Admission to the Teacher Education Program. Acceptance and registration in a department do not guarantee admission to the teacher education program in that department. A student is not officially in a teacher education program until approved by the student’s major department and by the Teacher Education Council. The applicant’s fitness for teaching in the chosen area is determined on the basis of demonstrated academic ability and other personal characteristics conducive to effective teaching. A student may be considered suitable in one area and unsuitable in another. Students with speech defects that will interfere with successful teaching may be required to take corrective therapy.

Students who plan to receive a degree in education or a license through Western Carolina University must apply for and be officially admitted to a teacher education program. Students should apply for admission to teacher education during the semester in which they are enrolled in EDCI 231 (BK 250 for B-K majors), a course that is prerequisite to all other courses in the professional education sequence. Application should be made during the advisement and pre-registration weeks of the semester. Application forms are available in Killian Building, Room 228. The only courses in the professional education sequence that may be taken before being fully admitted to teacher education are EDCI 231 and PSY 320 or PSY 322 (BK 250 and SPED 313 for B-K majors).

Admission criteria. All requirements for admission to teacher education should be met by the beginning of the semester following the semester in which the student submitted the application. The following criteria are minimum requirements for admission:

1. completed at least 30 hours;

2. earned a C (2.0) or higher grade in EDCI 231, ENGL 101 and 102.

3. earned (and then maintain) a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 on hours attempted at WCU; students with a major in elementary or middle grades education must earn (and then maintain) a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 on hours attempted at WCU;

4. achieved the minimum required scores on the PPST (Reading, Writing, Mathematics).

Students should register to take these tests during the first two weeks of the semester in which they apply for admission to teacher education;

5. completed a personal interview and received a satisfactory evaluation from the Professional Education Interview Panel. Students should register for the interview during the first two weeks of the semester in which they apply for admission to teacher education;

6. taken the Technology Diagnostic (students should take this when they are enrolled in EDCI 231 or before);

7. submitted the application for Admission to Teacher Education.

Applicants already holding non-teacher education degrees must meet all of the above requirements except they are not required to take the PPST. (Applicants to the B-K program without a teaching license must earn minimum scores on the PPST). They must have had a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 (2.75 for elementary and middle grades education) at the time of graduation. Applicants with non-teaching degrees from accredited institutions without cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 have two options:

1) The student is eligible to apply for admission to a licensure-only or a second-degree program no sooner than three calendar years after receipt of the baccalaureate degree.

Or

2) The student is eligible to apply with passing scores on Praxis I tests and one of the following:

• a GPA of 3.0 in the major field of study;

• a GPA of 3.0 on all work completed in the senior year; or

• a GPA of 3.0 on a minimum of 15 semester hours of course work (relative to licensure) completed during the preceding five years.

Students must have maintained satisfactory conduct and citizenship records which are in keeping with the ethics of the teaching profession. A student who is readmitted to the university after dismissal, suspension, or expulsion will not be readmitted to the teacher education program the first term after returning. Applicants with a record of legal offenses may not be eligible for admission to teacher education.

Applications for admission to teacher education are considered and acted upon by the Teacher Education Council.

Application forms are available in the dean’s office. The student should process the application as indicated on the form and file it in the dean’s office two weeks before early registration for the term in which admission is sought or by the date designated each term.

Continuation in the Teacher Education Program. The requirements for continuing in the program are (1) a GPA of at least 2.5 on hours attempted; (2) behavior which adheres to the code of ethics of the profession; and (3) satisfactory participation in the required professional laboratory program that is prerequisite to student teaching. An evaluation of each field experience assignment will become a part of the student’s professional record.

If a student fails any course in the professional education sequence twice, the student is withdrawn from teacher education.

Course Requirements in the Program. The teacher education program requires a professional education sequence of twenty-one to thirty-two semester hours in courses pertinent to teaching in specific areas and at various levels. All courses in the sequence except internship/student teaching and the internship/student-teaching seminar must be completed before admission to internship or student teaching. The courses in the sequence are determined by the student’s major:

Birth-Kindergarten, 32 hours: BK 250, SPED 313, EDEL 313, COUN 310, BK, SPED, EDEL 483, BK, SPED, EDEL 496.

Elementary and Middle Grades, 26 hours: EDCI 231; PSY 320, 321; SPED 335; EDEL 484, 485, 495.

Physical Education, 26 hours: EDCI 231; PSY 320 or 322; 321; PE 325; PE 488; PE 489; 496

Special Education, 21 hours: EDCI 231; PSY 320 or 322, 321; SPED 490, 495.

Secondary and Special Subject Teaching, 28 hours: EDCI 231; EDSE 322; PSY 320 or 322, 321; SPED 335; *Methods, EDSE 490, 495; **491.

*Methods: ART 463, ENGL 417, GER 420, HIST 405, MATH 415, MUS 326 or 327, SCI 422, SPAN 420.

**ART, ENGL, GER, HIST, MATH, MUS, SCI, or SPAN

Clinical and Field Experience for Professional Education. The teacher education program requires field experiences in conjunction with several courses in addition to the intern/student-teaching requirement. Students are expected to make their own arrangements for transportation and housing and absorb the costs related to field experiences and internship or student teaching. Each program has different requirements, and students should discuss costs with the program head prior to applying for admission to the teacher education program.

The goal of professional education clinical and field experiences is to help teacher education students learn to teach all of their pupils to achieve at high levels of performance. Although each field experience requirement has its own specific purpose and placement procedures, the strategies to achieve this goal are stated below:

1. Field experience placements are made so that students have the opportunity to work with qualified educators in successful programs.

2. Field experience placements are made so that students have the oppor- tunity to work with diverse learners. Teacher education students are required to complete one field experience in a diverse setting, as defined by the College of Education and Allied Professions. Students who do not complete one of the early field experience requirements in a diverse setting must be placed in a diverse setting for the internship or student teaching semester.

3. Field experiences placements are made in collaboration with B-12 school personnel.

4. Field experience placements are made to facilitate appropriate supervision of students.

Student teaching/internship assignments are made only in school systems within the WCU service area.

Admission to Student Teaching/Internship. Students apply to the director of field experiences early in the semester prior to the semester in which student teaching/internship is to be done. The requirements for admission to student teaching/internship are: (1) completion of at least 39 of 42 hours required for Liberal Studies (2) enrollment in the professional education sequence for at least two semesters (3) completion of at least ninety hours in a teacher education curriculum (4) one term in residence (5) a GPA of 2.5 or above, both at the beginning of the term immediately preceding the student teaching/internship term and at the time of enrollment in student teaching/internship (2.75 GPA required for elementary and middle grades majors) (6) completion of at least two-thirds of the major (7) completion of all records designated by the director of field experiences (8) completion of the applicable professional education sequence except for student teaching/internship and the student teaching/internship seminar (9) completion of an approved SBI background check (10) completion of student teaching/internship application including recommendation by adviser and department head.

Continuation in Student Teaching/Internship. To continue in student teaching/internship, students must maintain satisfactory professional conduct and adhere to the policies and regulations of the school to which they are assigned. When recommended by the director of field experiences and approved by the dean, students failing to perform at a satisfactory level may be removed from student teaching/internship.

Requirements for Teacher Licensure. To be eligible for teacher licensure, a student must (1) complete one of the approved teacher-education programs, (2) make a minimum grade of C (2.0) in student teaching, (3) receive a public school recommendation indicating that student teaching was successful, (4) successfully complete the technology portfolio, (5) complete applications for licensure and file them with the dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions, (6) receive a recommendation from the head of the department of the teaching major, (7) achieve the minimum score on the PRAXIS Tests, (8) receive a professional recommendation for Class A licensure by the dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions, and (9) pay the fee required by the State Board of Education for the issuance of a teacher license.

North Carolina Teaching Fellows. North Carolina Teaching Fellows must complete requirements in addition to those for regular teacher education students.

This page is maintained by Nancy Carden in the Office of the Provost.
Last updated: 3/7/2006.