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Dean

Consistent with the mission of the University, the College of Education offers State Approved teacher education programs that are designed to prepare accomplished teachers for the 21st century. The programs emphasize knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will enable teachers to meet the needs of a multi-cultural student population in a highly technological society.

Mission

College of Education goals consistent with projected needs of teachers are:

1. To develop essentials of effective verbal and nonverbal communication in order to interact with others effectively through interpersonal skills and use of interactive media and technology;
2. To demonstrate in-depth knowledge and skills in specialized content and in the knowledge base in professional studies and best practices supported by research;
3. To demonstrate ability to apply knowledge and professional skills in classrooms with an awareness of and sensitivity to providing for the diverse needs of children in a multi-cultural society;
4. To develop ability to analyze situations, events, and policies, and apply critical thinking skills and decision-making skills in making effective value judgments and choices;
5. To demonstrate a commitment to high moral, Christian, and ethical standards of conduct, both personally and professionally;
6. To develop attitudes and characteristics essential to personal and professional growth and a commitment to lifelong learning.

College of Education

The College of Education administers education programs for the preparation of teachers in Elementary Education (K-6), Exceptional Student Education (ESE), Secondary Biology (6-12), Secondary English (6-12), Secondary Mathematics (6-12), Secondary Social Science (6-12), and Music Education (K-12). These majors require a sequence of courses that meets certification requirements for a Florida teaching credential.

Teacher education programs are designed to accommodate the student who desires to (1) teach in a public or private school that requires State of Florida certification; (2) obtain a teaching certificate from national/international associations for teaching in private/Christian schools that do not require state certification of its teachers.

Teacher education programs of Southeastern University are subject to the requirements and review of accrediting and certifying agencies. When rules or procedures of these agencies change, such requirements supersede the statements made herein.

State Approval/Reciprocity

All teacher education programs have met requirements for Florida State Approved Programs.

Students who plan to teach in Florida schools must file an application with the Office of Teacher Certification for the State of Florida, and complete the post-degree requirements for the teaching credential.

Students graduating from Florida state-approved teacher certification programs are currently eligible for initial certification to teach in all members of the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC), an interstate reciprocity contract allowing certified teachers to obtain teaching jobs in other states and territories. An applicant’s eligibility for certification according to the interstate agreement contract will be determined after the application for a Florida teaching certificate is on file in the Teacher Certification Office.

Course-by-Course Review of Transcript

Students graduating from state approved teacher certification programs are eligible to apply for a credential in states that are non-reciprocal with Florida on the basis of a course-by-course analysis of the student’s transcript. Florida teacher certification is also available in teaching areas other than the state approved programs through a course-by-course review of a student’s transcript, based on specific course requirements of the State Department of Education. Requirements for an initial teaching certificate include passing scores on the Florida Teacher Certification Examination (FTCE), which includes the General Knowledge Test (GKT), the Professional Education Examination (PEd), and the Subject Area Examination (SAE). Students interested in obtaining certification in a state other than Florida or a private/Christian school association’s certificate program may find that differences in certification requirements exist. Students should contact the Department of Education in that state or the private/Christian school association where they plan to teach for further information on requirements. 

Admission to the College of Education

An entering freshman or sophomore may declare education as the major, but that student is not admitted until all Department admissions criteria have been met and the Teacher Education Screening Committee has officially admitted the student.

Students wishing to apply for admission to the College of Education must pick up an application for admission from the College of Education office. Students must familiarize themselves with the rules and requirements for admission, fill out the application for admission, and return the application to the College of Education Administrative Assistant.

At or before the student’s 75th hour or fifth semester, the Teacher Education Screening Committee will meet and review the student’s application for admission. If the committee finds that the student meets the admission requirements, notification will be sent to the student advising that he or she may continue in the education program and reminding the student of the further requirements for admission to Internship and requirements for exit from the program. A copy of the notification will be placed in the student’s file. Transfer students or those who change majors while at Southeastern University will be reviewed by the committee on a case-by-case basis.

If the committee finds that the student does not meet the admission requirements, a notification will be sent to the student’s advisor that he or she may not continue in a state certified education program at Southeastern University.

At the moment of admission, the student is considered a “candidate.” From this point, the student must complete the requirements for internship. As the internship semester approaches, the Director of Clinical Education will review each student’s records and files. If the student does not meet the requirements, a time period will be established for completion of requirements, but the student will not be permitted to intern until requirements are met. If requirements are not met within the prescribed time period, the student may be dismissed from the College of Education, and a letter to this effect will be sent to the student.

Admission Requirements into the College of Education

1. Enrollment as a degree-seeking student at the university;
2. No grade lower than a “C” in any general education course; professional education course, or specialization course;
3. Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 for all general education courses;
4. Minimum grade of “B” in Fundamentals of Speech;
5. Satisfactory results on personality profile;
6. Submission of two letters of recommendation from people who have observed the student work in some kind of teaching role. This may include pastors, Sunday School teachers, Sunday School administrators, local private school teachers, etc. Persons filling out the recommendations cannot be related to the applicant;
7. Official documentation of passing scores on all sections of the GKT . This includes any retakes and remediation;
8. Admission approval by the Teacher Education Screening Committee.

Requirements for Florida State Approved Teacher Certification Programs

Students are required to complete current state of Florida education requirements, if mandated by the state, regardless of the catalog year they entered the program.

Eligibility Requirements for Student Teaching (Internship)

1. Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5;
2. Minimum GPA of 2.5 in all education courses and specialization courses;
3. No grade lower than a “C” in any education course or specialization course;
4. Completion of all three Field Studies and all FTCE exams (GKT, PEd, SAE).

NOTE: If you have not met all eligibility requirements for admission to the College of Education (including passing scores on the GKT) and all eligibility requirements for Student Teaching, you will not be placed for your internship.

Exit Requirements

1. Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5;
2. Minimum GPA of 2.5 in professional education courses and specialization courses;
3. Submission of completed signature section of the Accomplished Practices professional form for the pre-service teacher;
4. Submission of completed ESOL sign-off sheet;
5. Submission of Accomplished Practices Portfolio and checklist.

Failure to meet applicable criteria in the above policies prior to graduation may result in a delay of student teaching and/or delay in graduation as an education major.

Important Notes

All education majors must pass the FTCE: GKT, PEd, and SAE prior to student internship . Scores on these tests are reported to the Florida DOE annually as a measure of program effectiveness.

The requirements listed in the catalog of the year in which the student declares an education major are the requirements that student should follow. However, the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) may change education requirements. The College of Education communicates such changes to all education majors via various media (campus mail, in-class announcements, advising sessions, etc.). Once changes have been communicated, it is the student’s responsibility to follow those changes. Failure to follow such changes may result in a delay of Student Teaching placement until all requirements are met.

Once a student selects a major in education, it is his/her responsibility to obtain a 4-year plan and follow the sequence of listed courses and completion times for the state certification exams (FTCE). Many general education courses should be completed first to prepare the student for the General Knowledge Test (GKT). The GKT must be passed during Field Study 1 and students cannot proceed to Field Study 2 until the exam is passed.  The professional education courses should be taken next in the sequence to prepare the student for the Professional Education Test (PEd). The PEd must be passed during Field Study 2 and students cannot proceed to Field Study 3 until the exam is passed.  Lastly, teaching methods courses or subject area courses should be taken to prepare the student for the Subject Area Exam (SAE). The SAE must be passed during Field Study 3 prior to internship.  The GKT, PEd, and SAE are exams that complete the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE).

Students desiring additional certification in middle school grades (5-9) have two options. One, you may major in elementary education and then take the additional SAE in Middle Grades Integrated Curriculum, thus extending your certification to include grades K-9. Or two, you may major in a secondary education major and then take the additional SAE in Middle Grades Integrated Curriculum extending your certification to grades 5-12 (verses 6-12). Students should seek counsel from their education advisor as to the best option.

The College of Education requires all education majors to complete a 12 credit hour internship during the final semester. Students must have met all criteria determined by the College of Education. If a student is unsuccessful in passing all parts of the FTCE tests, the COE reserves the right to place the student in coursework equating to 12 credit hours. These courses would be taken as a replacement to the internship. Students in this situation would graduate with a B. S. in his/her declared major, however, would not graduate “state approved.”

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