Professor John W. Fritsche, Director of Teacher Preparation
Associate Professor Wendy McCarty home page
Jaime Klein, Director of Clinical Placement Staff 

Education Course Listings

The Education Department holds primary responsibility within Illinois College for the preparation of teachers. In collaboration with other academic departments of the College, the Department offers certification programs to prepare entry-level teacher candidates in grades pre-kindergarten through twelve. The teacher education faculty, and colleagues from departments with secondary certification programs comprise the Unit and share a commitment to quality programs that will meet the challenges facing educators in the next decades by offering courses to satisfy certification in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Secondary Education and Special Education.

Illinois College is accredited by the Illinois State Board of Education to offer programs in Teacher Education. Programs are offered which prepare candidates for teacher certification at the early childhood, elementary, secondary, and K-12 levels. For more information on accreditation, visit www.ic.edu/academics/educ.asp .

Admission to the Teacher Education Program

The Teacher Preparation Committee (TPC) determines admission to the Teacher Preparation Program and retention in the program. Candidates seeking admission to the program are required to meet the admission and retention requirements in effect at the time of their acceptance into the program. Candidates are advised that changes in the certification requirements may occur as a result of subsequent action by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Students planning to become candidates for teaching licences must obtain an application packet from the Teacher Preparation Program office located in Crispin 215. The requirements for admission to the Teacher Preparation Program contained in the packet are listed below:

1. Satisfactory completion of EDUC 101: Introduction to Teaching.
2. Submit the Application for Admission to the Teacher Preparation Program form to the Director of Teacher Preparation.
3. Achieve a “passing” score on the Illinois Certification System (ICTS) Basic Skills Test. According to Illinois State legislative rules, a passing score on the ICTS Basic Skills Test is required for admission to the Teacher Preparation Program. Candidates failing to do so may not register for restricted professional education courses (300-level or higher with an EDUC prefix) until the test is passed and full admission is granted.
4. Achieve an Illinois College grade point average (GPA) of 2.500 or higher.
5. Complete an interview conducted by members of the Education Department.
6. Complete EDUC 203, EDUC 222, ENG 121, IC 102, COM 101, and PSY272/275 with a “C” or higher.
7. Submit the Admission to the Program Teacher Competency Portfolio containing a candidate’s evaluations and artifacts from field experiences (101, 222, 203), artifacts demonstrating satisfactory dispositions for effective teaching, and additional artifacts demonstrating proficiency in oral and written communication, and knowledge and use of technology.

All students, including transfer students, should realize that it may not be possible to obtain a certificate within the normal four year sequence if they have not applied to the Education Department by the beginning of the second semester of their Sophomore year.

Transfer Credit Policy

Professional education courses will be accepted on a course-by-course basis for transfer credit only from institutions that are accredited by the State of Illinois and/or NCATE. Acceptance of credits by the Registrar of the College as transfer does not insure their application to a particular program or endorsement. Determination of applicability of all transfer courses is the responsibility of the Education Department, the Teacher Preparation Committee, and/or the specific academic department. Only credits earned with a grade of “C” or better at accredited institutions will be accepted.

Retention in the Program and Requirements
for Admissions to Student Teaching

For retention in the program and/or for admission to the student teaching semester, candidates must:

1. Continue to demonstrate proficiency in oral and written communication.
2. Demonstrate additional proficiencies in the use of technology.
3. Demonstrate satisfactory dispositions for effective teaching.
4. Maintain a grade point average of 2.5 or above for all Illinois College course work.
5. Earn a grade of “C” or better in all professional education and methods courses.
6. Be recommended for assignment to the student teaching semester by the appropriate academic department in which the teaching subject content is being taken.
7. Achieve a “passing” score on the Illinois Certification Testing System Subject-Matter Knowledge Test. According to the Illinois State legislative rules, a passing score for the ICTS Subject-Matter Knowledge Test is required for admission to the Student Teaching Semester.
8. Submit the Teacher Competency Portfolio that meets the requirements of the Teacher Preparation Program for admission to the student teaching semester.
9. Submit the Application for Admission to Student Teaching.
10. Completion of Program Requirements and Certification

Following the satisfactory completion of the student teaching semester, candidates must submit the “capstone” Teacher Competency Portfolio that provides confirmation of successful completion of a certification program. Candidates must receive a “proficient” rating on all criteria on the assessment rubric and make a formal presentation of their professional teaching portfolio to the academic community. This professional portfolio provides evidence that the candidate has met the Illinois College Institutional Outcomes and the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards. Candidates who have met all Illinois College program requirements including the Illinois College requirements for graduation and passed the appropriate Assessment of Professional Teaching Test are entitled to have a certificate issued to them by the Illinois State Board of Education. This procedure is initiated by the candidate by completing the Application for Teaching Certificate and submitting it to the Director of Teacher Preparation Programs.

The Assessment of Professional Teaching Test

All candidates completing Illinois College’s approved teacher preparation program in early childhood, elementary, secondary and special teaching areas are required to take the Assessment of Professional Teaching (APT) test for their certification area. The APT requirement is in addition to the requirement for passing the Basic Skills and Subject-Matter Knowledge tests. Candidates normally take this test during the end of the student teaching semester. The APT test framework, which describes the content covered on the test, test registration information, and the study guide may be found at
www.icts.nesinc.com.

The Sequence of Professional Course Work

Courses in education are designed to provide professional preparation for students who anticipate careers in early childhood, elementary, secondary, or K-12 teaching. Candidates for early childhood, elementary and high school physical education teaching certificates major in Education. Candidates for secondary teaching certificates must complete majors in approved programs for secondary certification. The secondary teaching areas are Science-Biology, English, Mathematics, Physical Education and Social Science-History. Teacher candidates completing a major in art, music, French, German or Spanish must complete the approved K-12 certification program aligned with those majors. All students selecting secondary and K-12 certification programs must complete specific professional education courses to meet certification requirements. All courses in the professional education component, teaching content areas, area of concentration and specified courses in the general education component must be completed with a grade of “C” or above.

Students interested in entering the Teacher Preparation Program should enroll in the EDUC 101 “Introduction to Teaching” course. This course is a prerequisite for admittance to the Teacher Preparation Program and enrollment in any 300 level or higher courses with an EDUC prefix. Students are advised to take the Illinois Certification System Basic Skills Test prior to completing the EDUC 101 course.

General Education Requirements

Students are required to meet the General Education program defined on page 8 of this catalog. Information regarding specific courses that meet these requirements and appropriate course sequencing information is available from Education or other departmental advisors. EDUC 101, Introduction to Teaching, is normally taken during the first year. This course provides advising services to all students interested in obtaining certification in one of the Teacher Preparation programs from the time they first enroll in Illinois College.

Requirements for the Education Major

Students wishing to major in Education must complete one of the following programs:

Early Childhood Certification (Birth-grade 3)

EDUC 101, 203, 222, 309, 311, 337, 351, 363, 364, 385, and PSY 275.
EDUC 401 and 406 is required for certification.

Elementary Certification (K-9)

EDUC 101, 203, 222, 255, 309, 312, 335, 351, 353, 385, and PSY 272.
EDUC 401 and 404 is required for certification. PSY 312 is recommended for Middle School endorsement.

Physical Education Certification (6-12)

A major in Education with secondary Physical Education certification consists of 39 semester hours and must include EDPE 208, 211, 214, 232, 234, 305, 308, 310, 383, 405, BIOL 107, BIOH 335, 340 and PSY 277 or SOC 280.

Students wishing to qualify for a teaching certificate should enroll in EDUC 101 during their First-year year and consult with a faculty advisor from the Education Department. The department strongly recommends that students have a second teaching field. Teaching fields are available in health and in combination with biology and general science.

A minor in Physical Education (without teaching) consists of BIOL 105 or 107 and 18 hours in the department with at least 9 upper-level hours.

A minor in Physical Education (with teaching) consists of EDPE 208, 211, 214, 232, 234, 310, 383, BIOL 107, and a 3 hour elective course.

A minor in Health (not for teaching endorsement) consists of EDPE 205, 208, 308, and 405, BIOH 210, 330, 335, and SOC 347. Biology 105 or 107 is recommended.

ENVS 224 is also recommended.

Teacher candidates pursuing an endorsement in health should consult with the Director of Teacher Preparation for the most recent ISBE requirements.

Requirements for Secondary and Special (K-12) Certification

Secondary Certification
Illinois College has approved programs in secondary education for biology, English (literature emphasis), social science (history), and mathematics majors. Students wishing to obtain certification to teach at the secondary level in the above areas must complete all graduation and major requirements in one of these majors in addition to EDUC 101, 203, 222, 309, 312 (for English majors), 335, 385, PSY 272, the appropriate methods course from EDUC 321-326, and, for certification, EDUC 401 and 402. Electives for secondary candidates include PSY 312, and EDUC 255, for those wishing to receive an endorsement to teach at the middle school level.

Special (K-12) Certification:
Illinois College has approved programs in K-12 teaching for art, music, French, German, and Spanish majors. Students wishing to obtain certification to teach in one of these areas must complete all graduation and major requirements required by the major in addition to EDUC 101, 203, 222, 309, 335, 385, PSY 272 and 312, the appropriate content methods courses and for certification, EDUC 401 and 408.

 

   

 

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