addition to meeting the College’s liberal arts and science area requirements (LASAR), candidates must complete at least 36 credits of approved science courses of which 30 credits should be in the subject for which the candidate wishes to obtain certification (see Queens College Majors Handbook available from the Advising Center, Kiely Hall 217, Tel:  718 997-5599 or www.qc.edu/Advising).  The preparation in education consists of a total of 24 credits of course work in educational foundations, education psychology, language, literacy and culture, science education methods, student teaching, and curriculum and assessment (See Table 1).

Table 1: Secondary Science Education Minor

The field experience provides candidates with the opportunity to apply what they have learned in their science and education courses in the classroom under the supervision of an experienced science educator.  Candidates are required to spend a minimum of 150 hours of field experience in a middle and high school prior to pre-service teaching experience.  Upon completion of all major and minor requirements, candidates take three State Teacher Certification Examinations, the Liberal Arts and Science Test (LAST), the Assessment of Teaching Skills Written Test (ATS-W) and Content Specialty Test.  See  http://www.nystce.nesinc.com/NY_viewobjs_opener.asp  for details.

In order to be recommended for Initial New York State Teacher Certification, candidates must also take 4 seminars given through Continuing Education.  (See Appendices D, E,  page 16-17)    

Program Description

The Post-Baccalaureate Advanced Certificate Program is designed for graduate students with strong science preparation who have little or no professional courses in education.  It consists of pre-Masters graduate education courses that culminate in a semester of student teaching at the middle and high school levels.  Upon satisfactory completion of the Program, graduates will earn a NYS Initial Certificate license to teach science in grades 7-12.

Admission Requirements

Program Description

The M.S. in Secondary Science Education is designed for teachers who have an Initial New York State Teaching Certificate in science.   It consists of 30 graduate credits divided equally  between advanced professional education courses and graduate courses in the traditional sciences. 

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the M.S. in Secondary Science Education Program candidates must meet the following criteria:

Program of Study

Table 3: Graduate Studies in Secondary Education

Graduate Studies in Science

This refers to graduate course work in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science (Geology) and/or Physics undertaken by a candidate to fulfill his/her science content requirement.  Candidates in the M.S. in Secondary Science Education must satisfy science content requirements that are determined with the science education advisor.    Science content requirement refers to graduate science course work that a candidate undertakes that may differ from his/her certification area or science major.  Where possible content requirement course work should aim to address understanding of the unifying concepts and processes in science, scientific method and inquiry, science and its relationships to society, science and technology, and the history of science.  A total of fifteen (15) graduate credits must be taken to satisfy the content requirement. 

PROGRAM POLICIES AND RULES

All science teacher candidates are governed by the Queens College Academic Policies and Rules stated in the Undergraduate Bulletin and Graduate Bulletin. In addition, the following policies and rules apply.

Academic Standards and Professional Disposition

It is extremely important for a candidate admitted to a program of study in secondary science education to maintain high academic standards.  This means maintaining the required GPA stipulated for the specific program.  Professional disposition is used here in its broadest sense to mean a candidate’s beliefs, values, behaviors and attitudes towards the teaching profession.  All SSTEP candidates are expected to demonstrate high standards in their course work and field experience.  In addition, they must show a positive professional disposition at program entry, during transition and at graduation.  Failure to maintain high standards and demonstrate a positive professional disposition will result in warning, probation and/or appropriate disciplinary action.

Transfer Credits

See policies and procedures for transferring credits in the Undergraduate or Graduate Bulletin which ever may apply.

Pre-service/Student Teaching Requirements

No science teacher candidate will be allowed to enroll in SEYS 372/382 without a GPA of 2.75 in their major and satisfactory completion of the following SEYS courses: 201, 221, 340, 350 and 362 and 372.2(when applicable).  A minimum of 30 credits of the science major should be completed before 372.4.

Similarly, no post-baccalaureate candidate will be allowed to enroll in SEYS 572.4 & 582 without satisfactory completion of the following SEYS courses: 536, 540 or 700, 552, 562 & 572.2 (when applicable). In addition, post-baccalaureate candidates must fulfill content and foreign language requirements if they are to be recommended for certification.

Upon satisfactory completion of all requirements in the major (science content area) and SEYS course work, science teacher candidates may enroll in pre-service teaching.  Candidates will work under the mentorship of a cooperating teacher for a minimum of four periods per day, five days per week throughout the semester.  During the semester, pre-service science teacher candidate will be observed three to five times by an experienced science education supervisor.  Observations will focus on pre-service teachers’ instructional planning and implementation, teaching skills, classroom management, interaction with students and teachers, overall disposition and professional growth during the placement period.

Field work

Evaluation is a continuous part of the total field experience and is a cooperative process shared by the student, cooperating teacher, and supervisor.  The field experience should be structured to facilitate success, not failure, and every effort should be made to provide each student with the support needed to perform to the best of his/her ability.

At any time during the field experience if there is an indication of unacceptable performance, the cooperating teacher and/or the supervisor will meet with the student to discuss concerns and implement strategies for improvement.  After a reasonable interval of time, if the cooperating teacher and/or supervisor still feels that the student’s performance warrants further review, they may choose to contact the program director or department chair.  The program director or department chair will work with the supervisor, cooperating teacher, and student to review the following options:

Cooperating School Field Sites

All pre-service teaching placements will be in the Borough of Queens and Nassau County and are subject to the approval of the Director of SSTEP and field placement officer.  New York State required that pre-service teachers be provide with field experiences in a variety of communities and across the range of student developmental levels of the certificate, an opportunity for practicing skills for interacting with parents or caregivers, an opportunity to work in high needs schools, and an opportunity to work with each of the following students populations: socio-economically disadvantaged students, students who are English language learners and students with disabilities (Section 52.21 of the Commissioner’s Regulations, 1999). 

Research Requirements

Candidates in the M.S. in secondary education program are required to demonstrate knowledge and competency in conducting research in science education.  Upon completion of a minimum of 21 credits, candidates may enroll to take SEYS 777 -  Research in Science Education [I]  (offered Fall semester only) to study basic theories and methods related to conducting educational research.  Candidates complete a research project or thesis in SEYS 778 - Research in Science Education  [II]   (offered Spring semester only)
 

Appendix A    Sample of the Major and Minor Undergraduate Concentration Form. Pick up 3 part form at the Office for Undergraduate Studies in Jefferson Hall.

Appendix B                      QUEENS COLLEGE, THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY EDUCATION AND YOUTH SERVICES

POWDERMAKER HALL 150, FLUSHING, NY 11367

POST-BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM IN SECONDARY SCIENCE TEACHER EDUCATION *

PROGRAM OF STUDY FORM

Name:__________________________________________________ID:_________________________________________

Address:____________________________________________________________________________________________

Telephone:(_____)___________________________Email:___________________________________________________

Degree(s) Completed:________________________________________________________________________________

Certification Area:___________________________________________________________________________________

Graduate Studies in Education (21 Credits)

* NB: Must also have completed 30 cr. hr. in Science Content Speciality plus at least 6 cr. hr. of additional science.

Student Signature:________________________________Date:____________________________________

Advisor:_________________________________________Title:____________________________________

Signature:________________________________________Date:____________________________________

Appendix C

BULLETIN FOR

  SECONDARY EDUCATION

 STUDENT TEACHING

I.      Background Information

Permission for student teaching is given to those students who have been approved by their Major Department for scholarship in subject matter and by the Education Department for work in the professional sequence, and who have a satisfactory medical and tuberculin test.

Since the Teacher Education Program at Queens College is officially approved by the NYS Department of Education, students who complete the program with a satisfactory grade (3.0) in student teaching meet academic requirements for recommendation for certification in NY State.

II.     College Regulations

Students are required to spend a minimum of 4 hours (approximately 5 to 6 periods) a day in an assigned school every school day for a minimum of 15 weeks. (See “Minimum Hours Required” for detailed definition of “hours.”)

In NYC schools students must teach both a 9^th grade class and an upper grade class.  [Exception: If a particular Science is not offered on both grade levels (i.e. Chemistry may not be offered in MS or 9^th grade) then Science students can teach two classes on one grade level.]

Students assigned and accepted by Long Island Districts may follow this same (9^th/upper grade) model OR may follow the typical Long Island District model of ½ semester in a middle school and ½ semester in the high school (still 5-6 periods a day). 

Holidays/Absences:  The student teacher has the same responsibilities for reporting and attending as does any employed teacher.  With regard to holidays, students are to follow the calendar of the public school where they are assigned.  The only excused absences are for illness and when this occurs, the student is required to notify both the cooperating teacher and college supervisor.  All absences must be made up prior to the final transition week of the experience.

Minimum Hours Required: The student's total preparation must include at least 160 hours of supervised instructional experience (80 hrs. on each grade level).  Please note that for the purposes of State Certification, school clock hours may not be calculated by school periods, unless those periods extend for 1 hour. Accordingly, since most secondary schools maintain periods ranging from 37-45 minutes, every 3 periods for which you are in attendance and actively participating in an approved activity, will be considered as 2.5 hours toward the required hours.                                                                                                                                                                       

III.       Experiences in the Classroom

Each student is to be assigned a teacher, designated as the "Cooperating Teacher," who will take responsibility for the student teacher's day-to-day supervision.  The student will teach two classes each day, observe the Cooperating Teacher teaching another class, and spend time conferencing, planning and other activities related to teaching. This supervised instructional experience is to include such activities as:

1. Actual classroom teaching with follow-up conferences
2. Working with groups of students under the teacher’s direction
3. Working with extracurricular programs
4. Working with homeroom activities

IV.    Supervision

Supervision of student teacher is the mutual responsibility of the Cooperating Teacher and the College Supervisor. The College Supervisor will do a minimum of three formal observations, observing each student in both the 9^th grade class (or middle school) and in the upper grade (10^th, 11^th, or 12^th grade) class.  The College Supervisor will confer with the Cooperating Teacher to discuss the student’s progress and will be available for additional conferences if special problems develop.

V.     Role of Cooperating Teacher

A Cooperating Teacher is a reflective practitioner who can provide day-to-day mentoring to a student teacher helping him/her to put theory into practice and to reflect upon their performance. The College Supervisor supports that role by helping the student gain insight into teaching concerns of a broader nature than those of a particular school. The College Supervisor’s and Cooperating Teacher’s comments and evaluations may, therefore, emphasize differing phases of preparation for teaching.

VI.   Evaluation

The SEYS Department, Queens College, New York State Department of Education, and National Accreditation Organizations, such as NCATE, which oversee our instructional programs, may ask individuals to validate important documentation concerning required certification experiences.

Consistent with this accreditation process, the Cooperating Teacher and the College Supervisor complete evaluation forms as a record of the student's progress during the semester. These forms will serve both as statistical support for accreditation and as a worksheet from which the final evaluation is made. Although every College Supervisor is responsible for consultation with the Cooperating Teacher in arriving at final evaluation for the student teacher, college regulations stipulate the College Supervisor is responsible for making the final determination.

VII.   Tuition Waiver

The Cooperating Teacher with major responsibility for supervising a student teacher will be issued a waiver of tuition for one 3-credit course at any CUNY school.  The tuition waiver may be used within the subsequent three academic sessions (including the Summer session) and only by the person to whom it is issued (CUNY policy). 

If a student is assigned to two distinct Cooperating Teachers on two different grade levels, each Cooperating Teacher is entitled to a waiver.  If the student is assigned to the same Cooperating Teacher at two different grade levels, that Cooperating Teacher is entitled to a waiver for each grade level supervised.

September 2006

Appendix D                     

Notice from the Office of Teacher Certification

Teacher Certification Office – Delany Hall – Room G10

(718) 997-5547/45Fax (718) 997-5467

Queens College Requirements for NYS Certification

Completion of Education Program – Bachelor’s, Post-Bachelor’s, Master’s     

Completion of (4) Seminars for First certification