Spanish-English Bilingual-Bicultural Education Capstone FAQs
To apply to the new cohort beginning in Summer 2022, the deadline to apply is June 5, 2022. Please visit the C&I website and/or the Professional Degrees and Certificates website for more information about program requisites and how to apply.
No, the new Spanish-English Bilingual-bicultural education certificate program does not require an ESL certification.
No, there is no financial aid available for special students enrolled in capstone certificate programs.
The program consists of three semesters of courses (summer, fall, and spring). Two courses are offered in the summer and one each fall and spring semester of the following academic year. Resident and nonresident tuition costs are as follows:
Resident: $670.47 per credit
Nonresident: $1503.40 per credit
Also, please see the Professional Degrees and Certificates website for more information.
No, the capstone certificate and the bilingual-bicultural education certification are not the same thing. The capstone certificate is a professional certificate. However, by completing the requirements for the capstone certificate, practicing teachers with Wisconsin teaching licenses who are Spanish proficient will be able to apply for and obtain their Spanish-English bilingual-bicultural licensure directly from the Department of Public Instruction.
In the summer semester, classes are offered in two consecutive 4-week sessions and meet Monday – Thursday from 8:15 to 11:45 am. In the fall and spring semesters, classes are offered on a weeknight from 4:30 to 7:00 pm. In Summer 2022, the first class meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 20th. Participants must earn a grade of ‘B’ or better in all classes to meet requirements for a bilingual-bicultural certification.
Yes, program participants are required to take and pass two practicum 1-credit courses—one taken in the fall and and one taken in the spring semester. Participants can complete their practicum in their own classrooms but will be asked to undertake at least two formal observations in Spanish. University Supervisors with teaching experience in bilingual-bicultural settings will undertake these formal observations. Additionally, participants will be assigned to a school-based Cooperating Teacher during the fall and spring semesters who has a certification in bilingual-bicultural education and has at least 3 years of teaching experience in bilingual-bicultural settings.
The capstone certificate program requires a Wisconsin initial teaching license, which typically includes coursework in humanities, social studies, science, and cultural and historical studies. If you hold a WLE certification, you cannot teach in a bilingual program, according to this Guidance document from DPI. If you have earned a WLE license and a license in a subject area, then you can teach in your subject area and in a world language (i.e., Spanish) in a full or partial emersion language school but not in a bilingual program per se.
Please contact Tom Tegart (C&I Graduate Program Coordinator) or your advisor(s) to determine if the required course credits can count toward other degree credit requirements. We cannot make that determination for you.
Contact Information:
General program inquiries and information:
Grace Baik
Administrative Assistant
Curriculum & Instruction
Email: gbaik@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 263-7138
Questions about capstone certificate, application process, and student support needs:
Ace Hilliard
Student Services Coordinator
Division of Continuing Studies
Email: ace.hilliard@wisc.edu
Phone: 608-263-6851
Questions about program requirements, course content, etc.
Mariana Pacheco
Associate Professor of Bilingual-bicultural Education
Curriculum & Instruction
Email: mariana.pacheco@wisc.edu
Diego Román
Assistant Professor of Bilingual/Bicultural Education
Curriculum & Instruction
Email: diego.roman@wisc.edu