Undergraduate Catalog 2014-2015

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Initial Teacher Certification

To be recommended for this certificate, candidates must have completed a degree that includes an approved program in a certification area at Georgia College and have fulfilled both GACE Basic Skills Assessment and GACE Content Assessment requirements. Requests for certification through GC must be made within one year of graduation.

Initial Teaching Certification Programs

Bachelor (B.S.) Level

Early Childhood Education (P-5)

Middle Grades Education (4-8)

Music Education

Special Education (P-12)

Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) Level

Middle Grades Education Reading and Science or Mathematics (4-8)

Physical Education

Secondary Education (6-12)

Art Education (P-12)

Biology Education (6-12)

Business Education (6-12)

Chemistry Education (6-12)

English Education (6-12)

French Education (P-12)

Health Education (P-12)

History Education (6-12)

Mathematics Education (6-12)

Political Science Education (6-12)

Physics (6-12)

Spanish Education (P-12)

Special Education (P-12)

Master of Education (M.E.D.) Level

Master of Music Education (P-12) for Initial T5 Certification

Admission Policy

After acceptance at the University students are considered “pre-education” majors in their chosen field until they are admitted into one of the cohort programs that begins the Fall of the junior year. Applications for individual programs are found online beginning in October each year. Faculty committees determine which students are accepted into the cohorts, and teacher candidates are selected based on qualifications. If a student is not accepted into a cohort or if an accepted student does not attend, a new application must be made for consideration for the next year.

Completed applications must be returned to the John H. Lounsbury College of Education by the third Friday in January for the applicant to interview as part of the admission process. All interviews are scheduled in Milledgeville. Applications are considered incomplete until the interview is finished.

Teacher candidates are notified of the admission decision during spring semester. Every attempt is made to notify students early enough so that they may utilize the pre-registration period that term if necessary. Candidates accepted to an undergraduate cohort must have a laptop computer with wireless capability. http://info.gcsu.edu/intranet/oiit/techguide/

Each applicant to one of the degree/certification programs must complete and satisfy the following minimum criteria:

  1. Complete all areas of the Core with a minimum 2.50 grade point average.

    Core requirements may be completed at GC or transferred from another approved higher education institution.

  2. Complete Area F of the Core with a minimum grade of C in each course. See specific degree programs for details.
  3. Satisfy or exempt the Regents Writing and Reading Requirements.
  4. Pass or exempt the GACE Basic Skills Assessment.
  5. Submit three form letters of recommendation from individuals who support admission to a particular teacher education program.
  6. Submit to a background check and receive a clear status.
  7. Complete the application for admission to a teacher education program and submit all required documentation by the third Friday in January.

Continued Good Standing in Education

Teacher candidate applicants admitted to a professional teacher education program are expected to maintain a high level of personal, academic, and professional integrity. Teacher candidates in professional programs will be governed by the State of Georgia Code of Ethics for Educators. Failure to meet this code may be cause for removal from the program. Inappropriate personal and/or professional behavior can be cause for dismissal. The teacher candidate’s advisor or Mentor Leader, chairperson of the department, and the Dean of Education are authorized to recommend dismissal.

The following academic standards and guidelines apply for continued enrollment in a teacher education program:

  1. A minimum grade of C or S must be maintained in all course work in the program. If a grade of D, F or U is received in a course, the student will not be allowed to continue in the program unless provisions can be made for repeating the course so as not to lower professional expectations in the remaining course work and field experiences.
  2. A teacher candidate is expected to attend all field placement assignments regularly and on time. Field placement assignments must be performed at an acceptable level as judged by the University Mentor Leader in collaboration with the public school Host Teacher. Excessive absences and/or low quality performance in field placements may result in the teacher candidate’s removal from the program.
  3. A teacher candidate must maintain a GPA of 2.50 to continue in the program. When a GPA falls below 2.50 at anytime except immediately prior to the final semester, one of the following may occur:
    1. If a special program of study can be developed to assist the student during summer, the student may be allowed to continue in the program contingent upon the summer course work raising the GPA to 2.50.
    2. A special program of study may be developed for the student, and the student withdrawn from the program and reclassified a pre-education major. After the student completes the special program of study, the overall GPA must be at a 2.50 level or above for the student to apply for readmission to the following year’s cohort.
    3. The student may be allowed to remain in the program for one additional semester, except the final semester, after which the GPA must be 2.5 or above, or the student will be withdrawn. Readmission to teacher education will be dependent upon the conditions set forth at the time the student is withdrawn.
    4. The student may be encouraged to choose another major, in or out of teacher education. The student will have to meet the admission requirements of the new major.
  4. A teacher candidate will not be allowed to continue into the final semester before graduation with a GPA below 2.50. A teacher candidate with a GPA below 2.50 prior to the final semester will be withdrawn from the program. The Mentor Leader or advisor and chairperson of the department will develop a plan specifying provisions for correcting the difficulty(ies) encountered. The plan must have the approval of the Dean of Education. The student will not be permitted to re-enter a cohort or student teaching for a minimum of one full year.
  5. In order to graduate from Georgia College with a degree in a major in the College of Education, teacher candidates must complete all requirements in the program.
  6. Students requesting to take 9-11 hours in the summer must have the permission of their advisors. Taking over eleven hours requires a university petition that originates with the faculty advisor and requires the approval of the chairperson and the dean. Failure to complete and file appropriate forms can result in being dropped from course(s).

Student Teaching Internship

Teacher candidates will have the opportunity for an intensive Student Teaching Internship. The Mentor Leader in conjunction with the teacher candidate will plan the experience for the greatest opportunity for personal and professional development. Placement in the public schools will be based on availability of cooperating practitioners; range and kind of experiences needed by the teacher candidate; and recommendations from other university faculty, district personnel officers, host teachers, and principals.

The Student Teaching Internship is considered a full-time responsibility of the teacher candidate, and any activity that endangers the success in development of professional competence is inadvisable. Experiences and activities such as week-day employment, additional courses beyond that of the approved field-based program, or curricular activities during the normal public school day should be approved by the Mentor Leader.

A laboratory fee is associated with the student teaching internship to provide stipends to Host Teachers in the Public Schools.

Capstone Experience (Assessment Portfolio)

The capstone experience includes each teacher candidate's developing an electronic portfolio of artifacts demonstrating what the candidate knows and is able to do in an authentic context. The assessment portfolio is built in conjunction with the Mentor Leader and peers over the course of two years. As a culminating activity and proof of successful completion of the program, the teacher candidate presents, discusses, and defends the portfolio to a panel of faculty.

Exit Requirements for the Degree Program

All candidates in Early Childhood, Middle Grades and Special Education must meet exit requirements in order for their program to be “complete.” Exit requirements are twofold:

  1. Take the appropriate Georgia Assessment for Certification of Educators (GACE) Content Assessments.
  2. Complete the Capstone Assessment Portfolio requirement successfully.

Teacher Certification in Georgia

Teacher candidates who complete an approved teacher certification program at GC may request recommendation to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission for certification. Request for certification through GC must be made within one year of graduation. The initial certificate awarded by the Professional Standards Commission is the Professional Teaching Certificate. Teacher candidates applying for initial certification must:

  1. Have an overall 2.50 GPA.
  2. Complete a certification program of choice at GC.
  3. Pass the appropriate GACE Content Assessment(s) tests for the certification area sought.
  4. Complete the PSC certification application and file the completed form with all the necessary documentation intact with the GC College of Education Certification Officer (Kilpatrick Hall, Room 220D).

All teacher certification programs are subject to change in response to new requirements from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. Teacher candidates will be given appropriate notice of changes, and teacher education programs will be modified or adapted to meet the required change.