Suggested Criteria for Certification of Social Studies Teachers. NYSCSS Occasional Paper No. 1.

The New York State Council for Social Studies committee developed a rationale and set of specific criteria that social studies teachers should demonstrate for certification. The rationale behind the criteria is that it makes social studies teachers a more professional group and provides for the highest caliber of teacher. Each teacher is screened for the selected criteria by peers and instructors. The Council recommends certification only after the criteria are met and the teacher undergoes a one year probationary teaching experience. The specific criteria are categorized according to skills, knowledge, experience, and personal factors. Items most often noted as important by committee members in the areas of skills, knowledge, experience, and personal factors respectively are as follows: (1) performance during an internship and demonstration of certain capacities and skills including affective, diagnostic, expository, inquiry, analytical, and evaluative; (2) the knowledge developed from an internship and demonstrated knowledge of the methods and tools of the social sciences including analysis, inquiry, and evaluation; (3) an internship and experience in writing curricula, travel, publishing, work with other cultures, and with other work-related activities; and (4) self-improvement, self analysis of behavior in different situations, an attitude conducive to a learning atmosphere, and an ability to write a clear rationale for teaching social studies. (DE)