OFFICE OF STUDENT SERVICES AND CERTIFICATION
Contacts    
Declaring an Undergraduate Teacher Education Major or Minor    
Admission Requirements for the Teacher Education Certification Program    
Provisional Admission    
Appeals    
Transfer Students    
Field Experience and Clinical Practice    
Praxis Testing    
Unit Assessment System    
Disposition Assessment Forms    
black box Title II Report Card    

 

Contacts

Physical Address:
86 Wentworth Street, #100
Charleston, SC 29401

Mailing Address:
66 George Street
Charleston, SC 29424

Telephone: (843) 953-5613

Declaring an Undergraduate Education Major or Minor

If you have any questions about the major/minor declaration process feel free to speak with the Student Services Coordinator for the School of Education at (843) 953-5613.

1. Complete Declaration of Major/Minor form (pdf), Field Service Agreement, and other required paperwork.
PDFs require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

2. Students will receive a packet from the Student Services Coordinator in the School of Education containing:

Admission Requirements for the Teacher Education Certification Program

Students seeking admission to the College of Charleston Teacher Education Program must formally apply in the Office of Student Services and Certification.

The assessment of dispositions form from the two individuals outside the School of Education must accompany the application. All of the evidence listed under Unit Assessment Point 1 (UAP 1) on the attached School of Education Unit Assessment System must be on file in the Office of Student Services and Certification by the date that final grades are submitted for the semester in which the application is filed. Students must be accepted as candidates in the Teacher Education Program before being allowed to take any education courses beyond the Introduction to Education course, EDFS 201. There is a check list of Admission Steps for Undergraduate Students available online, in PDF form, or in the main School of Education, Health, and Human Performance office at 86 Wentworth Street.Clinical Practice and Recommendation for Certification Candidates are required to meet the requirements listed in the Unit Assessment System for Emerging Competent in order to be approved for clinical practice. During clinical practice, content and skills that were developed and evaluated in previous courses and field experiences will be further refined and evaluated. Successful completion of clinical practice requires that candidates demonstrate acceptable knowledge, skills, and dispositions as indicated in the Unit Assessment System for Competent .Follow Up Program completers and their employers will be asked to supply data on the effectiveness of program completers and their students during the second and fifth years of the professional career. These data will be entered into the data management system, analyzed, and used for program improvement.

The deadline for the application for fall semester admission is March 10 and the deadline is October 15 for spring semester admission.

Until all the following requirements for admission to teacher education programs are met, candidates may not take any teacher education program courses except EDFS 201--Introduction to Education.

1. Complete program-specified minimum number of general education requirements.

2. Minimum cumulative GPA of at least 2.5.

3. Passing scores on all three Praxis I tests or minimum SAT score.

4. Complete EDFS 201 with a grade of "C" or better.

5. Evidence of qualifications for teacher education program according to current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.

6. Three assessments of disposition to be completed by: 

7. Supporting evidence:

Provisional Admission

Provisional Admission Students may be provisionally admitted to the Teacher Education Program based on one of the following two conditions.

Appeals

No appeals are allowed for admission. When there is cause to deny a candidate continuation, the candidate will be notified in writing regarding the reason for the denial. If the candidate believes there are extenuating circumstances that warrant further and special consideration, the candidate may appeal the decision by following the procedures listed in the School of Education Appeals Policy and Procedures.

Transfer Students

Transfer Students must have transcripts evaluated by the Office of the Registrar to determine general course equivalents. All education courses and those that might be considered to meet core or professional education requirements will be further evaluated by the School of Education. The teacher certification program involves a combination of coursework and field-based learning culminating in a semester long Clinical Practice experience. Throughout the program, the student’s progress is reviewed by a series of assessments that measure performance in relation to established standards. To maintain a good standing in the teacher certification program and be admitted to Clinical Practice, the candidate must meet criteria established by program faculty, maintain a minimum overall GPA of 2.50, maintain a minimum specified GPA in the major, and successfully complete field experiences.

Field Experience and Clinical Practice

Field experiences and clinical practice are integral program components. They provide the opportunities for candidates to apply their knowledge, skill, and dispositions in a variety of settings appropriate to the content and level of their program of study. Designed to integrate with coursework and to be developmentally sequenced for the candidates, these experiences help candidates develop the competence necessary to begin their careers. Clinical practice is the culminating experience for teacher candidates in the undergraduate and graduate initial teacher education programs.

Faculty, staff, and administration in the School of Education work with our PK-12 partner schools to integrate resources and expertise and support candidate's learning in field experiences and clinical practice. Our goal is to design, implement and evaluate field experiences and clinical practice so the teacher candidates develop and demonstrate the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to help all students learn. Personnel in the schools and the School of Education jointly determine placements.

Field Experiences allow candidates to apply and reflect on their content, professional, pedagogical knowledge, skills and dispositions with students, peers and professionals. Teacher candidates work collaboratively with other candidates, School of Education faculty and staff, and school-based personnel to critique and reflect on practice and effects on student learning with the goal of improving practice. Field experiences and clinical practice facilitate candidates' exploration of their knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to all students.

A student must be admitted to the Teacher Education Program one full semester prior to clinical practice.

It is the policy of the School of Education that assignments for field experience and clinical practice placements are made within the Tri-County area. If an appropriate placement is not available within the Tri-County area, the School of Education reserves the right to place the student in the closest appropriate placement.

NOTE: Required application form, results of the S.C. standardized test and required recommendation forms must be sent to the director, certification and clinical practice. After these materials are reviewed, the student will be notified of any additional requirements necessary for admission. Admission to a program does not guarantee admission to clinical practice or certification.

Taking additional coursework during the clinical practice semester is discouraged.

Certification to teach is granted by the South Carolina State Department of Education. To receive a certificate, a student must complete an approved degree program and be recommended by the School of Education.

The following requirements must be met before the School of Education recommends a student for certification:

  • successful completion of clinical practice;
  • a passing score on the Praxis Series: National Teacher Examination (professional knowledge and specialty area) or the state-sponsored exam for German and Latin;
  • successful completion of all requirements and activities as described by the faculty at the College of Charleston;
  • and demonstration of professional and ethical behaviors considered necessary for successful teaching.

NOTE: Completion of approved programs does not automatically ensure certification recommendation by the department and School of Education. Although completion of the approved program of study will usually result in recommendation, it may in fact be withheld as the result of failure to satisfactorily complete the requirements.

Recommendations may be withheld if a student does not adhere to the activities as describe by the faculty review committee, for example, by

a) substandard performance during clinical practice,

b) failure to pass the area exams (Praxis Series), or

c) failure to change behaviors which are considered to be impediments to successful teaching.

Praxis Series Tests

In addition to completing the requirements of the BS degree program and Clinical Practice, students desiring certification in South Carolina must pass specific areas of the PRAXIS National Teacher Examination and submit a packet of materials (application for Clinical Practice, check, finger prints) to the Director of the Office of Certification and Clinical Practice in the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance. 

The PRAXIS Series is a "set of rigorous and carefully validated assessments that provides accurate, reliable information for use by state education agencies in making licensing decisions.

Praxis I is the academic skills assessment test and is required for those entering a teacher training program. All undergraduate majors and minors must complete the Praxis I. More information on the Praxis as it applies to the College of Charleston's School of Education can be found on the C of C Praxis I Information Sheet (Requires Adobe PDF reader. Download PDF reader.)

Beginning July 1, 2002 students in special education must pass the PRAXIS exams in special education core content knowledge (#0353) and each area of certification--learning disabilities (#0382), emotional disabilities (#0371) and/or mental disabilities (#0321). The specialty area tests should be taken after the characteristics courses, classroom management, and most of the 411, 412, 413, 437 courses are complete. Review sessions for the specialty area tests are conducted by special education faculty each semester (in October and February). Registration books for the PRAXIS are available in the School of Education office. Test scores must be sent directly to the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance (code R5113) and the South Carolina Department of Education (code R8108).

Praxis II is the subject assessment test. The subject assessments measure candidates' knowledge of their subject as well as pedagogical skills and knowledge. The Praxis II is required for professional certification. More information on the Praxis as it applies to the College of Charleston's School of Education can be found on the C of C Praxis II Information Sheet (Requires Adobe PDF reader. Download PDF reader.)

For free Praxis practice tests visit the Test Prep Review website.

Unit Assessment System: Undergraduate Initial

The knowledge, skills, and dispositions that we believe effective teachers must hold and be able to use are grounded in our Mission Statement, Teaching and Learning Standards and our beliefs. It is our goal that our candidates will show growth over time as they develop towards becoming Master Teachers who can make the "Teaching / Learning Connection" for all students. There are five Unit Assessment Points in the model for undergraduate initial certification: admission to the teacher education program, acceptance to clinical practice, recommendation for certification, short-term follow up, and long-term follow up. The purposes of the Unit Assessment System are three fold: 1) to inform the candidate of the School of Education’s expectations and his or her progress, 2) to inform the Unit as to candidates' progress, and 3) to inform the Unit's evaluation refinement process. Data gather at each point is used for decision making about candidates and unit effectiveness.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Elements of Teacher Competency

(ETCs)

UAP 1

Acceptance to the Teacher Education Program

UAP 2

Acceptance to Clinical Practice

UAP 3

Recommendation for Certification (Completion of Clinical Practice)

UAP 4

Follow Up (first 2 years)

UAP 5

Follow Up (up to 5 years)

Novice

Developing Competency

Competent

Developing Master

Master
ETC 1: UNDERSTAND AND VALUE THE LEARNER

Teaching and Learning (T&L) Standard 1
Development of the Learner

 
  • Elements of Teacher Competency (ETC1)
  • Graded Essay
  • Acceptable or better grade on approved program portfolio, ETC 1
  • Acceptable or better grade on approved program portfolio, ETC 1
  • Survey of candidates and employers
  • Analysis
  • Survey of candidates and employers
  • Analysis

ETC 2: KNOW WHAT AND HOW TO TEACH AND ASSESS AND HOW TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH LEARNING OCCURS

T &L Standards
II. Content & Pedagogical Content Knowledge
III. Pedagogical Knowledge
VI. Continuous nature of assessment
  • Elements of Teacher Competency (ETC2) Graded Essay
  • GPA of 2.5 in general education courses
  • “C” or higher in EDFS 201
  • Program specified general education completed
  • Passing scores on 3 sections of Praxis I
  • Acceptable or better grade on approved program portfolio, ETC 2

  • GPA of 2.5 in general education courses
  • GPA of 3.0 in education courses
  • Program specified courses and general education courses completed
  • Acceptable or better field experience
  • Passing scores on Praxis II or proof of registration
  • Acceptable or better grade on approved program portfolio, ETC 2

  • GPA of 2.5 in general education courses
  • GPA of 3.0 in education courses
  • All course work completed
  • Passing grade in clinical practice
  • Acceptable or better assessment of performance using ADEPT
  • Passing scores on Praxis II
  • Survey of candidates and employers

  • Passing scores on Praxis – PLT
  • Analysis
  • Survey of candidates and employers
  • Analysis
ETC 3: UNDERSTAND SELF AS A PROFESSIONAL

T &L Standards
IV. Personal & shared decision-making
V. Communication
VII. Response to Diversity & Systems

Dispositions

  • Belief that all students can learn
  • Value & respect for difference
  • Value of positive human interaction
  • Intellectual curiosity & willingness to learn new knowledge
  • Commitment to inquiry, reflection, & self-assessment
  • Value of responsible, collaborative, & cooperative work
  • Sensitivity to community & cultural context
  • Responsible & ethical practice

 
  • Elements of Teacher Competency (ETC3)
  • Graded essay
  • Three assessment of candidate dispositions – novice level
  • Technology Competency
  • Essential Tasks Statement
  • Application to Teacher Education Program
  • Acceptable or better grade on approved program portfolio, ETC 3
  • Acceptable or better assessment of candidate dispositions – developing competency level
  • Satisfactory completion of “Technology for Teachers”
  • Acceptable or better grade on approved program portfolio, ETC 3
  • Acceptable or better assessment of candidate dispositions – competent level
  • Survey of candidates and employers
  • Analysis
  • Survey of candidates and employers
  • Analysis