School of Education

Peterson Hall
206-281-2214
dc6s.muurausahvenlampi.com/depts/soe/

Rick Eigenbrood, Dean of the School of Education

Faculty: Henry Algera, Scott Beers, John Bond, James Devlin, Thomas Dramer, Cher Edwards, Arthur Ellis, Debra S. Espinor, Gregory Fritzberg, Kristine Gritter,

Sharon Hartnett, Debra Hudson, June Hyun, Frank Kline, Andrew Lumpe, Nyaradzo Mvududu, William Nagy, William Prenevost, Richard Scheuerman, Christopher Sink, Richard Smith

Teacher Certification
	Elementary Certification Requirements
	Integrated Studies Major: Elementary education teachers must select the integrated studies major with a concentration in one of the following areas:     The Arts     Health and Fitness     Language Arts     Mathematics     Natural Sciences     Social Sciences Secondary Certification Requirements
	K–12 Certification Requirements for Art, Drama, Music, and Health/Fitness Special Education (P-12)
Special Education Major
	Special Education: Elementary Emphasis
	Special Education: Secondary Emphasis
	Special Education: General Emphasis
	Special Education: Educational Ministry Emphasis

The mission of the SPU School of Education is to prepare educators for service and leadership in schools and communities by developing their professional competence and character within a framework of Christian faith and values.

The vision of the SPU School of Education (SOE) is to influence the region, the nation, and the world through the preparation of educational leaders for public and private schools.

The primary purpose of the undergraduate program in the School of Education is to prepare competent teachers who integrate academic training and Christian faith with professional practice.

Students interested in exploring teaching or other professional education careers may enroll in EDU 1200 Teaching: A Noble Profession.

School of Education programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Certification programs in the School of Education are also accredited by the Washington Professional Educator Standards Board and meet residency requirements for Washington state elementary, secondary, and K–12 teaching certificates.

The basic certification programs in the School of Education reflect an underlying philosophy and knowledge base that permeates all courses and field experiences. This knowledge base consists of two elements:

• The theoretical and philosophical foundations of education drawn from the social and behavioral sciences.
• The effective teaching and schooling research.

The following categories shape the competency base for the residency certification programs at SPU. These categories contain national, state, and Seattle Pacific competencies for teachers:

• Category I: Establish and maintain a positive student-focused learning environment. Demonstrate sensitivity to human diversity in teaching and relationships with students, parents, and the community.

• Category II: Design and adapt challenging curriculum that is responsive to students’ cognitive, social, and moral development.

• Category III: Use effective teaching practices.

• Category IV: Use appropriate assessments to monitor and improve instruction.

• Category V: Integrate technology into instruction and assessment.

• Category VI: Use information on student performance to advise and involve students and families; inform, involve, and collaborate with families to support student success.

• Category VII: Evaluate effects of a student’s teaching through feedback and reflection. Establish goals for professional improvement.

• Category VIII: Demonstrate skills, knowledge, and attitudes that contribute to professional, ethical behavior.

Overview of Residency Teacher Certification Program

The professional program leading to Residency Teacher Certification at SPU consists of three parts:

• The Foundations and Methods courses
• The Skills courses
• The Applications courses

The Foundations and Methods quarters consist of the theory and background of teaching with appropriate application.

The Skills courses support the methods and application courses and students have some flexibility regarding when these courses can be taken, although these skills courses are prerequisites for progression in the teacher certification program.

The Application courses focus on applying the theory and background learned in the Foundations, Methods and Skills courses.

Degree Requirements for Undergraduate Students

Undergraduate students must complete all the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in addition to the certification program.

Teacher Certification

Elementary Certification. Students pursuing elementary certification are required to select Integrated Studies as their major. All students will complete the core courses of the integrated studies major, as well as an area of concentration from one of the following core disciplines:

• The Arts
• Health and fitness
• Language arts
• Mathematics
• Natural sciences
• Social sciences

Secondary Certification. Students pursuing secondary certification need to work closely with the certification coordinator to make sure all endorsement requirements are being met. Please contact the certification advisor in the School of Education for more information.

K–12 Certification. K–12 endorsements include visual arts, theatre arts, world languages, music (chorale, general, instrumental), health/fitness, and special education. Students obtaining a K–12 endorsement in art, music, or health/fitness will complete one quarter of internship at the elementary level and another quarter of internship at the secondary level.

Transfer Students

All transfer students are required to take the entire certification program at SPU. Any exceptions must be approved through substitution and petition processes in the School of Education.

If substitutions and petitions are granted, a minimum of 26 credits, including the internship, must be completed as a regularly enrolled student at SPU.

Upon arrival at SPU and prior to registration, transfer students should meet with the Certification Advisor regarding course substitution requirements and procedures.

Post-Baccalaureate Students

Students pursuing certification after receiving a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution recognized by the state of Washington do not earn a second degree.

However, they must still meet state certification and endorsement requirements that typically involves four quarters of coursework.

Post-baccalaureate students must pass the state WEST-B and WEST-E tests prior to being accepted into the Residency Teacher Certification program.

Advising

To complete the Residency Teacher Certification program in a timely manner, students have access to competent academic advice. During Foundations Quarter each student will be asked to schedule a time to meet with the certification advisor to develop a plan of study to complete Teacher Certification Coursework.

The School of Education provides individual sessions with the certification advisor to answer questions and help with the certification process. As soon as a student identifies a desire to be a teacher, he or she should arrange an advising appointment by calling 206-281-2214.

Admission to the School of Education

A student enrolling in the Foundations Quarter is considered a tentative candidate for admission to the School of Education. Before the Methods Quarter, the student is asked to prepare a formal application for full admission to the School of Education.

The student may continue the sequence of courses leading to certification upon full admission to the School of Education and fulfillment of the prerequisites to the appropriate quarters.

To achieve admission to the School of Education, a candidate must meet the following:

• Complete the Foundations Quarter, achieving a B average with no grade lower than a C. The prerequisite coursework must be no more than five years old.
• Receive a favorable recommendation from the Foundations team.
• Achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0, or a 3.3 GPA in the last 45 credits of college or university work.
• Receive passing scores on all three sections of the Washington Educator Skills Test-Basic (WEST-B).
• Take the appropriate Washington Educator Skills Test-Endorsement (WEST-E).
• File a formal application for admission to the School of Education.

Registration

Most classes in the certification program require School of Education permission to register. Before registering, students must go to the School of Education office to fill out any necessary paperwork and confirm appropriate prerequisites have been passed. No appointment is necessary for this process.

Certification

Upon successful completion of the residency certification program, the Seattle Pacific University School of Education recommends candidates to the state of Washington for residency teacher certification. Though SPU makes recommendations to the state, the state issues the certificate, not the School of Education.

All teacher certification candidates are subject to Washington requirements for the residency teaching certificate. These requirements may be changed by the state and override anything stated in the Undergraduate Catalog. See the School of Education office for updates on state requirements.

A residency-teacher certificate will be accompanied by information outlining the steps for completing professional certification as the Residency Teaching Certificate is the initial certification and all teachers must eventually achieve professional certification.

Internship Placement and Supervision Policy

Students anticipating teaching internships should be aware of the School of Education school-site placement policy:

• Internship sites will be selected from districts within 50 miles of Seattle Pacific University that have contractual internship agreements with SPU. In an effort to facilitate supervision, attempts will be made to place groups of interns near each other.
• Interns will be placed in settings that are new to them in an effort to broaden their school experience. Schools where interns have been students or parents of students, volunteers, aides, or coaches will not generally be considered.
• Since internships must be arranged in cooperation with school personnel, the School of Education cannot guarantee that an internship will be provided in a certain quarter. Every attempt will be made to assign students to their preferred quarters as space permits. Students are asked not to arrange their internships.
• Internships not directly supervised by SPU School of Education faculty will not be provided.

Internship Professional Expectations

• Interns will be responsible for filing written notification of any changes in their internship plans at least five weeks prior to the first quarter of the scheduled internship. Failing to do so may jeopardize placement.
• It is strongly recommended that students not be employed during the integrated and internship quarters because of the time and professional demands of the internship program. During these quarters students may not enroll in other courses.
• Interns are expected to provide their own transportation to the internship school sites.

Moral Character and Personal Fitness Policy

Teacher certification programs at SPU include experiences working closely with children in public and private schools. The protection of children is a paramount concern.

Consequently, the School of Education reserves the right to refuse placement of any SPU student in any field experience. Any SPU student registering for any School of Education course that involves working with children does so with the following understanding:

• Admission to the course and subsequent placement with children may be denied if fitness for such a placement is questionable in the exclusive judgment of the University.
• The student may be required to withdraw from the course, practicum experience, or the certification program should the School of Education receive information during the course of a practicum placement that raises a concern about the fitness of the person to work with children.
• Information received about the fitness of the student working with children may be shared with the school district to determine if a placement can and should be made or continued.
• Ultimately, the SPU School of Education cannot override school districts, and practicum placements are dependent on school district cooperation and subject to school-district approval.
• Denial of, or removal from, a practicum setting due to lack of fitness to work with children will result in a denial of admission to the teacher education program or in being dropped from a program if a student has already been admitted.
• In addition to satisfying the requirements of SPU, in order to receive certification, good moral character, and personal fitness must be established by each student with Washington state’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Office of Professional Practice.

Need to know when the course is being offered? Check the the 2010-11 Time Schedule.

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