2022-25

Motion Introduced by:  Curriculum and Academic Programs Committee

Date of First Reading:    January 31, 2022

Date of Second Reading: February 28, 2022

Title of Motion: Request from the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College – Division of Teacher Preparation – for the establishment of an undergraduate certificate – Bilingual Education and English as a Second Language

Action Requested: This curricular proposal has received all college, school, unit and university administrative approvals, and is being presented to the Senate for review and voting decision.   

Rationale: The certificate in Bilingual Education and English as a Second Language will enable students enrolled in any Teacher Preparation undergraduate program to add a Bilingual Education and English as a Second Language certificate to their major. Currently, only students enrolled in the Elementary Education program are able to add a concentration in Educating Multilingual Learners (content similar to what is being proposed in the Bilingual Education and English as a Second Language certificate). This offering will expand the availability of the content and skills needed to work with an increasing population of culturally and linguistically diverse students. The certificate will provide the coursework necessary for students to apply for Arizona’s Bilingual and/or English as a Second Language endorsement. The certificate will provide students with required knowledge and skills in areas related to second language acquisition, biliteracy and bilingualism, culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogies, and instructional practices that value language diversity as an asset.