Undergraduate Program in Education

Mission Statement: The Teacher Education Program at Carroll University prepares reflective, culturally sensitive teachers who are capable of creating and implementing an interdisciplinary, intercultural curriculum. The intellectual foundation of the program is embedded in constructivist practice. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) approves the Teacher Education Program at Carroll.

The Department of Education believes that the combination of a strong liberal arts background with the scholarly application of theory, methods, and skills related to learning is integral to the program. We foster in students a commitment to the idea that all children can learn. Students are expected to demonstrate the following guiding principles as learning outcomes throughout their coursework and clinical experiences:

• Constructivism; Cultural Sensitivity; Curricular Integration; Multiculturalism; and Reflection
In addition, students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in:
• Knowledge of subjects they are teaching
• Knowledge of how children grow
• Understanding that children learn differently
• Knowledge of how to teach
• Ability to effectively manage a classroom
• Effective verbal and nonverbal communication techniques
• Ability to plan different kinds of lessons
• Knowledge of formal and informal assessment strategies
• Ability to self-evaluate
• Fostering relationships with school colleagues, parents, and community agencies

Because the DPI may revise its requirements for teacher licensing at any time, the Teacher Education Programs are subject to change. Students must maintain contact with their education adviser to learn about changes related to licensure requirements.

Admission and Retention in the Teacher Education Program (TEP)¹

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction requires all teacher education students in the state of Wisconsin to meet certain standards to be admitted and retained in a TEP and to be admitted to a student teaching semester. Admission to the Carroll University TEP requires formal application by all students seeking licensure. Full-time Carroll undergraduate students should apply in the spring of their sophomore year. All other students should apply as soon as they have completed 40 credits, including at least 12 credits in Carroll University courses. An appointment should be made with an Education adviser to obtain information regarding policies and procedures for the application process. Students are cautioned that early application to the program and careful planning are necessary to avoid additional semesters or summer course work to finish the program.

¹ Admission, retention and student teaching requirements are summarized here. The Teacher Education Handbook, available from www.carrollu.edu/programs/education or the Education Office, contains all specific requirements.

Program Admission

To be eligible for program admission, students need to have completed at least 40 undergraduate credits with a minimum grade point average of 2.50. Students will need 150 documented clock hours of work with children as well as a grade of C or better in all education major and minor courses, English 170, and CCS 100 or COM 101 or equivalent. Students also need to have completed the Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST) in mathematics, reading, and writing with passing scores in all three areas. Students submit their Phase I portfolio to provide initial evidence of their development as a teacher and learner. Students are admitted to the TEP before enrolling in upper-level education courses beyond Education 301. Students who leave the University for one year or more are required to reapply for admission to the TEP. The criteria for read-mission will be those in effect at the time of reapplication. Application deadlines are September 25 or January 25 each year. A small percentage of students may be admitted to the program or to the student teaching semester on exception if they meet all other criteria and meet either the GPA or Praxis I requirement.

Students who have already completed a bachelor’s degree and who are attending Carroll only for teacher certification may obtain a waiver from the PPST, provided their cumulative undergraduate grade point average is 2.75 or above. The course requirements for Wisconsin teaching licensure are the same, but transfer and prior course work are evaluated and considered in the overall plan for certification. All students are required to successfully complete the PRAXIS II Content Exam for their certification area(s) prior to application to student teach. Students completing majors or minors for licensure in Modern Languages must successfully complete the ACTFL Language Exam prior to application to student teach.

Students not admitted to the Teacher Education Program on their first attempt are eligible to reapply. If students are denied on their second application, however, they may not reapply to the Teacher Education Program. Students who are unsuccessful in admission to the TEP have access to alternative career counseling through their education advisors and Career Services.

Program Guidelines

Students who plan to enter and complete the TEP are expected to demonstrate appropriate ethical and professional behavior throughout their university years, and particularly during their course work, fieldwork, and other professional experiences in education. A pattern of ethical lapses may affect admission to or retention in the TEP in respective stages. In their Phase I portfolios, submitted upon application to enter the TEP, students are asked to demonstrate evidence of their existing commitments to the field of education.

This is accomplished, in part, by documenting high school and/or university experiences with children prior to entering the TEP. One hundred fifty clock hours of involvement are required. Experiences may include teaching, coaching, tutoring, or other forms of educational service to children or to schools. Volunteer and service work that is done to benefit children is also considered evidence of existing commitment. The TEP Handbook contains further information on this requirement and its documentation.

All students are expected to:

• Engage in formal or informal experiences, service work with children or in schools prior to applying to the TEP.
• Present all required program application materials by established deadlines.
• Submit satisfactory Phase I, II and III portfolios, each with a maximum of one revision.
• Pass each segment of the PPST on either the first or the second attempt. (Subsequent attempts are at the student's option.)
• Complete EDU 210 or 215, 311 or 315, and 312 (optional with the adaptive education minor) with an overall maximum of one unsatisfactory experience.
• Undergo a background and criminal history check in EDU 100 and once each academic year in which the student is enrolled in an education course.
• Demonstrate punctuality, dependability, and professional courtesy in the completion of courses and course assignments, and in all field placements.
(Note: Students should be aware that deadlines for field experience forms occur the semester prior to placement/enrollment: Fall enrollment – May 15, Winter Session Enrollment – November 15, Spring Enrollment – December15, Summer I Enrollment – March 30)
• Follow university rules pertaining to social conduct, classroom conduct, and academic integrity.
• Maintain ethical, professional, and respectful behavior in all contacts with school children, school personnel, university peers and faculty, and professional colleagues.

Students who are denied admission to, or continuation in, any part of the TEP have the right of appeal, using the grade appeal procedure contained in the Student Handbook. Students who reapply to the program have the right to appear at an education faculty meeting to request readmission, if they so request. All students who are unsuccessful in the TEP have access to alternative career counseling through their education advis- ers or through Career Services, or both.

Program Retention

The TEP requires that students demonstrate knowledge, skills and dispositions toward teaching. All Education major and minor course work must be completed with a grade of C or better. In addition to a minimum overall GPA of 2.50, students must demonstrate professional behavior throughout their university years. Reference to these criteria can be found in the Teacher Education Handbook. The Education Department reserves the right to counsel students out of the program when appropriate.

Student Teaching Admission

Admission to the student teaching semester requires a grade of C or better in all Education major and minor courses and a minimum overall GPA of 2.75 or a combined 2.75 in the major and the DPI-Approved Teaching Minor. All students are required to successfully complete the PRAXIS II Content Exam for their certification area(s), and students with Modern Language majors or minors must complete the ACTFL Language Exam prior to application to student teach. Students applying for student teaching must submit their Phase II portfolio. The education program may admit a small percentage of students to student teaching on exception if they meet all other criteria and they meet either the GPA or the Praxis I requirement. Application deadlines are August 25 or January 25 each year. Those students who are not accepted into student teaching have the option to complete a degree in Elementary Educational Studies (p.135). No teach- ing license is granted with this major.

One semester in the senior year must be reserved solely for student teaching. All required coursework for the major and minor must be completed prior to student teaching. No other courses may be taken during any part of the student teaching semester. The Education Placement Coordinator arranges student teaching assignments in schools within approximately a 30 mile radius of the campus. Students must provide their own transportation to the placement site(s).

The student teaching semester is a full-time, semester-length experience, which follows the semester calendar used by the school in which the student is placed. School calendars are frequently very different from the university calendar. Fall student teachers may begin as early as mid-August, and finish their placement in late January. These students will receive their degrees when student teaching is completed and participate in the commencement ceremony in May following the student teaching semester. Seniors who student teach in the spring may participate in the commencement ceremony in May and receive their diplomas when student teaching is completed. Students who complete their student teaching during the spring semester are required to teach into June to be recommended for a Wisconsin teaching license.

Due to the complexities of both university and state requirements, students need to meet with an education adviser very early in their university programs in order to develop a workable program plan of coursework. Carroll University TEPs may be completed in four years only with very careful and early planning. Winter and/or summer attendance may be necessary. Because education students engage in significant amounts of fieldwork in conjunction with the coursework in education, the planning process is also extremely important to permit scheduling of fieldwork. Students need to maintain continual contact with an education adviser in order to update their plans and to ensure that any changes in the DPI requirements are incorporated into the student’s program.

To obtain a Wisconsin teaching license, students must meet all applicable DPI requirements, including any new requirements, which may be introduced by the DPI while the student is enrolled in a Carroll University program. Any substitutions of courses or variations in a student’s program must be approved by the Registrar and by the Department Chair to assure eligibility for a teaching license. Students must complete all TEP requirements and all university degree requirements to receive any teaching license.

Two majors and three minors are offered within the education program:

Major, Elementary Education (53-57 credits)
Major, Elementary Educational Studies (49 credits)
(This major excludes the student teaching term and does not lead to a teaching license)
Minor, Adaptive Education (23 credits)
Minor, Early Childhood Education (22 credits) Minor, Secondary Education (44-46 credits)

Students may complete coursework leading to a Carroll University degree and to a Wisconsin license in any of the following areas:

License including Early Childhood through Middle Childhood levels
(approximate ages - birth through 11)

Students major in Elementary Education and minor in Early Childhood Education (see below). This minor, combined with successful completion of placements in both early childhood and elementary settings, permits students to earn a license to teach in pre-kindergarten through sixth grades.

License including Middle Childhood through Early Adolescence level
(approximate ages - 6 through 12 or 13)

Students major in Elementary Education and extend their license to include the middle-school level. This extension requires completion of a DPI-Approved Teaching Minor in French, German, health, language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, or Spanish. In addition to the PRAXIS II Middle School Content Knowledge Exam, students seeking certification in Health Education must successfully complete the Praxis II Content test in Health. Those completing minors in International Language must successfully complete the ACTFL Language Exam. The extended license also requires completion of EDU 304, Secondary School Methods, and successful placements in both elementary and middle school settings during the student teaching semester.

License in Early Adolescence through Adolescence level
(approximate ages - 10 through 21)

Students who wish to earn a license in early adolescence through adolescence complete the minor in Secondary Education and an approved major in another Carroll University program. They are placed at both middle and high school sites during their student teaching semester. Currently, approved majors for secondary licensure are available in biology, chemistry, English, environmental science, and mathematics. Students majoring in a science area are encouraged to complete the additional course-work required to earn the Broad Field Science license. There are also approved majors in history, politics, psychology, and sociology, and students earning majors in these areas are urged to complete the additional coursework required to earn the Broad Field Social Studies license, which will significantly improve their hiring potential upon graduation. See your Education adviser for additional information regarding the Broad Field Science and Broad Field Social Studies licenses.

The Early Adolescence through Adolescence level license allows students to teach secondary school subjects in their approved major after successful completion of student teaching. Students may extend the subject areas they are licensed to teach by completing one or more DPI-Approved secondary education teaching minors. (See available DPI Minors -Secondary, listed on page 139). Those in Broad Field Areas may also com- plete approved concentration areas. In addition, students seeking additional licenses will need to successfully complete the PRAXIS II Content Knowledge or ACTFL Language Exam in the teaching area prior to application to student teach.

License in Art, Music, Theatre Arts, Spanish, or
Physical and Health Education
(early childhood through adolescence level - a wide range of all ages in public schools)

Licensure in any of these areas require completion of the Secondary Education minor and an approved major in Spanish, art, music, theatre arts, or physical and health education. Successfully completed placements in both elementary and secondary school settings are required during the student teaching semester.

Additional License in Adaptive Education

Students who wish to earn an additional license in adaptive education complete the initial requirements in their major/minor certification areas and the DPI-Approved minor in Adaptive Education. This additional license better prepares the student to meet the diverse needs of all students within the general education classroom. Careful planning allows this licensure to be completed within four years. Summer and/or win- ter attendance may be necessary.