IUP's Spanish Education Program Awarded National Recognition

Indiana University of Pennsylvania's (IUP) Spanish Education Program has been granted national recognition by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) for its exemplary teacher preparation program.  ACTFL, a specialized professional association of NCATE, collaborates with NCATE to review foreign language teacher preparation programs in NCATE institutions to determine if programs meet rigorous standards developed by the foreign language profession. In order to receive national recognition, programs must prepare a Program Report that provides evidence of having met all requirements of the ACTFL/NCATE Program Standards for the Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers , released in 2002 by ACTFL.

According to the ACTFL program review report, IUP's Spanish Education Program “epitomizes the new face of language teacher education” and it “demonstrates clearly the connectedness between the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and dispositions in language and pedagogy.” The report further indicates that “ this program provides a model for other foreign language education programs that strive to have their programs nationally recognized.” The program was also commended for their exemplary partnership with the College of Education and Educational Technology.

IUP's Spanish Education Program is one of only twelve foreign language teacher preparation programs in the country to be nationally recognized by ACTFL/NCATE since 2002.

 The following are a few of the characteristics that distinguish IUP's program:

• Teacher candidates must demonstrate a proficiency level of Advanced Low or higher on the ACTFL proficiency scale in both speaking and writing as a condition for Student Teaching.
• The oral proficiency of teacher candidates is assessed at two benchmark points: during the second semester of the sophomore year, and the semester prior to Student Teaching.
• Teacher candidates have teaching experiences in public schools in their sophomore, junior, and senior years, and these experiences are integrated with course work in Spanish and Education.
• All Spanish majors are required to complete a structured study abroad program in a Spanish-speaking country.
• Teacher candidates complete at least one teaching practicum in an urban setting.
• Teacher candidates complete teaching experiences at both elementary and secondary levels.
• Teacher candidates maintain a Professional Involvement Log, through which they document their growth in professionalism from the freshman year through Student Teaching, including their willingness to develop language proficiency outside of class, attend professional events, and become involved in professional organizations.
• Spanish Department faculty who teach culture and literature courses work closely with their departmental colleagues in pedagogy to ensure that all course work plays a role in enabling teacher candidates to reach the desired competencies, both in Spanish and in teaching expertise.
• Faculty in the Department of Spanish collaborate on an ongoing basis with the College of Education and Educational Technology to make ongoing improvements to the program and meet requirements of the Pennsylvania Department of Education and NCATE.

 Dr. Eileen W. Glisan is Coordinator of the Spanish Education Program and prepared the department's NCATE Program Report.