NEW! The state created a new license area for grades 5-9, but the science requirements are even more demanding than the previous 7-12 license! There is still no stand-alone general science license, which makes the most sense in the middle school years. A teacher must still get certified in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science or Physics. Only now, the requirement is 30 semester hours in the particular field for which you seek certification. In contrast, the previous 7-12 license required a total of 36 credits in science (any field) of which only 18 needed to be in Biology, etc.
NEW! All the licensing information below changed in February, 2004. In order to use the information below, you need to have fulfilled all the requirements for the license listed AND submitted your application before February 2, 2004.
Click here for overview of NEW requirementsCONTENTS:
This is a general guide that includes my opinions and abbreviated listings of requirements. It is not a substitute for planning with a faculty advisor or UFT specialist. You should also consult the State Education Department ahead of time if you have doubts as to the acceptability of a particular course that you want to take.
NY State Licensing procedures and requirements.
The UFT's Brief Guide to Certification and Licensing (Link to UFT website).
Preparatory Certificate: All the requirements you need to get a license to teach science.
Permanent Certificate: Further requirements to make your license permanent.
Extension to teach science in the early secondary grades (7-9): If you have or plan to get a Common Branches (Pre-K - grade 6) license.
Acceptable Coursework: Types of courses that are acceptable toward content area requirements.
The CCNY Middle School Masters' Programs: Two tracks depending on whether you already have certification in another area (such as common branches).
CCNY's Master of Arts in Science Education: (Note: You need an undergraduate degree or equivalent to be admitted to one of these secondary science programs.) Link to CCNY website. Programs mainly for those who already have a science background but need education credits, or who want permanent certification and need an M.A.
Observations: From my personal experiences coming from a humanities background and tackling science from scratch.
New Requirements Summary (As of 2/2/04)
As always, check the New York State Certification Web Pages for updates. The following is accurate as of March 8, 2004.
Baccalaureate degree: Minimum 2.5 GPA
General Education Requirements: 30 Semester hours including study in each of the following:
artistic expression
communication
information retrieval
concepts in history and social sciences
humanities
a language (other than English)
scientific and mathematical processes
written analysis and expression
Science Requirements
30 credit hours in the area of certification sought - Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, PhysicsPedagogy: 21 semester hours including study in each of the following:
human development and learning (including diverse student populations)
teaching students with disabilities in the general education classroom
teaching literacy skills (6 semester hours) (at least 3 hours must be in methods of teaching reading)
curriculum, instruction and assessment (including instructional technology)
foundations of education
Student Teaching
40 days college supervised teaching or as an employed teacher within the range of grades and subject area of the certificate sought.New York State Teacher Certification Exams
LAST
ATS-W
Content Specialty Test
Safety & Security
Child Abuse Identification
School Violence Prevention
Fingerprinting
For more information on any of these items, check with the NYSED Requirements for Specialist in Middle Childhood Education (grades 5-9) and Adolescence Education
Old Requirements
(Applications submitted and requirements met before February 2, 2004)
Povisional Certificate. Here is a summary of all the requirements as of 11/21/01. Click here for the state web page that lists these requirements (provisional & permanent) in more detail and may contain revisions:
- a baccalaureate degree;
- 18 semester hours in professional education;
- 36 semester hours of college-level credit in the area in which certification is sought (at least 18 semester hours of the 36-semester-hour total must be in the specific science area (biology, chemistry, physics or earth science). Click here for description of acceptable coursework in science or see summary below.
- One year of college level study of a language other than English; and
- A college-supervised student teaching experience or one year of paid, full-time teaching experience at the level for which a certificate is sought.
- A satisfactory level of performance on the liberal arts and sciences portion (LAST) of the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations and on the written assessment of teaching skills portion (ATS-W) of the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations. Note: If you do not have a undergrad major in the area of concentration, you also have to take the Content Specialty Test (CST) in order to get provisional certification.
- The provisional certificate shall be valid for five years from its effective date and may be renewed once for a five-year term upon evidence that the holder is enrolled in a master's degree program leading to permanent certification.
Permanent Certificate: In addition to satisfying the requirements for provisional certification, the candidate shall have satisfied the following requirements:
Completed satisfactorily a one academic year supervised internship or two years of teaching experience in a public or nonpublic school.
All candidates shall have earned a master's degree functionally related to the field of teaching service as defined by the commissioner.
Examination for permanent certification. Each applicant for a permanent certificate shall submit evidence of having achieved a satisfactory level of performance on an examination in the area of the teaching certificate (CST - content specialty test) acceptable to the commissioner and on an assessment of teaching skills (ATS-P, Videotape) acceptable to the commissioner.
NB: In order to apply for EITHER certificate, you must also provide evidence of completing two clock hours of coursework or training in Child Abuse Identification plus 2 clock hours of training in School Violence Prevention and Intervention.
- Extension to teach science in the early secondary grades (7-9).
Click here for the state web page. The requirements for this license are so similar to the above requirements, that it really makes more sense to just get the secondary (7-12) license listed above. Note that you still have to take the tests anyway (LAST, CST, ATS-W, ATS-P). You gotta love the State Education Department!
- Must meet all the requirements for Common Branches license (Pre-K- 6) plus;
- 36 semester hours in science, at least 18 of the 36 in one area of science (Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, Physics)
- Six semester hours of collegiate study in middle level education
- Examination for permanent extension
Subject Matter Specialization Course content, rather than the name of the department through which a course is offered, determines the acceptability of a course to fulfill these requirements. All courses must be pure science: those courses that involve learning about and/or using the scientific method. Courses which involve the use of science to solve secondary problems are not pure science and, therefore, are not acceptable. Courses in the methods of teaching a subject are not acceptable as study in the content area. Detailed information regarding acceptable study in the sciences is provided below.
- Biology
For example, courses in scientific methods, cell biology, biochemistry, anatomy and physiology, comparative anatomy, genetics and evolution, biological diversity, and human biology and human ecology are acceptable. Courses in nutrition are acceptable only if it is cell nutrition.
- Chemistry
For example, courses in scientific methods, matter and atomic structure; energy, chemical bonds and molecular structure; chemical reactions; and quantitative relationships are acceptable. Courses in geochemistry are generally applied science courses and, therefore, are not acceptable.
- Earth science
For example, courses in scientific methods, space systems, atmospheric systems, geological systems, and water systems are acceptable. Courses in environmental science, conservation and wildlife management, and agriculture are generally applied science courses and, therefore, are not acceptable.
- Physics
For example, courses in scientific methods, mechanics and heat; electricity and magnetism; waves, sound, and light; and quantum theory and the atom are acceptable. Courses in engineering and geophysics are generally applied science courses and, therefore, are not acceptable. Astronomy courses are acceptable only if the primary focus is on the mathematics of gravitational attraction between astral bodies.
Observations (Based in part on my personal experience, mostly with CCNY)
NEW! The state created a new license area for grades 5-9 - but the science requirements are even more demanding than the previous 7-12 license! There is still no stand-alone general science license, which makes the most sense in the middle school years. A teacher must still get certified in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science or Physics. Only now, the requirement is 30 semester hours in the particular field for which you seek certification. In contrast, the previous 7-12 license required a total of 36 credits in science (any field) of which only 18 needed to be in Biology, etc. Imagine if a social studies teacher had to be certified in either American History, World History, Economics, or Political Science.
It is very difficult for someone without a science background to get a license in science. It can't be done in a year or two if you are teaching full time.
The most rigorous and demanding content areas for certification are math and science.
Science is the only content area that REQUIRES concentration (18 credits) in a particular sub-specialty (earth science, physics, chemistry, or biology). A math license does not require 18 semester hours in algebra, for example, or trigonometry.
Teaching science well requires more preparation and materials management than any other subject, yet science teachers teach the same number of classes as everyone else and have no assistance with set-up, clean-up, or materials management.
Beyond a couple of basic introductory-level courses, most science courses require a great deal of math proficiency, with advanced algebra and/or trigonometry (in physics) being essential. Calculus would help.
If you have little or no proficiency in math, expect to find a tutor to get you through basic chemistry, basic physics, even basic earth science! (You will be OK in biology most of the time, but you do need the chemistry and some physics for the more advanced biology courses, and then you need the math for those classes!)
Biology and earth science require a reasonable understanding of physics and chemistry. You need to go at least as far as organic chemistry in order to prosper in a genetics, human physiology, cell & molecular biology, or microbiology course.
Science programs are not designed for middle school science teachers. New (5/13/02): I've been teaching for 10 years and they are just now (finally) coming around to the idea of a middle school science license - see above!
The state requirements for teaching science in middle school are the same as those for teaching high school. Yet the needs of those teachers and students are vastly different. (See above. New license areas as of 2002.)
Most of the college-level physics and chemistry courses I've taken do a poor job of teaching the conceptual framework to understanding and instead deal with phenomena on an almost exclusively mathematical level - again, not very useful to a middle school teacher. (See above. New middle school certification program addresses this issue with courses tailored for middle school teachers.)
The variety of courses offered in the evening (when teachers can take them) is limited. You won't be taking Botany during the school year!
CCNY's summer school starts in early June when teachers are still teaching and only has one session. Good luck keeping up in a compressed science content course and simultaneously teaching full time! (See above. New middle school certification program addresses this issue with summer school session that begins in July.)
The number of courses for non-science majors is quite limited and you cannot get a license by just taking those courses.
In many ways biology is the easiest area to concentrate in and probably the most important for middle school. Plus the chemistry and physics you need for biology will help you teach the other middle school topics.
One good earth science course covers reasonably well the content needed to teach basic middle school geology and meteorology in district six. An astronomy course would be helpful. This is probably true of physics as well, but I can't speak from experience on that topic.