The mission of the World Language Education (WLE) certification program is (1) to promote a community-based approach to world language instruction; (2) to educate teachers who understand different cultures, are proficient in their languages, routinely visit other countries, and can build bridges across nations, races, socioeconomic groups, cultures, and languages; and (3) to certify teachers who are prepared to serve the global needs of increasingly multicultural and multilingual schools and are strongly committed to act for a world in which shared understanding through conflict resolution, negotiation and communication are guiding principles.
There is a growing need for multilingual teachers from diverse backgrounds. The WLE faculty encourages qualified applicants from under-represented groups to apply for admissions to the program.
The objectives of the K-12 WLE program are
Program majors include French, German, and Spanish, and may also include Italian and Portuguese (see the text at these specific programs). Completion of these programs leads to a Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a major in the specific subject area. Wisconsin state licensing regulations require that students are licensed to teach at the early childhood through adolescence (pre-kindergarten through high school) levels.
These programs have four components:
The four semesters of professional course work are followed sequentially and taken in consecutive semesters. Because of the program structure, students are expected to have completed most of their major and liberal studies course work by the start of the professional sequence.
Students interested in World Language Education usually begin their academic careers as School of Education students with a "pre-professional" designation. Current on-campus students wishing to transfer to the School of Education can find a pre-professional application form at this link. Pre-World Language Education students enroll in liberal studies, general education, and major courses during their freshman, sophomore, and sometimes junior years. Education course work is reserved for the four-semester professional sequence.
Students generally apply to the professional program during their sophomore or junior years and begin the four-semester professional sequence as a junior or senior in the subsequent fall. Many (but not all) students require five years to complete their degree program.
Participation in an intensive immersion experience is one of the most important and meaningful ways of developing competence in a language. In preparation for the proficiency exam, students seeking certification in a language must participate in an approved immersion experience that emphasizes prolonged and intensive interaction within the target language and culture. Applicants must complete and document a full-semester (or minimum four-month-long) immersion experience as a prerequisite to being admitted to the professional program.
Students admitted to a program must provide evidence of completion of an American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview administered by Language Testing International (LTI) prior to beginning their first student teaching experience (second semester of the professional sequence). The required proficiency level for student teaching is Intermediate High or above.
Limited and competitive admission to these programs occurs once each year in the summer. Students apply between October 1 and February 1, usually during their sophomore or junior years. Applicants must meet minimum eligibility requirements to be considered for selection. Currently these include 54 total earned credits by the end of the spring semester of application; all but six credits in the major completed; a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point average; scores submitted for the Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST; also called Praxis I); and completed application materials submitted by February 1. Students are admitted each summer to begin the professional sequence in the fall.
For selection purposes the files of all applicants will be individually and holistically reviewed by a panel of world language professionals. The criteria used for evaluation include academic qualifications, career maturity, ability to relate to youth, commitment to all students, and interpersonal skills. See Admission and Information: World Language Education for more details.
Students are encouraged to meet regularly with their advisor at Education Academic Services (EAS). All students interested in a School of Education program are assigned a specific EAS advisor. Advisor are located in Rust-Schreiner Halls, 115 North Orchard Street (call 608-262-1651 to make an appointment). Faculty in the World Language Education program often want to meet with prospective applicants; for contact information, see specific majors.
New freshmen discuss program options with advisors during the Student Orientation, Advising and Registration (SOAR) Program. At SOAR, advisors help students select courses and plan their first semesters at UW-Madison. Recognizing that students often have many academic interests and more than one possible career goal, School of Education advisors help students explore options and maintain academic flexibility. Prospective off-campus transfer students and on-campus students considering teacher education usually meet with an advisor in an individual advising session.
Once admitted to the professional program, students work closely with the program advisor for the specific world language area.