World Languages Teacher Licensure Handbook : French and Francophone Studies : UMass Amherst

Introduction

The World Languages Teacher Licensure program offers undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate programs that prepare students to earn a teaching license in Chinese, French, Italian, or Spanish, grades 5-12. The undergraduate BA with licensure, the MA with licensure in Chinese, and the MAT in French, Italian, and Spanish are all professional degrees that combine essential aspects of the field of education studies with the academic tradition of the BA and MA degrees. They aim for balanced competence in the specific world language/culture and the teaching of foreign languages, culminating in a a student teaching practicum during the last semester of the program. Upon successful completion of the program, students generally obtain a license at the "Initial" level.

In the handbook below, you will find essential information that will guide you throughout your experience in the program. From your program of study to program policies and resources, this handbook is designed to ensure you have the necessary tools to thrive. For general information about Educator Preparation that applies to all programs, please review the UMass CAP Handbook, which is available on the Ed Prep website under Initial Teacher Licensure Candidate Resources. We look forward to supporting you as you embark on this rewarding path of shaping minds and making a difference in the lives of students.

Who we are

Admission to our program

Advising and First Steps

Programs of Study

Chinese

French

BA in French and Francophone Studies with Licensure

Candidates for the BA degree in French and Francophone Studies with licensure must complete the regular requirements for the major in French. In addition, they must take the following education courses:

FRENCHED 500U: Student Teaching (3-12 credits, usually 7)
EDUC 524: The Work of the Middle and High School Teacher (3 cr.)
FRENCHST 572: Basic Methods of Teaching Foreign Languages (3 cr.)
FRENCHST 592S: Microteaching: Pre-Practicum Field Experience (2 cr.)
FRENCHST 579: The Teacher in the Middle & High School Classroom (2 cr.)
EDUC 557: Tutoring in the Schools (3 cr.)
EDUC 571: Psychology in the Classroom (or EDUC 306) (3 cr.)

MAT in French and Francophone Studies

Candidates for the MAT degree in French and Francophone Studies must complete the following course requirements:

FRENCHED 500U: Student Teaching Practicum (3-12 credits, usually 7)
FRENCHST 579: The Teacher in the Middle & High School Classroom (2 cr.)
EDUC 524: Work of the Middle and High School Teacher (3 cr.)
FRENCHST 572: Basic Methods of Teaching Foreign Languages (3 cr.)
FRENCHST 592S: Microteaching: Pre-Practicum (2 cr.)
EDUC 557: Tutoring in Schools (3 cr.)
FRENCHST 670: Expository Prose (3 cr.)
FRENCHST 679: Teaching French &Francophone Culture to Middle & High School Students (3 cr.)
An Educational Psychology Course (one of the following):
- EDUC 571: Psychology in the Classroom (3 cr.)
- EDUC 692K: Foundations and Theories of Learning (3 cr.)
An Advanced Methods Elective (3 cr.)
Foreign Language Research Elective (3 cr.)
4 Electives in French Literature and Culture (12 cr.)

MAT Final Examination

After successfully completing the above course requirements, the student takes the MAT Comprehensive Final Examination. This four-hour written exam is normally given on the second Tuesday after spring break. It is based on eight literary works chosen by the student in consultation with the Graduate Program Director no later than the end of the semester preceding the one in which the exam will be taken. No more than two of these works should be by the same author or of the same period. Works must also represent more than a single genre. All lists are subject to approval by the MAT Examination Committee in French and Francophone Studies.

Part 1: (2 hours) An essay in French on one or a combination of the works chosen. Students answer one question out of a choice of three. The purpose of this question is to elicit from the student an appreciation of the thematic, formal, and historical aspects of the text(s) in question, as well as to test for the quality of written expression in French.

Part 2: (2 hours) A set of questions to be answered in English as though the candidate were preparing an actual class at the secondary level. Choosing one literary passage out of a selection of two, the student will answer questions concerning how to teach various aspects of the passage to a high-school class, including ideas and techniques for presenting the passage, grammar and vocabulary issues, reading comprehension questions, in-class activities related to the reading, possible composition topics, cultural issues raised by the passage, etc.

Italian

Spanish

Post-Baccalaureate (Non-Degree) Programs of Study

The Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Licensure Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst offers experienced, nontraditional students who already have a Bachelor's degree in Chinese, French, Italian, or Spanish an opportunity to become licensed to teach in Massachusetts. The Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Licensure Program, offered through the College of Education in conjunction with University Without Walls, is a non-degree route to admission to the licensure programs at the University for those students who do not wish to undertake a graduate degree or second Bachelor's degree while pursuing licensure.

To be considered for admission to the Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Licensure Program, candidates must have already completed a BA or BS with a major in one of the four languages. This language major prerequisite ensures that candidates have completed the necessary subject matter requirements; candidates without a degree in the language they wish to teach will have to fulfill the subject matter requirements by taking additional undergraduate coursework before entering the licensure program. Once admitted to the program, candidates complete the same 23-credit education curriculum that undergraduate licensure candidates complete, including a pre-practicum and student teaching practicum. For specific course requirements, see the programs of study for each language above.

All post-baccalaureate teacher licensure candidates must pass both parts of the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL): the Communication and Literacy Skills Test and the Subject Matter Test in their language area. Candidates must also complete the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) with a score at or above the level of “Advanced Low” (French, Italian, Spanish) or “Intermediate High” (Chinese). Since the MTEL and the OPI are prerequisites to student teaching, candidates should complete the two before beginning their final year of the program. In addition, all post-baccalaureate teacher licensure candidates must complete the same assessments and program requirements as undergraduate or graduate candidates (see below).

Program Requirements

In general, all World Languages teacher licensure candidates, whether at the undergraduate, graduate, or post-baccalaureate (non-degree) level, must complete the same set of program requirements, as outlined below. In some cases, certain requirements and assessments may be waived or modified, in particular for candidates who have substantial prior teaching experience and/or who are native speakers of their program language. Waivers and modifications must be approved by the candidate's program coordinator and GPD/UPD.

Tk20 Portfolio

MTEL and OPI

SAFIS and CORI

Pre-Practicum

In the semester before they undertake their student teaching, all candidates must complete the pre-practicum, a 2-credit gateway teaching experience that requires a minimum of 60 hours of observation and teaching in a world language classroom in a middle or high school, with at least 3 to 5 hours of instructional time. Candidates assist the classroom teacher, work with small groups, and teach a series of lessons to small and large groups. The student teaching practicum, completed in the following semester, generally takes place in the same department and usually with the same supervising practitioner (i.e., mentor teacher) as the pre-practicum.

The program coordinator is responsible for arranging suitable school placements for teacher candidates who will be completing the pre-practicum and practicum. Candidates are typically placed in schools within a 30-mile radius of UMass. Please note, however, that public transportation is not available at most sites, so in most cases teacher candidates will need to ensure they have adequate and reliable transportation to their pre-practicum and practicum sites. This usually means possession of a driver's license and a car.

The following elements are required for successful completion of the pre-practicum:

At the beginning of the pre-practicum, candidates should complete the L2-PPC Form: Pre-Practicum Placement Contract, which can be found on the Ed Prep website under Initial Teacher Licensure Candidate Resources.
Two formal observations of the candidates' instruction will be conducted during the pre-practicum. For each one, the candidates should upload to Tk20 their lesson plans and materials, the observation form with feedback from their program coordinator, and a written reflection in response to the feedback received.
Two formal "Gateway Assessments" must be completed by the end of the pre-practicum. Instructions for both Gateway Assessments can be found on Tk20, under the "Pre-Practicum" tab.
- Gateway Assessment 1: Second-Language Acquisition Theory and Methods: This assessment is typically completed as an assignment in the candidates' teaching methodology course (French/Italian 572, Chinese 580, Spanish 575).
- Gateway Assessment 2: World Languages Lesson Planning: This assessment is typically completed as part of the second formal observation during the pre-practicum.
Pre-practicum attendance log: candidates should keep track of their hours and activities at their school site during the pre-practicum.

In addition to these required elements, the following two candidate assessments are ideally completed by the end of the pre-practicum semester (though completion is not required until the end of the practicum). Instructions for both can be found on Tk20 under the "Program-Specific Assessments" tab.

Cultural Portfolio
Educational Philosophy Reflection

Student Teaching Practicum

Whether at the graduate or undergraduate level, candidates must complete a one-semester (13-14 weeks) full-time student teaching practicum, generally during their last semester in the program. The practicum requires candidates to spend a minimum of 300 hours in the secondary school where they undertake the practicum, with a minimum of 100 hours of instructional time as the teacher in charge. In practice, many candidates exceed the required 100 hours of instructional time by as much as 35 hours, and we encourage them to do so whenever possible. Candidates are primarily assessed with the Candidate Assessment of Performance Formative/Summative Assessment Forms, which are required by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and assess candidates according to the Massachusetts Professional Standards for Teachers (603 CMR 7.08). In addition, candidates are secondarily assessed with the ACTFL scoring rubric, which specifically addresses world-language teaching proficiency. Candidates are evaluated jointly by their supervising practitioner (i.e., mentor teacher) and their university supervisor (usually their program coordinator), who complete both assessments twice during the course of the practicum semester: once at approximately the mid-point of the semester (to identify problem areas and allow time to implement corrective strategies), and once at the end. The candidates’ performance on the second of these two evaluations determines the academic outcome of the student teaching practicum, which is graded on a pass/fail basis. Candidates attend both of these assessment meetings with their two supervisors and participate actively in the analysis and evaluation of their work.

As with the pre-practicum, the program coordinator is responsible for arranging suitable school placements for teacher candidates who will be completing the practicum. Candidates are typically placed in schools within a 30-mile radius of UMass. Please note, however, that public transportation is not available at most sites, so in most cases teacher candidates will need to ensure they have adequate and reliable transportation to their pre-practicum and practicum sites. This usually means possession of a driver's license and a car.

During the practicum semester, candidates are expected to spend every day with their mentor teacher and their students, from whenever they begin in the morning until the very end of the school day. Candidates normally begin the practicum on the first day of the UMass semester (or earlier, if feasible) and teach until the last official day of classes at UMass, though sometimes students end up teaching beyond that date.

In a typical scenario, after observing for a couple of days in late January, teacher candidates begin by teaching one class, and then a couple of weeks later, begin teaching a second class (while continuing with the first), and then, a couple of weeks later, they take responsibility for teaching a third class, while continuing with the other two. If classes are more or less 50-minutes sessions, candidates must take responsibility for teaching three of them in the course of the semester, while if classes are held in more or less 80- or 90-minutes sessions (block scheduling), candidates would only need to take on two classes. In either case, candidates must teach classes that are at two different levels (at a minimum).

The following elements are required for successful completion of the practicum:

At the beginning of the practicum, candidates should complete the L2 Form: Practicum/Internship Placement Contract, which can be found on the Ed Prep website under Initial Teacher Licensure Candidate Resources.
Four formal observations of the candidates' instruction will be conducted during the pre-practicum, two announced ahead of time and two unannounced. For each one, the candidates should upload to Tk20 their lesson plans and materials, the observation form with feedback from their program coordinator and mentor teacher, and a written reflection in response to the feedback received.
Three 3-way meetings between the candidate, mentor teacher, and program coordinator. At the first meeting (which frequently corresponds with the first formal observation), candidates should complete Section 1 of the L3 Form: Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP) Form, which can be found on the Ed Prep website under Initial Teacher Licensure Candidate Resources.
Completion of the Formative and Summative Assessment Worksheets, which can be found on the Ed Prep website under CAP Assessments. The Formative Assessment Worksheet should be completed as a self-assessment by the candidate in advance of the second 3-way meeting (which frequently corresponds with the third formal observation). The Summative Assessment Worksheet should be completed by the candidate in advance of the final 3-way meeting (which frequently corresponds with the final formal observation). Formative and Summative Assessment Worksheets should be uploaded to Tk20 under the "Practicum" tab.
Three formal CAP Artifacts/Assessments must be completed by the end of the practicum. Instructions for CAP artifacts/assessments can be found on the Ed Prep website under CAP Artifacts, as well as in the UMass CAP Handbook, which is available under Initial Teacher Licensure Candidate Resources. All documentation of CAP Artifacts/Assessments should be uploaded to Tk20 under the "CAP Categories of Evidence" tab.
- Professional Practice Goal: This assessment is typically completed early in the student teaching practicum.
- Measure of Student Learning: This assessment is typically completed as part of the formal Unit Plan assessment (see below).
- Student Feedback Survey: This assessment is typically completed during the last week of the practicum.
- Additional Candidate Evidence for the 7 Essential Elements: Candidates are encouraged to upload to Tk20 at least one candidate artifact demonstrating progress in quality, scope, and consistency in each of the 7 Essential Elements before the second three-way meeting (Formative Assessment) and at least a second candidate artifact demonstrating progress in quality, scope, and consistency in each Essential Element before the third three-way meeting (Summative Assessment)
Practicum attendance log: candidates should keep track of their hours and activities at their school site during the student teaching practicum. The completed log should be uploaded to Tk20 at the end of the practicum under the "Practicum" tab.
Once candidates have completed their practicum and uploaded their log of hours, they should complete Section 2 of the L3 Form: Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP) Form, which can be found on the Ed Prep website under Initial Teacher Licensure Candidate Resources.
Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK): Under the "Subject Matter Knowledge" tab on Tk20, candidates should list the courses they have taken that demonstrate the knowledge they have acquired in their program language and culture in the 7 required areas.

In addition to these required elements, the program-specific Unit Plan Assessment must be completed by the end of the practicum semester. This assessment is based on a complete unit that teacher candidates design and teach over a 2- or 3-week period, ideally beginning in late March or early April. Instructions for the Unit Plan Assessment can be found on Tk20 under the "Program-Specific Assessments" tab, where the 9-part assessment documentation should also be uploaded by the end of the practicum. In addition to the Unit Plan Assessment, candidates should also complete by the end of the practicum two other program-specific assessments, the Cultural Portfolio and the Educational Philosophy Reflection, if they have not already done so during the pre-practicum.

World Languages Teacher Licensure Handbook

Chinese, French, Italian, and Spanish

Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Introduction

Programs of Study

BA in Chinese Studies with Licensure

MA in Chinese Studies with Licensure

BA in French and Francophone Studies with Licensure

MAT in French and Francophone Studies

MAT Final Examination

BA in Italian Studies with Licensure

MAT in Italian Studies

BA in Spanish Studies with Licensure

MAT in Spanish Studies

Program Requirements