FAQ about Teacher Credentialing, Funding, and National Standards for Language Education
Credentialing:
* Where do I look for a job? Is there a placement agency?
See the Placement page within this website for contacts.
* How can I become certified to teach Latin?
Each state varies so you will need to do some research. Only certain colleges offer credentialing in Latin. You will need to contact the Classical Languages Department at the particular university you are specifically interested in. Here is an extensive list of such college Classics Departments.
The SCS has a useful document with some additional information about state credentialing requirements and contacts.
NEW! List of 200+ colleges and universities with Latin, Greek, and Classics majors. Please share this with your upper level students! This is a list first created by colleague Bryan Carlson and we welcome additions or corrections (list allows comments). NCLG will be monitoring the list and we want to grow the list and to keep it current. Please help!
* Is certification really necessary? After all, if a school is really desperate for a Latin teacher, won't they be happy to just find someone with a bachelors or, better yet, a masters or PhD?
Actually, yes. The ESSA federal guidelines require that all teachers be certified and highly qualified in order to teach in public schools. You might find work at a private school, but there is a real need to maintain public school programs with credentialed teachers. Some private schools also favor teachers with credentials in their hiring. And acquiring the skills necessary for credentialing and familiarity with national and state standards for language learning can significantly develop your range of abilities and expand your competence in the classroom. If tuition is an issue, there are some college programs with stipends provided. One look at the list of applicants at the ACL Placement center will tell you something very interesting: almost 50% of those looking for jobs have no certification. And there are programs that are closing because there is no one "qualified" to take the position of a retiring Latin teacher.
If you wish to become certified or credentialed as a teacher in your state, please check the State Board of Education website. Credentialing is required for public school teaching and some private schools. It is certainly a great asset for obtaining any job, public, charter, or private. These are some shortcuts for quick information on all states. Some links may be expired, but we use the latest information available to us.
On the SCS classicalstudies.org site:
https://classicalstudies.org/education/guide-state-certification-requirements-december-2017
On the ACTFL.org site there are individual slide presentations for each state:
https://langcred.org/resources/state-presentations/
*What is some good advice about getting started?
Here is a general opinion piece from SCS offering advice to those considering teaching at K-12 level:
"A Note on K-12 Latin Teaching" https://classicalstudies.org/note-k-12-latin-teaching
"BECOME A LATIN TEACHER!" Check out this wonderful NEW BROCHURE by Latin teacher Emily Lewis, It is full of good advice for high school students or others thinking about becoming a Latin teacher. Follow our link or use the QR code to access the online version, where you can click links to tons of resources and print it out to share.
*How do I make sure I am qualified and prepared?
A joint committee of ACL and SCS has formulated the new Guidelines for Latin Teacher Preparation. This updated document (a revision of the Standards for Latin Teacher Preparation) includes the major guidelines for those preparing for a career in teaching, and is informative for those seeking new teaching methods and recommended teaching practices. Please go the links below or to these sites (at SCS): https://classicalstudies.org/education/guidelines-latin-teacher-preparation and (at ACL) https://www.aclclassics.org/Publications/Standards-and-Reports
where you will find all resources. This document, which is a 2023 revision of the 2010 Standards for Latin Teacher Preparation, sets out what a beginning-career Latin teacher should know and be able to do. It is for teachers at ALL levels, K-16.
- Content Knowledge
- Pedagogical Knowledge, Skills, and Understanding
- Other Areas of Responsibility
- Professional Development and Lifelong Learning
Links to key documents:
Guidelines for Latin Teacher Preparation (PDF)
Addendum of Resources (Google Doc)
One-Page Flyer (PDF)
Check out our Universities and Funding Opportunities page for more information on some credentialing program assistance.
NEW! Benefits of Language and Guiding Principles: ACTFL offers web content outlining the benefits of language expertise and guiding principles of language teaching.
*Are there scholarships funds available to someone who wants to become a teacher?
Yes, scholarships are available. You will find that some universities offer scholarships of varying amounts for prospective teachers. In addition, you might look at the following websites for information about these specific scholarships:
o Compiled joint organization list including Frank M. Snowden Minority Scholarships from SCS
o Zeph Stewart Latin Teacher Training Award
o Manson A Stewart Teacher Training and Travel Awards from CAMWS
o Maureen O'Donnell Scholarship from ACL
o Fox Teacher Training Scholarship from Eta Sigma Phi
o Montross New Latin Educators Scholarship
o ACTFL’s NEW 'Lead With Languages' Teacher Scholarship Program for graduating seniors who wish to become language teachers. Merit-based, $6000 over 4 years.
o Contact your State Board of Education to see if they offer tuition exemptions for teacher credentialing courses.
Teaching to national standards and state world language frameworks is required at many schools, but how do I apply Frameworks and Standards to the Latin and Greek Classroom?
Take an example from South Carolina or contact your state world language association.
** SEE CAN-DO STATEMENTS at https://www.actfl.org/resources/ncssfl-actfl-can-do-statements.
WORLD READINESS STANDARDS FOR LEARNING LANGUAGES at https://www.actfl.org/resources/world-readiness-standards-learning-languages (only members have full access) Click on “Classical Languages.”
You can also get a download of the Standards at: https://www.aclclassics.org/Portals/0/Site%20Documents/Publications/Standards_for_Classical_Language_Learning_2017%20FINAL.pdf
CAL, the Center for Applied Linguistics, points to the World Language Framework quick reference guides of Massachusetts BOE: For example language framework supports, see list of Quick Reference Guides, including one for CLASSICAL LANGUAGES.