EDUCATION

Childhood Education

Russell Sage College offers four-year degree programs leading to a degree in Childhood Education with Liberal Arts major in a variety of areas. The childhood education program prepares students for NYS teacher certification in grades one through six. Students will have the opportunity for extensive formalized experience in school settings during their years at RSC. Students have the option of extending their certification to include Middle Childhood and through Sage Graduate School may complete graduate degrees required for professional certification. With careful planning of the undergraduate program, students may accelerate their graduate study by beginning graduate coursework in the senior year.

Liberal Arts Major with Childhood Certification

Students who wish to qualify for an initial certificate for elementary school teaching in New York state (1-6) must select a major in one of the following areas listed below.

See the associated sections of the catalog:

Generally, in addition to the requirements for the liberal arts major, students will take the following courses required for teacher certification.  See each of the BS liberal arts/childhood education majors (listed above) for specific requirements.

• U.S. citizenship or declaration of intent to become a U.S. citizen is required for certification in New York state.
• Successful passage of the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (LAST, ATS-W) is required of all applicants seeking certification.
• Applicants for New York state certification will have to be fingerprinted and undergo a criminal history review.  The cost of this process will be the applicant's responsibility.  The Education Office will provide information on how to meet this requirement.
• One student teaching experience must be at the 1-3 grade level and one at the 4-6 grade level. Students are personally responsible for transportation arrangements in connection with student teaching assignments. All education courses required in Childhood Education, including the non-credit workshops, must be completed before beginning student teaching.
• Data  on placement of graduates is available at http://www.sage.edu/academics/schoolofeducation/education/index.php
• All students in education are required to subscribe to a designated electronic portfolio system.

Optional Middle Childhood Education
Middle Childhood Education is an option that may be combined with childhood education.  Middle Childhood Education is not a stand-alone program.  Specifically, students completing childhood education (grades 1-6) may elect to expand the age range of their certification to include preparation for teaching in middle school (grades 7-9).

Liberal Arts Major with Middle Childhood Education
Two types of certificates are awarded—Generalist (G) or Specialist (S)—depending on the liberal arts major.  Students wishing to extend their childhood education certification to also include grades 7-9 will select a major in one of the following areas:  Biology (S), English (S), Government & Economics (G), History/Social Studies (S), Mathematics (S), Natural Science (G), Political Science (G), Psychology (G)*, Sociology (G)*, or Spanish (S).  Some liberal arts majors require additional content course work to meet the New York State middle childhood certification requirements (*designates such majors).

Academic Standards

• To enter or remain an Education major, the overall grade point average at the end of the sophomore year must be at least equal to that required by the College for graduation.
  
• The grades in ENG 101, MAT 111 and MAT 121 must be “C” or better. If a grade of “C” is not attained in either of these courses the student will be expected to arrange remedial assistance through the Dean of the School of Education and to repeat the courses.
• Students are required to take all of the following courses and must achieve a cumulative average of 2.75 to enter the methods courses: EDU 201, EDU 206, EDU 306, and EDU 309.
• To be eligible for student teaching, a student must have achieved a 2.75 cumulative average in teacher education coursework and a minimum of “C” in each methods course.
• Students must maintain a 2.5 cumulative average in their liberal arts major.
  

Conceptual Framework

The Sage Colleges is a federation of three colleges. The School of Education offers degree programs at: Russell Sage College, an undergraduate college for women; Sage College of Albany, an undergraduate coeducational college; and Sage Graduate School, a co-educational graduate college. The motto of Russell Sage College, “To Be, To Know, To Do,” informs the educational purpose of The Sage Colleges, where the common effort is to translate learning into action and application, within a framework that recognizes the obligation of educated persons to lead and serve their communities. In the School of Education, this motto is extended to form the basis for our programs. We expect Sage educators, counselors, and leaders to be well-grounded in knowledge about schools/communities, learners and learning; to know curricular content and models of instruction; and to do what is necessary to ensure the success of all learners--including collaboration with families/community members in respectful, culturally responsive ways. Underlying this motto is a commitment to leadership—regardless of role. We expect Sage students to take ongoing leadership actions in order to create the optimal educational outcome for all learners.

The mission of the School of Education is to prepare highly effective educators, school counselors, and school leaders who believe in full inclusion, value diversity, and are reflective and knowledgeable about best practices. Therefore, we ask Sage students to consider two essential questions throughout their studies and field experiences: "Who am I in the lives of those with whom I work?" "Who am I in the life of my educational community?"

I. To be well-grounded in knowledge about schools/communities, learners and learning, Sage candidates will:

understand self in relation to learners, their families and others, particularly in terms of power, privilege and knowledge with regard to culture, class, language, ability and gender;

use collaborative attitudes and skills which result in successful partnerships with colleagues, families and other community members;improve society bypromoting/ modeling and using democratic practices in their settings;

demonstrate a commitment to substantive self reflection (including quantifiable and qualitative sources of information), on-going learning and professional development;

II. To know curricular content and models of instruction, Sage candidates will:

demonstrate an ability to respond to the strengths and needs of all learners, using assessment data to inform instructional decisions;

use knowledge in their designated fields to inspire learners to grow and to meet high standards;

employ/promote pedagogical practices that engage learners in active ways;

demonstrate knowledge in their content areas ensuring maximum achievement for all learners;

III. To do what is necessary to ensure the success of all learners--and to collaborate with families/community members in respectful, culturally responsive ways, Sage candidates will:

engage in reflective practices;

demonstrate a positive, respectful view of learners and their families;

listen deeply to the experiences and perspectives of all those within the community;

model ethical behavior and active citizenship;

promote the success of all learners through advocacy and action and support the development of leadership throughout the community.

build trust and garner support for a vision of inclusive schools that value diversity.

National Accreditation

The School of Education received National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accreditation in October 2001. Why does NCATE matter? (1) From a student’s perspective, NCATE accreditation means that you will graduate from a program in Education that meets the highest standards in the field. You should make sure to note NCATE accreditation on your resume and be prepared to talk about the significance of this designation. (2) Few colleges and universities can claim this recognition. In New York State we are one of a small number of institutions accredited by NCATE. Across the nation, only 200 private colleges can claim NCATE accreditation. It is prestigious and difficult to achieve. (3) If you are applying for certification in other states, graduating from our NCATE programs will facilitate your receiving licensure in another state. (4) NCATE has helped us to articulate what qualities a Sage educator/counselor possesses. Our tenets – belief in full inclusion, valuing diversity, knowledge about best practices and reflection – will hold you in good stead as teachers/counselors and help you, we believe, articulate and distinguish your strengths in these broad areas. (5) Many of the portfolio assessments and documentation of pupils’ learning are similar to tasks required for National Board Certification; we believe that NCATE has helped us to prepare better graduates who are able to help their students reach high standards. As you go forth in your career, we hope that you will find the kinds of experiences you received at Sage helpful as you seek to improve your professionalism.

Electronic Portfolio

The School of Education requires all students to subscribe to LiveText, an electronic portfolio system.

TEACHER CERTIFICATION IN ENGLISH, MATHEMATICS, SOCIAL STUDIES OR VISUAL ARTS

Students wishing to prepare to teach in secondary schools (grades 7-12) will need to complete the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.). For complete information on the M.A.T. see the Sage Graduate School catalog.

The M.A.T. at Sage is offered in the following programs:
M.A.T. English Adolescence Education (7-12)
M.A.T. Mathematics Adolescence Education (7-12)
M.A.T. Social Studies Adolescence Education (7-12)
M.A.T. Visual Arts Education (K-12)

The student completing the M.A.T. in any of the above four programs, may also choose to complete an optional specialist extension to Middle Childhood (grades 5-6).  Seeking an additional certification area may require student teaching outside the academic year and, thus, additional tuition cost may be incurred.

The Russell Sage undergraduate student may complete the M.A.T. at Sage Graduate School in a single additional year beyond the completion of her undergraduate degree by taking the following four prerequisite courses as electives to her Bachelor’s Degree.  [Alternatively, these competencies may be met at the graduate level.  Postponing these prerequisites to the graduate level will, of course, preclude the M.A.T. from being finished in a single year.] Preferential consideration for candidacy to the M.A.T. program will be given to Russell Sage College graduates who meet the entrance requirement of 2.75 for their major and cumulative grade point averages.

The candidate for the M.A.T. must also complete the Bachelor’s Degree in the relevant discipline, specifically:

Other options in Sage Graduate School for graduates of the Russell Sage Childhood or Childhood/Middle Childhood programs include master's degrees in Literacy, Special Education, or a dual master's degree in Literacy/Special Education.

For those who have not completed undergraduate programs in Education, other Sage Graduate School options include Childhood Education, Childhood Education/Literacy, Childhood Education/Special Education, Health Education or School Counseling.

School of Education Attendance Policy
While individual instructors may approach attendance and participation in varied ways in their grading policies, students in the School of Education should be aware that missing 1/4 or more of class sessions MAY result in AUTOMATIC class failure. Class content and participation are vital to meeting the objectives of School of Education courses.