University Catalog

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Paula Summers Calderon, Dean

 

The College of Education administratively is composed of the Departments of Educational Leadership and Technology; Teaching and Learning; the Laboratory School. In addition, students in the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Physics, English, Music and Performing Arts, Visual Art + Design, History and Political Science, Kinesiology and Health Studies, and Mathematics, who are preparing to become teachers are enrolled in the College of Education. 

 

Selective Admission and Retention In Teacher Education Policies and Procedures

The teaching profession is highly demanding and remarkably complex. A person desiring to become a teacher must maintain academic standards and demonstrate qualifications for successful teaching including satisfactory performance in clinical practice. Therefore, the College of Education at Southeastern Louisiana University is committed to recruiting, admitting, retaining and graduating in the Professional Program in Teacher Education only those students who show evidence of being capable of performing in an acceptable manner. Enrollment in the Professional Program does not guarantee that a student will receive the degree or certification sought simply because he/she completes a number of courses or clinical practice assignments. Certification requirements are specified by the State Legislature and/or the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and coordinated by the State Department of Education. These requirements are subject to periodic modification, which may not occur at times feasible for inclusion in the annual publication of the University Catalog. It is the responsibility of the students to make periodic checks for such changes with the academic advisors and/or department heads.

Students are required to submit an application for admission to the Professional Program in Teacher Education. Each candidate’s application must be reviewed for compliance with the standards of Selective Admission and Retention in Teacher Education (SARTE) and by the Dean of the College of Education.

I. Admission Procedures

1. Students in the College of Education and other colleges that have approved teacher education programs must make application for admission to the Professional Program in Teacher Education at least four weeks prior to the end of any given semester in order to have their applications duly processed by the beginning of the following semester. The schedule for applying is the following:
   1. Students in the College of Education and other colleges that have approved teacher education programs will normally be required to make application for admission as students in Education 202. Students who transfer in credit for EDUC 202 will apply for SARTE status at the Dean's Office in their first semester. 
   2. All students must have formally filed an application before enrolling in any professional courses that require Full SARTE status.
2. Students who make proper application will be screened and placed in one of the two categories described below:
   1. FULL STATUS: Indicates all screening components have been met and the candidate is eligible to schedule remaining professional education courses (EDUC, EPSY, ECE, and SPED prefix courses). Criteria for FULL STATUS are:
      1. Minimum 2.75 cumulative grade point average (based on a minimum of 30 credit hours). Students with a cumulative grade point average that is less than 2.75 who wish to obtain SARTE status will be put on a Performance Growth Plan for GPA. Please see the Undergraduate Coordinator for a GPA related Performance Growth Plan. 
      2. Achieve a passing score of Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators-Reading, Writing, and Mathematics unless the Louisiana Department of Education requirements for an ACT/SAT waiver are met. (Refer to the Louisiana Department of Education website for current passing scores.)
      3. Achieve a grade of “B” or better in Education 202.
      4. Have signed the Memorandum of Student Advisement and Counseling.

             2.  INELIGIBLE: Indicates a student does not meet or maintain criteria for full SARTE
                   status.

II. Retention Procedures

1. Ongoing screening of each student utilizing SARTE eligibility criteria will occur each semester of a student’s enrollment in the professional program. 
   1. Maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or higher.
   2. Students whose grade point average falls below 2.75 will be put on a Performance Growth Plan for GPA. 
2. Students demonstrating behaviors or characteristics that make it questionable whether they can succeed in the teaching profession will be referred for Professional Performance Review. A review may result in:
   1. No action being taken but further observations.
   2. Recommendation of a Performance Growth Plan. 
   3. Referral to SARTE which may recommend:
      1. Probation with specified conditions.
      2. Temporary suspension from the Teacher Education program with specified conditions.
      3. Expulsion from the Teacher Education program.

III. Appeal Procedures

Students who wish to appeal decisions of the SARTE Committee may do so in writing to the Dean of the College of Education.

Performance Growth Plans are a formal agreement made with the student acknowledging what difficulties must be addressed and what actions the student and faculty will take to address the difficulty of difficulties. These plans are monitored by the Undergraduate Coordinator and/ or Center for Student Excellence, Teacher Development Center, or Office fo Clinical Practice and Residency as appropriate to the reasons and plan for remediating the issue or issues of concern. Students who are having difficulty passing the required Praxis exams to meet checkpoints within the program will also be put on a Performance Growth Plan. 

 

Policy for Electronic Assessment System 
College of Education

As part of the College of Education focus on performance-based outcomes, data will be incorporated into the assessment system for students enrolled in an approved Teacher Education Program. Students are required to submit products through Pass-Port, a web-based system that provides candidates, faculty, and administrative staff a system to gather, demonstrate, and evaluate performance data. Candidates must use the online assessment system when they enroll in a course offered through the College of Education (EDUC, EPSY, EDL, ETEC, ECE, EDF, LSED, and SPED prefixes). 

The electronic assessment system will (1) allow the student to demonstrate, how he/she/ they meet the knowledge, skills, and professional and ethical behavior required by the Louisiana Requirements for Initial Certification for certification through the Louisiana Department of Education; (2) provide a process by which a student can become a reflective practitioner to foster continuous improvement; and (3) document a student’s growth from being novice teacher candidate to being a competent teacher ready to have his/ her/ their own classroom.  Through the portfolio process, evaluators will have an opportunity to identify areas for improvement at each level and develop a plan for remediation when necessary. By completing and submitting a products, students will gain an understanding that they are ultimately responsible for acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary for being an effective classroom teacher.

After successful completion of all requirements in the Alternate Certification program, students may be eligible for recommendation to the Louisiana Department of Education for teacher certification in their area of certification.

 

Additional College of Education Graduation Requirements

Students in the College of Education must meet the following requirements in addition to the general University requirements listed elsewhere:

Teacher Certification Programs (programs leading to a degree in teacher education and state certification).

1. Earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 and a 2.75 cumulative or degree grade point average in work completed at Southeastern.*
2. Have no grade lower than a “B” in Education 202 and have no grade lower than a “C” in other professional courses (Education, Early Childhood Education, and Educational Psychology) and a "B" or higher in each teaching residency courses.
3. Meet the teaching performance competencies for teaching residency. 
4. Successfully complete either three semester hours in Reading (secondary curricula) or nine semester hours in Reading (elementary curricula).
5. The College of Education defines computer literacy in the following ways:
   1. The ability to instruct using computers to aid in learning, solving problems, and managing information.
   2. Knowledge of function, applications, capabilities, limitations, and related technology.
6. Have completed passing Residency I and II Performance Assessments. 

*See Scholastic Ratings, this Catalog, for explanation of calculation of grade point averages.

 

Degrees Conferred

The degree of Bachelor of Arts is conferred upon the completion of the curricula in the following fields:

English Education
Social Studies Education

The degree of Bachelor of Science is conferred upon the completion of the curricula in the following fields:

Early Childhood Education Grades PK-3
Elementary Education Grades 1-5
Health and Physical Education Teacher Education
Middle School Education Grades 4-8
Special Education Mild/Moderate for Elementary Education Grades 1-5
Special Education Mild/Moderate for Middle School Grades 4-8

 

Honors Diploma in the Discipline

For information on earning Sophomore Honors Distinction, Senior Honors Distinction, or the Honors Diploma, please consult The University Honors Program section of this catalog, the Director of the Honors Program, and/or your Department Head. 

 

Alternative Teacher Certification Programs

The College of Education offers two alternative teacher programs: (1) Master of Arts in Teaching, and (2) Certification-Only Alternative Teacher Certification. A complete description of these programs is located in the Graduate Studies section of this Catalog.

 

Departmental Curricula

English

English Education

Kinesiology and Health Studies

Health and Physical Education Teacher Education

History and Political Science
Social Studies Education

Teaching and Learning

Early Childhood Education Grades PK-3
Elementary Education Grades 1-5
Middle School Education Grades 4-8
Special Education Mild/Moderate for Elementary Education Grades 1-5
Special Education Mild/Moderate for Middle School Education Grades 4-8

 

Requirements for Teaching Residency

The State Department of Education regulations for certification of teachers require that teacher candidates complete their  teaching residency under the control and supervision of the institution from which they expect to be graduated. To be eligible for teaching residency, students must:

1. Classify as seniors. (They must have at least ninety hours of credit.)

2. Enroll in classes within Southeastern's College of Education for at least three semesters.

3. Pass all PRAXIS II examinations in Principles of Learning and Teaching and Content Specialty Area Tests for the certification area being earned.

4. Have FULL SARTE status. 

5. Have completed and earned a grade of "C" or better in all required professional courses: (ECE, EDUC, EPSY, LSED, SPED)  as appropriate to the area of certification. 

6. Have completed and earned a grade of "C" or better in all required courses in their first teaching courses. These courses are identified with a double or triple dagger on the curriculum sheets.

7. Have completed Education 202 with a grade of "B" or better.

8. Apply for teaching residency the semester prior to the residency. Applications are accepted during the Fall and Spring semesters only. 

9. Have approval of the Director of Clinical Practice and Residency.

10. Have a statement from their Department Head certifying that they are competent in the subject material in which they are seeking certification.

 

Teaching Residency Semesters

Teacher residents (hereafter, “residents”) will follow the school district’s calendar and will report to the school in the summer when teachers arrive for the school year (or in December for the spring residents). This will be prior to the first day of class on the University academic calendar. Residents report at the designated time for school district teachers each day, and will remain at the school for a minimum of three days per week of placement school time during Residency I and five days per week during Residency II, and will remain at the school until regular dismissal of teaching personnel. Six hours are awarded for the first semester residency, and nine hours are awarded for the second semester residency.

Residents will complete their residency away from the campus community; therefore, residents must expect to make arrangements to be away from campus for part of the time during their first semester and full time during their second semester of residency. The Director of Student Teaching Residency will arrange a placement for each student teacher resident.

Residents take concurrent classes with their residency during the first semester, but they must request permission from the Director Clinical Practice and Teaching Residency to schedule only one course with the second semester of residency. Any course scheduled in addition to second semester of residency must not conflict with their full time participation in the schools. The hours involved in second semester of residency will be approximately 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (i.e., the school hours for the residency site), Monday through Friday.

In order to remain in the residency, residents are expected to meet and maintain desirable professional, physical, and moral standards consistent with their positions in the public schools. They must also demonstrate proficiency in instruction, management, and planning. Residency courses must be passed with a "B" or better to count towards program completion. 

Residents who fail or are directed to withdraw from residency must complete a Performance Growth Plan prior to a second residency experience. Students will not be granted a third attempt at a residency experience.