Teacher Preparation & Educational Studies

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Location: Mathematics-Education-Psychology Center 251
Telephone: 859-572-1957
Fax: 859-572-6096
Email Address: TeacherEducation@nku.edu
Web Address: https://www.nku.edu/academics/coe.html
Department Chair: Eileen Shanahan
Other Key Personnel:

Academic Coordinator: Sarah Hellman
Director of Experiential Education and Clinical Placements: Joetta Browning
Academic Specialist: Claudia Johnson

Full-Time Faculty: Ryan Alverson, Amy Bacevich, David Childs, Michael DiCicco, Shannon Eastep, Shawn Faulkner, Funda Gonulates, Susan Griebling, John Huss, Sarah Kasten, Bianca Prather-Jones, Sara Runge, Tammie Sherry, Lynne Smith, Annie Welch, Kimberly Yates

Thinking about the discipline: *The Department of Teacher Preparation and Educational Studies offers teacher certification or NON-CERTIFICATION majors. Specific requirements for NON-CERTIFICATION major is provided at the Program level. To become a teacher with Kentucky certification, preparation is required in four areas:

1. A broad, comprehensive background in the liberal arts.
2. Training in pedagogy through a sequence of professional courses.
3. Extensive field and clinical experiences provided by the university in cooperation with local school systems.
4. In-depth preparation in the content area(s) leading to certification.

Initial certification of all new teachers requires successful completion of appropriate PRAXIS examinations prior to certification and completion of an internship program. The PRAXIS examinations are administered by the Educational Testing Service, and internship components are administered by the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board. Neither the PRAXIS examinations nor the internship are considered part of the NKU teacher education program. Upon successful completion of the required PRAXIS examinations, students must complete a CA-1 form and submit it to the College of Education’s certification officer. The certification officer will submit the form to the Education Professional Standards Board.

Students who plan to teach in other states should work closely with the teacher education certification officer in Mathematics-Education-Psychology Center 230 to determine the requirements in those states with reference to reciprocity.

Changes may be made in the teacher education programs to meet state certification requirements. Students must obtain the current program requirements from the advising office. The advising process is particularly crucial for teacher education students. It is suggested that freshmen or other interested students declare a pre-major in a teacher education field, which allows the student to be assigned a teacher education advisor.

Special opportunities for our students: Students pursuing a major in teacher education have several opportunities and resources available to them. Many students enjoy participating in one of several education-related student organizations including Black & Brown Educators of Excellence, Collegiate Middle Level Association, Early Childhood Education Club, and Student Council for Exceptional Children. In addition, students interested in exploring a study-abroad opportunity may consider the honors program or international clinical experience.

Multiple scholarships and awards are available to teacher education students. Details are available on the College of Education website.

Special admission requirements: Students who wish to major in one of the education disciplines must apply for admission to the teacher education program. This is a two-step process.

First step: Admissions field experience

To apply for the admissions field experience (EDU 303 , EDU 307 , EDU 309 , or EDU 311 ), a student must have:

1. Successfully completed an FBI background check.
2. Successfully completed “EDU 104 Orientation: Education Profession/Program (1 credit) ” with a grade of C.
3. Attained a GPA of at least 2.75 on a 4.00 scale, or GPA of 3.0 on last 30 credit hours.
4. Earned a minimum of 45 credit hours of coursework.
5. Completed the required application for admission.
6. Demonstrated General Knowledge Assessment by successfully completing one of the following:
   1. The ACT with a composite score of 22 or the corresponding minimum scores:
      • Reading - 20
      • English - 18
      • Math - 19
   2. The PRAXIS Core Academic Skills for Educators (CASE) with the corresponding minimum scores:
      • CASE Reading (5713) - 156
      • CASE Writing (5723) - 162
      • CASE Mathematics (5733) - 150
   • An applicant may use a combination of ACT and CASE minimum scores to meet the requirements above.
   • If an applicant has a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, the Educator Preparation Provider may admit the applicant to an approved undergraduate initial certification educator preparation program if the applicant is within five points of one or more of the corresponding minimum scores on the CASE assessment only.

Second step: Admission to the teacher education program

To be admitted to the teacher education program a student must have:

1. Earned 60 credit hours of coursework.
2. Attained a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 on a 4.00 scale, or GPA of 3.0 on last 30 credit hours.
3. Achieved at least a B in “ENG 102 Writing and Research - WC (3 credits) ” or equivalent.
4. Achieved at least a B in “CMST 101 Public Speaking - OC (3 credits) ” or equivalent.
5. Achieved at least a C in each of the following: “EDU 300 Human Growth and Development (3 credits) ,” “EDU 305 Introduction to Education (2 credits) ,” “EDU 313 Instructional Technology (3 credits) ,” and “EDS 360 Students with Exceptionalities in School (3 credits) .”
6. Achieved a P in the admissions field experience (EDU 303 , EDU 307 , EDU 309 , or EDU 311 ).
7. Signed a curriculum contract.
8. Received approval from the Teacher Education Committee.
9. Presented an approved portfolio from the admissions field experience.
10. Demonstrated the skills of communication, creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration as required by state regulation. These may be demonstrated in the following manner:
    1. Communication: Completion of CMST 101  or ENG 102  with a grade of B or better.
    2. Creativity: Completion of any course under “culture and creativity: arts and humanities” with a grade of C or better.
    3. Critical Thinking: Completion of any course under “scientific and quantitative inquiry: natural science or mathematics and statistics” or any course from “self and society: individual and society” with a grade of C or better.
    4. Collaboration: Completion of the admissions field experience with a grade of P.

You should also know: At the time of graduation, all students in teacher education programs must meet the following requirements:

1. Overall GPA of 2.75.
2. Pedagogy (EDU and EDS courses) GPA of 2.75.
3. Content course GPA of 2.75.
4. NKU coursework GPA of 2.75.
5. Minimum grade of C (not C-) in all education (EDS / EDU) courses.

Programs

• Early Childhood Education (Birth-Kindergarten), B.A.
• Elementary Education (P-5), B.A.
• Middle Grades Education (5-9), B.A.
• Secondary Education (8-12/P-12), B.A.
• Special Education (P-12), B.A.

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