Off Campus Student Handbook

PIEDMONT COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

Off Campus Student Handbook 2013-2014

“Mastering the Art of Teaching: Preparing Proactive Educators to Improve the Lives of All Children”

Striving to prepare reflective, scholarly, proactive educators

Piedmont College: A Brief History “A Good Beginning…” In 1897, opening a college in the wilderness of northeast Georgia must have seemed to some like a prescription for failure. The area was accessible by few roads – mostly crude dirt strips with sapling trees. A narrow- gauge railroad did make a water stop in the frontier town of Demorest, but it was laden with passengers and freight bound for points further north. For a youthful band of entrepreneurs trying to forge a community of business, factories, and schools in Demorest, however, a college was just what they needed. Under the direction of a Methodist minister, the Rev. Charles C. Spence, they obtained a charter from the State of Georgia, organized a board of trustees, bought books, hired a faculty, and secured space for classes and dormitories. On the first Wednesday of September 1897, amid much fanfare and ceremony, the opening exercise for the J.S. Green Collegiate Institute were held in downtown Demorest, and the entire student body, from first grade to college juniors, marched up the hill from the square to begin their studies.

What the detractors of the time failed to take into account was the thirst for knowledge that a small town like Demorest could harbor. As one early observer noted, the “students came in for miles around, some of them walking barefoot… The came from the high ridges and hidden coves; they came from the little corn patches, the log cabins and the moonshine stills.”

In its first year, the J.S. Green Collegiate Institute, (the name was changed to Piedmont College in 1903), enrolled 367 students, an astonishing number given the rural nature of the area and the scant population. Parents in some cases sacrificed their meager possessions to make certain that their children could attend. One mother reportedly sold her cook-stove, choosing to labor over an open fire, rather than have her son miss his chance at an education.

Today, 100 years later, the students of Piedmont College arrive from all over the world, still carrying that same unquenchable thirst for education. Some are third, even fourth generation Piedmont students. Some are the first in their families to venture beyond high school. But all of them find at Piedmont College an experience much like that of the students who paraded up the hill in 1897 – a small college town where the faculty and student form a community with a rich academic tradition and where anyone with a desire for knowledge is welcome.

GROWTH OF PIEDMONT

By 1899, Piedmont was beset by financial difficulties. Enrollment was strong at just under 400 students, but the suppor t the College founders had hoped for from the state’s Methodist churches was not forthcoming. Strapped for funds after cashing in his own life insurance policy to support the College, Rev. Spence turned to the Congregationalist Churches f or help. “I have gone as far as I can,” Spence told a church representative. “I am getting deeper and deeper in debt. You Congregationalists need a college. Here is a good beginning.”

The Congregational Church had been founded by the Pilgrims in 1620 and already had a long history of supporting higher education. They had founded Harvard in 1636, Yale in 1701, and numerous other colleges across the U.S., but as yet they had no college in the South, and so in 1901, the American Missionary Board of the Congregational Church took Piedmont under its wing. While remaining an independent institution governed by its own board of trustees, Piedmont has enjoyed a close relationship with Congregationalist Church ever since. Students from across the U.S. and around the world who might otherwise never hear of Piedmont College are introduced through the Church, and this association has historically provided the College with a rich mix of students from many cultures and backgrounds.

As Piedmont grew in the early part of this century, it began building a reputation as “the little college that could.” Thro ugh two World Wars, the Depression and the turbulent 1960’s, the College remained an oasis of learning. Whenever fi nancial difficulties developed, the administration, faculty, students, alumni and friends who had grown up with the Coll ege were always there to step in to save the day. With their faithful and often extraordinary sacrifices, the campus slowl y grew from a cluster of former homes to the beautiful 100-acre site that houses the College today.

Because of its small size, Piedmont College, through most of its existence, also has developed a “David and Goliath” o utlook on just about all matters academic and athletic. Athletic teams, noted nationally in the 1960’s for their proclivity to lose, were nonetheless respected for the character of their coaches and player. And even with a faculty that could be numbered in the teens, Piedmont over the years produced more than its share of leaders in government, education, busi ness and the arts.

PIEDMONT TODAY

With about 1800 students, Piedmont College is a classic, independent, church-related, liberal arts institution. Thanks to a substantial endowment, Piedmont is able to provide a high-quality education while charging the lowest tuition of all p rivate colleges in the state. Piedmont’s commitment to the liberal arts has not changed either. The College’s core curric ulum covers nearly half of the total credits required for a degree. This ensures that all students gain a broad competence in the liberal arts, regardless of their field of specialization.

An accredited institution, Piedmont offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. The college is also accred ited to award the Master of Arts (MA) for advanced certification, the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) for initial certi fication, the Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degrees, and the Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.). The college has an excellent teacher preparation program, with extensive training available in early childhood, middle grades, secondary, art, music, drama and special education. The small class size and the cohesiveness of the Piedmont community help candidates to develop their full potential and to acquire the skills needed for successful, professional careers.

Piedmont College is becoming more national and international in scope. Currently, more than 20 states and 10 foreign countries are represented at Piedmont. Foreign students bring a diversity of backgrounds and beliefs to the campus and their presence allows all students to develop an appreciation and understanding of other cultures.

A BRIGHT FUTURE

From its modest beginnings in 1897, Piedmont grew steadily but slowly until a recent surge in growth in the last severa l years. In 1971, the College completed a building program that enhanced the campus and for the first time began to bui ld a significant endowment. In recent years, the College has set its sights on larger dreams that are now beginning to co me true. Since 1991, enrollment has more than doubled and in 1992, a new 38,000-square-foot, 100,000-volume library opened, signaling a new era in academic resources and support at Piedmont College. In the 2000-2001 academic year, t he college opened a new gymnasium, a new science and technology classroom building, an additional residence hall, as well as a remodeled classroom building. The college also opened the Mize Athletic Center with a new basketball and v olleyball arena, fitness center and locker rooms. More recently, Piedmont completed a major renovation of the college chapel, which included the installation of a 3,675-pipe organ and construction of a wing to house additional classrooms and a recital hall. Three new residence halls have been added to house an additional 150 students. Building projects recently completed includes the Fine Arts classrooms and exhibit halls. Piedmont College is part of a global educationa l community made possible by the Internet and satellite telecommunications. Piedmont students may no longer arrive o n campus to barter cows for an education, but they arrive just as ready to learn, just as thirsty for knowledge as their pr edecessors did more than 100 years ago.

PIEDMONT COLLEGE MAILING ADDRESSES:

DEMOREST MAIN CAMPUS: Piedmont College PO Box 10 165 Central Avenue 5 Demorest, Georgia 30535 800-277-7020

OR ATHENS CAMPUS Piedmont College Athens Center 595 Prince Ave. Athens, Georgia 30601 706-548-8505

PIEDMONT COLLEGE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION CONTACTS

School of Education Dean – Dr. Don Gnecco [email protected] 706-778-3000 or 706-778-8500 Ext.1201

Director of Graduate Affairs- Dr. Michael Shirley [email protected] 706-778-3000 or 706-778-8500 Ext. 1061

Assistant to the Dean for Cohort Administration- Kathleen Anderson [email protected] 706-546-0885 Administrative Assistant for Graduate Affairs-Tiffany Beck Collins [email protected] 706-778-3000 or 706-778-8500 Ext. 1497

Academic Concerns: Charles Lucado, Chair of Early Childhood Education. (706) 778-8500 X 1231 [email protected]

Bill Brown, Chair of Middle Grades Education (706) 778-8500 X 1232 [email protected]

Jennifer Betz, Chair of Secondary Education (706) 778-8500 x 1297 [email protected]

Course Scheduling: Kathleen Anderson 706-548-2022 [email protected]

Kathy Breithaupt (706) 782-6954 [email protected]

Stan McCain (770)-550-4372 [email protected]

Mike Moody (770) 653-0823 [email protected]

Contact Information:

School of Education (706) 776-0117

Bills and Account Balances: Business Office (706) 778-8500 x 1122

Financial Aid and Student Loans: Office of Financial Aid (800) 277-7020

Library Services: Bob Glass, (706) 778-8500 x 1111 [email protected] Textbooks: Kathleen Anderson 706-548-2022 [email protected]

Piedmont College Bookstore 866-718-3194

Website: www.piedmont.bkstore.com

Admissions: 706-776-0103 or 1-800-277-7020

Fax: 706-776-6635

PIEDMONT COLLEGE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

PREPARING PROACTIVE EDUCATIORS TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF CHILDREN

Mission Statement—Piedmont College Piedmont College educates students to become successful and responsible citizens through rigorous academic instructi on in the liberal arts and professional disciplines. Learning opportunities are provided through undergraduate and grad uate programs offered at various locations. The institution emphasizes high ethical standards and respect for diversity.

Mission Statement—School of Education, Piedmont College The theme of the School of Education is “Mastering the art of teaching: Preparing proactive educators to improve the li ves of all children.” The School of Education strives to prepare reflective, scholarly, proactive educators. These practi tioners effectively educate their own students to become knowledgeable, inquisitive, and collaborative learners in diver se, democratic learning communities. Specific ideals under-gird our conceptual framework. We advocate the democratic ideals of: equal rights and opportunities; individual freedom and responsibility; responsibility for the greater good; respect for diversity; openness to possibilities; and open, informed discourse.

We endorse the following processes as a means of striving for our democratic ideals: engaging in participatory decisio n-making; collaborating in teaching and learning; collecting information from all constituencies; examining options an d projecting consequences; nurturing open discourse; providing for field experiences; assessing processes as well as pr oducts; modeling democratic ideals in the classroom; forming communities of learners; and constantly revising the curr iculum to reflect new insights and understandings. Further, we endorse the development of a sense of personal integrit y and of strong habits of mind (e.g., reflectiveness, persistence, clarity, accuracy, and responsiveness to feedback).

Philosophy Statement Specific ideals undergird our conceptual framework. We advocate the democratic ideals of equal rights and opportunit ies; individual freedom and responsibility; responsibility for the greater good; respect for diversity; openness to possibi lities; and open, informed discourse.

The following quote by Carl Glickman (1998) provides an operational definition of the democratic classroom: Democratic learning in schools is a set of purposeful activities, always building toward increasing student activity, choice, participation, connection, and contribution. It always aims for students, individually and collectively, to take greater responsibility for their own learning. It is not a pedagogy of opening up the classroom doors and telling students to be free. The teacher has a responsibility to use his or her unique attributes—position, experience, age and wisdom—to guide students to the fundamental aim of learning to be free ( p. 31).

We endorse the following processes as a means of striving for our democratic ideals: engaging in participatory decisio n-making; collaborating in teaching and learning; collecting information from all constituencies; examining options an d projecting consequences; nurturing open discourse; providing for field experiences; assessing processes as well as pr oducts; modeling democratic ideals in the classroom; forming communities of learners; and constantly revising the curr iculum to reflect new insights and understandings. Further, we endorse the development of a sense of personal integrit y and of strong habits of mind (e.g., reflection, persistence, clarity, accuracy, and responsiveness to feedback).

PIEDMONT COLLEGE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

PREPARING PROACTIVE EDUCATIORS TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF CHILDREN

We endorse the following processes as a means of striving for our democratic ideals: engaging in participatory decisio n-making; collaborating in teaching and learning; collecting information from all constituencies; examining options an d projecting consequences; nurturing open discourse; providing for field experiences; assessing processes as well as pr oducts; modeling democratic ideals in the classroom; forming communities of learners; and constantly revising the curr iculum to reflect new insights and understandings. Further, we endorse the development of a sense of personal integrit y and of strong habits of mind (e.g., reflection, persistence, clarity, accuracy, and responsiveness to feedback).

School of Education’s Conceptual Frameworks This edition of the Conceptual Framework builds on previous versions, while addressing what we considered to be changes in the contexts of schooling in the U.S. In Section One, we follow the institutional setting (the college’s history, mission and vision) with our current mission statement, followed in turn with four continuing commitments at the core of our work. The current version of our Core Candidate Learning Outcomes (January 2010) completes this section. Section Two focuses on the process we used to develop this edition of the Conceptual Framework, including what we deemed to be our charge for that development. Section Three includes a list of the conditions and changes we realize we must prepare our candidates to address. Section Four describes the research and theories which guide our efforts to continue the four commitments stated in Section Two and respond to conditions and changes listed in Section Three. We identified four major concepts to serve as an “operational vision,” a departure from the usual vision statements. Section Five – Fulfilling the Mission and Vision – is intended to connect (and complete) what we provide in the first four sections with the work of our standards committees. It consists of summary points from the reports compiled by the standards committees designed to provide some substantive illustrations of how we currently try to bring to life the concepts in this framework.

Four continuing commitments: Though this is a new edition of our conceptual framework, we agreed that the following four components contained in the previous edition warranted specific inclusion in this edition.

**** First, we re-affi r m our com m i t m ent to the pursuit of the democratic classroo m .

Surely it is an obligation of education in a democracy to empower the young to become members of the public, to participate, and play articulate roles in the public space. Greene, M. (2000). The role of education in democracy. Educational Horizons, 63-73.

The issues confronting our nation make the case clearer than ever that we must have citizens who have the capacities to grasp the issues and the dispositions to participate actively in resolving them. Numerous research studies confirm what many of us recognize intuitively: That “…the vast majority of Americans are willfully ignorant about the issues, policies, politicians, history, and structure of government needed for informed participation in democracy, especially in these trying times.” (Knight Foundation, 2005) That serves as an indictment of schooling in the U.S., where students are exposed to curricula about government, economics and history – passing tests and receiving passing grades – then forget most of what they have learned. We strive to prepare teachers who will, in turn, prepare their students for their roles and responsibilities as citizens in a democracy. The experiences of democracy in schools are the most promising ways to enable every student to develop the skills and dispositions necessary for effective participation in the processes of a democracy. The commitments outlined below guide our efforts to fulfill our role toward this vision.

***** Second, we re-affirm our com m i t m e nt to provide progra m s that enable our candidates to beco m e scholarly, reflective, p r o acti v e practitioners. Furth e r m ore, we affirm that each of us has to m odel those a tt r ib u t es.

[W]hat rules us is less the material world of goods and services than the immaterial one of whims, assumptions, delusions and lies; that only by studying this world can we hope to shape how it shapes us; that only by attempting to understand what used to be called “the human condition” can we hope to make our condition more human, not less. Slouka, M. (2009). Dehumanized. Harpers Magazine. September, 32-40.

We intend to equip our teachers “to assess the effects of their teaching and to refine and improve instruction, to continuously evaluate what students are thinking and understanding, [then] reshape their plans to take account of what they have discovered” (Darling-Hammond, 1998). We affirm that instruction in each academic discipline and the arts, at every grade level, must communicate the fact that these fields (a) contribute to our understanding of the human and natural phenomena we experience, (b) are dynamic fields of inquiry, not static repositories of information, and (c) are connected to the larger goals of decision-making and participation in a democracy. *****

Third, part of our m i ssion is to serve as an age n t of constructive change that enables the schools in our region to rethink instr u ctional practices so they tru l y do not leave any child behind.

Teachers are always traveling toward complete knowledge but never arriving. Of course, every person follows the same road, whether he notices or not. It’s a good road to travel though, always fresh and challenging. Every day we can stretch again to reach a noble goal. Steele, C.F. (2009). The inspired teacher. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

This sense of mission is especially vital in the current context of accountability standards. Our challenge is to show teachers that they can meet those standards, and, with their students, transcend them to higher levels of understanding. If we do that well, those teachers will assume the responsibility for their own professional growth, moving from unaware to aware, to capable, and perhaps even to inspired teaching. **** Fourth, we reaffirm the c hallenge to equip our candidates with understandings and skills that enable them to addre s s t h e div e r s ities in th e i r c l as s roo m s.

By examining risk at different levels (e.g., individuals, families, and institutions) and through different lenses, experiences and identities (e.g., race, gender, class, and sexual orientation),our goal has been to provide a critical look at both the issues and the venues that allow us to understand the problem as well as the opportunities and places for change. At this point in our history, these issues do not simply represent social designations for our thinking but are increasingly urgent sites to (re)conceptualize risk, equity, and schooling and to commit to positive change. Gadsden, V.L., Davis, J.D., Artiles, A.J. (2009) Risk, equity, and schooling: transforming the discourse. Review of research in education. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association. Vol.33. x-xi.

If we can sustain the vision and mission set forth in this Conceptual Framework, our candidates will model the kind of dispositions and practices which will inform practices and policies that build on diversities, more than merely serve them. Limited resources resulting from the downturn in the economy make this effort especially challenging.

Core Candidate Learning Outcomes (January 2010)

We first developed CCLOs in 2000 to synthesize the concepts and values of our Conceptual Framework into readily accessible language for instructors and candidates. We revised them in 2005 as part of our preparation for the PSC review of programs. In fall 2009, we conducted another systematic review of the CCLOs, resulting in substantive revisions, especially regarding subject matter, instructional strategies, and communications. Those revisions appear in the version approved by the faculty in January 2010. These CCLOs serve as a continually evolving guide to teacher development, practice, assessments, and decision-making. For these CCLOs to guide our development as educators and become the habits of mind that drive what we do, faculty and candidates must engage them in recurring dialogue, application, and reflection. 1. Learning environment: The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation to create a community of learners that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in the subject matter, and the development of a sense of responsibility for their own learning. 2. Subject matter: The scholarly teacher understands and models the central concepts and modes of inquiry of his or her discipline(s), thereby engaging students in learning experiences that encourage critical thinking and stimulate continuing interest in the subject. 3. Student learning: Based on an understanding of how students develop and learn, the teacher provides learning opportunities that support students’ intellectual, social and personal growth. 4. Diversity: Understanding that each learner is unique, the teacher of a democratic classroom adapts and differentiates instruction to meet diverse needs of all students. 5. Instructional strategies: The teacher implements instructional strategies, including appropriate use of instructional technologies, designed to encourage students to develop critical thinking, performance skills, and content knowledge, while meeting required curriculum and program evaluation standards. 6. Assessment strategies: To foster knowledgeable and inquisitive learners, the teacher uses a variety of formative and summative assessments to evaluate student achievement and inform instructional decision-making. 7. Communication: The teacher uses verbal and non-verbal communication strategies along with complementary technologies to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom. 8. Research: The teacher’s professional practices reflect discerning uses of relevant research, as well as the ability to initiate systematic inquiry into instructional practices and school- wide issues. 9. Reflection and professional development: The teacher is a reflective, critical, open-minded practitioner who continually evaluates his/her practices, beliefs, and the effects of those decisions, thereby refining a personal pedagogy to guide professional practices. 10. Collaboration: The teacher communicates and collaborates democratically with other teachers, families, and members of the school’s communities to support student learning and well-being. ****

Section Two – Developing the 2012 edition of the Conceptual Framework

Process We began in Fall 2009 by reviewing the timeline for creating documentation for the PSC peer review scheduled for Fall 2012 and considering what needed to be included in light of the most recent standards. As an initial step in that process, we all participated in a sequence of meetings to revise the Core Candidate Learning Outcomes (CCLOs), as presented in the previous section. In light of changes in the contexts in which we work, especially the accountability movement with No Child Left Behind and incentives like Race to the Top, and considering the more demanding standards we are to meet, we agreed that this edition of the Conceptual Framework required substantive additions. In Spring 2010, faculty teams contributed suggestions for research and concepts to be considered for the Conceptual Framework. Work continued in Fall 2010 by a systematic review of the literature by the School of Education faculty to identify sources which seemed most relevant for our programs – as both affirmations and challenges. In Spring 2011, as our standards committees assembled information for their reports, the faculty as a whole reviewed the first draft of the proposed Conceptual Framework at the February 23, 2011, School of Education meeting. In addition, we solicited suggestions to be provided on-line. An ad hoc team, consisting of faculty members who have served on Board of Examiners review teams, met on March 14, 2011, to provide guidance for substantive revisions. On March 18, 2011, we disseminated a revised version to the faculty for suggestions at a SOE meeting on March 23, 2011. That version, with suggestions for minor editing, was approved by the faculty. The charge f or the 2012 Edition We offer this Conceptual Framework as a dynamic framework of goals, concepts, and principles (a) to provide architecture for the development, implementation and assessment of programs, (b) to serve as a reference for designing courses, and (c) to guide each of us in our professional practices, especially teaching and learning. We intend for our candidates to be guided and challenged by this Conceptual Framework as they make their way through their programs. In addition to the evaluations conducted by designated agencies, we plan to assess our overall effectiveness by how well we fulfill the vision we have developed for this Conceptual Framework. Specifics for how we will do that are provided in the report for Standard Two. We also decided that this version should serve as a recursive vehicle for the reports by our standards committees, rather than as stand-alone documents, apart from those reports. Key items from the committees’ reports appear in Section Five of the Conceptual Framework. Committee reports, in turn, weave concepts from the Conceptual Framework into their reports.

**** Section Three – Challenges

The simple fact is that our world is being transformed by profound demographic, economic, technological, and global changes. Change of this magnitude is rare, last occurring during the Industrial Revolution… Today’s institutions – government, health care, media, banks, and schools – were created for a different time, for a predigital, national, industrial economy. They appear to be broken and need to be refitted for a new world. Even if the nation’s teacher education programs had been perfect, the best in the world, they would still need to change today. In this new environment, our needs and expectations for schools have changed. The job of teacher has changed. And the preparation of the next generation of teachers and the professional development of current teachers will have to change if our children and schools are to succeed in this new world. These are the realties we’re facing. Levine, A. (2010). Teacher education. Phi Delta Kappan, 92 (2), 19-24.

Since the last revision of the Conceptual Framework in 2007 several elements in “this new environment” inform what it now means for our candidates to become “scholarly, reflective, proactive practitioners”:  Standards-based reform initiatives and test-based accountability requirements combined to challenge us to equip our candidates to contribute to their respective schools’ ability to meet expected performance levels, while seeking ways to engage their students in more authentic learning. The “proactive” element of our mantra has never been as important as it is now.  Technology, especially digital technologies, has expanded into virtually every aspect of our professional and private lives, providing another challenge: How to provide the skills needed for effective uses of technology in instruction, making them complementary to conventional modes of communication, while avoiding the unproductive tendencies inherent in some applications of digital technologies.  Responses by state governments to the current economic downturn include sharp reductions in funding for schools, resulting in reductions in staffing, larger class sizes, and reduced resources for instruction and professional learning, to list some of the more obvious impacts.  The School of Education has grown from a fulltime faculty of 20 to 39 at two campuses. During that same time, growth in both campus-based and cohort-based programs required substantial increases in the number of part-time instructors.  Our undergraduate majors now constitute 32% of Piedmont’s undergraduate population. Graduate-level participants now constitute 93% of graduate students at Piedmont, and 58.5% of the entire student body.  We now have 20 MA and 34 EdS cohort programs in nineteen school districts, enrolling 980 teachers pursuing advanced certification.  In 2009, we began our EdD program at both our Demorest and Athens campuses with initial enrollment of 60 candidates. In Fall 2011, we anticipate 30 more candidates to enter that program.

Three challenges come with those changes: (a) Communicating effectively with everyone involved, including schools, school districts, and units of the college other than the School of Education. (b) Maintaining quality control of our programs with so many additional faculty and students – on two campuses and in the cohorts. (c) Keeping the sense of democratic community alive, modeling democratic decision making in our own work as a faculty

 Those challenges mean that we have to be more diligent than ever in maintaining the integrity of our programs. We intend for this Conceptual Framework to guide us in that effort.

*** Section Four – Theory, research and experience

Gleanings from research

As John Dewey (1929) noted in his Sources of a Science of Education, the better prepared teachers are the more their practice becomes differentiated in response to the needs of individual students, rather than routinized: “Command of scientific methods and systemized subject matter liberates individuals; it enables them to see new problems, devise new procedures, and, in general, makes for diversification rather than for set uniformity… This knowledge and understanding render [the teacher’s] practice more intelligent, more flexible, and better adapted to deal effectively with concrete phenomena of practice.” (page 11) Darling-Hammond, L. (2006). Why teachers must become adaptive experts. Powerful Teacher Education. San Francisco: John Wiley and Sons. ******

The series of research reports initiated by American Education Research Association (AERA) and the National Academy of Education beginning in 2005 affirmed the directions we pursued in developing our programs, while at the same time stimulating our efforts to improve those programs. The initial report in that series, Studying Teacher Education: The Report of the AERA Panel on Research and Teacher Education (Cochran-Smith and Zeichner, editors), was notable for its awareness that “many important questions cannot be answered by empirical research alone.” (p.2) That statement serves as both a caution regarding reliance on research for every initiative, and as encouragement to be creative in our efforts to provide better prepared teachers for K-12 classrooms. That report also noted that “Teacher preparation is also affected by local and state political conditions, which create their own accountability demands and other constraints and possibilities.” (p.3) That statement concisely summarizes one dominant element in the contexts in which Georgia educators work. Three key results summarized in the executive summary of this huge body of research seemed particularly instructive as we reviewed our programs. First, we realized that one problem we face is that “…prospective teachers’ knowledge of subject matter indicates that a majority of those studied have only a ‘mechanical’ understanding of the subject they teach.” (p. 12) The K-12 experiences of our candidates incline them toward exactly that disposition. One primary task we have, then, is to guide our candidates to understand the dynamic nature of the disciplines of the arts and sciences – that they are not static repositories of factoids, even if the present regime of high-stakes testing assumes the latter position. Beyond that, we intend for our candidates to grasp the significance of the pedagogical possibilities of subject matter as essential for their students to acquire durable learning and positive attitudes toward those fields of learning. Second, another insight from that research illuminated a significant change in direction for teacher education programs: “…teacher education came to be understood as a ‘learning problem’ rather than as a training problem.” (p. 84) The “training” mindset is so deeply engrained in the profession and policy-makers and college instructors that achieving this change of direction will require continuous effort, more than merely avoiding the use of “training” to describe our programs. Finally, the following synthesis statement seems like a distillation of our efforts over the past ten years: “…one important way policy makers can meet the challenge in providing a well- prepared teaching force is by manipulating those broad aspects of teacher preparation (e.g., teacher tests, subject matter requirements, and entry routes) most likely to affect pupil achievement.” (Emphasis added.) (p. 77) That sets the challenge for us: To use our experiences and assessments of programs to identify the “broad aspects” of our programs for revision, perhaps even an overhaul.

Four areas on which to focus: An “operational vision” Other reports provided substantive guidance for those efforts. Linda Darling-Hammond and Joan Baratz-Snowden mined the research reports, including Studying Teacher Education, for a concise set of guidelines for teacher education programs, presented for the National Academy of Education in A Good Teacher in Every Classroom (2005). In turn, we gleaned the following concepts from those guidelines as the most constructive for us to keep in mind for refining programs and assessing those programs against both the criteria by which we will be evaluated and our own expectations for success.

 “Beginning teachers need to have a sense of where they are going, why they want students to go there, and how they and their students are going to get there. They must be able to create a coherent curriculum that is responsive to the needs of students and construct a classroom community in which the ‘hidden curriculum’ fosters respectful relationships and equitable opportunities to learn.” (p. 16) While that point addresses beginning teachers, our view is that it applies equally to our candidates in advanced level programs, all the way to our doctoral programs. In those programs much of our work involves deconstructing previously held, unchallenged ideas about learning and instruction.

 Constructing an effective teacher education program “means finding ways for teachers to learn about practice in practice, so that concrete applications can be made and problems of practice can be raised, analyzed, and addressed. … They need to engage in inquiry and reflection about learning, teaching, and curriculum, as well as direct instruction in specific areas of content.” (p. 31) The evidence provided in the reports for Standards 1, 2, and 3 confirms that the way we manage and assess our programs keeps this concept clearly in focus in each program.

 “Researchers have found that the process of learning to enact new skills is best supported by skilled coaching in peer support groups that allow teachers to develop, strengthen, and refine teaching skills together. Teachers hone their skills when they go through a process of learning, experimenting, and reflecting on their practice with feedback from peers and more expert practitioners.” (p. 34) We have infused this concept throughout our undergraduate and masters-level initial certification programs. Our EDS and EdD programs, in fact, aim to provide just those kinds of expert practitioners to the schools in the regions we service. Through this kind of approach we intend to provide our graduates with the dispositions which keep them renewed and creative.

 One feature characteristic of the most effective teacher education programs is the “use of case study methods, teacher research, performance assessments, and portfolio examinations that relate teachers’ learning to classroom practice.” (p. 38) We embrace that characteristic in every program, from undergraduate to EdD. Because the contexts in which our candidates operate are dynamic, we continuously review and refine each of the elements described in that characteristic.

 The preceding four bullets, along with our continuing and new commitments, constitute an operational vision to steer our efforts to prepare teachers with the understandings, skills and dispositions through which they enable their students to perform active roles as citizens in a democracy.

**** Section Five - Fulfilling the Vision

Standard 1 - Candidate skills, knowledge and dispositions: Assuring that our candidates acquire that combination of skills, knowledge and dispositions involves weaving together courses on learning, classroom management, content, and pedagogy with field experiences and clinical practice.  Summative data from assessments of content knowledge confirm that candidates achieve the levels required for successful clinical experiences, with a significant number receiving ratings above minimum required levels.  We assess candidates in their clinical experiences on their ability to provide multiple explanations and instructional strategies so that all students learn. The data from these assessments reflect a thorough understanding of pedagogical content knowledge.  Although most of the School of Education programs are obtaining 80% or higher mastery on GACE Content Assessments, each department continues to work to improve test score by devising action plans.

Standard 2 - Assessment system and unit evaluation: Since 2007, we have focused on building more reliable and constructive assessments of our programs, especially as a way to assure that we know to what extent each program fulfills its goals. An assessment system like that also provides data for reports to PSC and SACS.  In Fall 2007, the School of Education created an Assessment Committee comprised of faculty from a cross-section of programs, plus an Assessment Coordinator as a part-time position.  The annual faculty evaluation rubric includes categories and expectations in teaching, advising, capstone participation, professional development, involvement in P-12 schools, committee work in the College, and community service.  An annual survey completed by our practicing graduates and their principals is an additional point of program assessment by the area’s professional community.  Individual and group performance assessments from peers and instructors are shared with candidates multiple times during their programs.

Standard 3 - Field experiences and clinical practice: Each of our programs provides a rich set of these experiences as strands within the program, providing both the kinds of insights which come from focused observations and interactions, as well as the opportunities through which each candidate gains the insights and confidence necessary for development into an effective teacher.  The School of Education maintains formal working relationships for placing candidates for field experiences and clinical practice with 31 school systems and alternative locations in the northeast Georgia region. These schools include a variety of urban, suburban and rural demographics, providing a wide range of experiences for our candidates.  Piedmont and local school districts have formed a Teacher Education Advisory Council (TEAC) at both our Demorest and Athens campuses. The purpose of the TEAC is to share views about how to best prepare candidates for their careers as teachers, as well as serving the schools where we place candidates for field experiences and clinical practice.  Candidates in our M.A.T. and M.A. programs may take EDUC 770 The Foxfire Approach to Instruction. This summer experience involves prospective and experienced teachers in an in-depth exploration of the adaptations of Foxfire for all grades levels, subjects, and student populations. (Piedmont faculty also participate in these summer sessions.)  One area of improvement under consideration is to design more ways for candidates to demonstrate that they have a positive effect on student learning. Candidates need more practice gathering student data, interpreting that data, and applying the results to improve instruction.  Candidates need more experiences with English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English Language Learners (ELL). Our programs need to provide more field experience requirements providing candidates with ample opportunities to work with ESOL and ELL students.

Standard 4 - Responses to diversities: The School of Education faculty is committed to designing, implementing and evaluating curricula and experiences steeped in diversity. We emphasize the need for candidates to acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to educate all students.  Field experiences involve candidates interacting with students of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds, students who are English Language Learners, students of various socio-economic status, and students with learning exceptionalities.  Each program ensures that candidates become aware of different learning styles shaped by cultural influences and respond with appropriate instructional practices.  The School of Education faculty exhibits all elements of diversity and continues to seek individuals from diverse perspectives and backgrounds.

Standard 5 – Faculty qualifications, performance and development Piedmont College School of Education ensures that qualified faculty instruct our candidates.  The majority of the professional faculty of the School of Education holds earned doctorates and has substantial P-12 experience which qualifies them for their respective assignments.  Criteria for host teachers for clinical practice and field experiences ensure that they are qualified for those roles.  Faculty are active in community service and professional organizations.

Standard 6 – Leadership and Authority The Unit has the leadership and authority to plan, deliver, and operate programs of study.  The SOE has 38 full-time faculty members. Seven Arts & Science faculty have contractual responsibilities to serve as academic liaisons to the SOE. Ten Arts & Science faculty regularly teach graduate courses to meet the needs of Middle Grades and Secondary Education graduate programs.  Since its opening in 1995, the Athens satellite campus has expanded four times. In 2006, the College purchased the entire campus of the Prince Avenue Baptist Church, a dramatic increase in the college’s Athens presence. That facility includes 4.5 acres and six buildings with a total of about 90,000 square feet of classroom and office space.  The Associate Dean of Education in Athens has release time to oversee continued development and improvement of the SOE assessment system. As of July 1, 2011, a new ¾ time database administrator coordinates all assessment platforms.  The Department of Teaching and Learning was formed in 2008 to oversee the Ed.S. programs and begin the preliminary work on the college’s first doctoral program. The Ed.S. program now provides an elective track for teachers interested in furthering their career in educational leadership. In 2009, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools approved the SOE’s proposal for an Ed.D. program, now offered at the Demorest and Athens campuses.

Standard 7: Requirements and Standards Specified in Rule 505-3-.01  Each candidate’s progress is monitored by the adviser from admission to the college through graduation. This includes assuring that the candidate maintains the minimum GPA to remain in the program: 2.5 for undergraduates (2.75 for secondary education undergraduate candidates) and 3.0 for graduate candidates.  Programs for undergraduate Early Childhood and Middle Grades include a sequence of courses which equips them to analyze and respond to students’ reading skills. The Undergraduate Secondary Education program requires a course in Reading and Writing in the Content Areas. Each graduate initial certification program requires appropriate courses and field experiences in reading.  All programs require Education of Exceptional Children (EDUC 355/655) in which candidates use case studies to acquire skills in identifying and teaching children with exceptionalities. Other courses include field experience requirements which involve candidates’ engagement with exceptionalities.  We intend for our candidates to learn how to integrate technologies into their instructional practices so they can help all K-12 students prepare to become effective digital citizens and to become successful 21st Century workers. We integrate technology throughout our curricula (a) as a presentation tool used in classes by professors and candidates, (b) as a research tool used by professors and candidates, and (c) as a study tool used by professors and candidates. During field experiences, practica, student teaching, apprenticeships and internships, our candidates observe and experiment with the application of educational technology in K-12 classrooms. In their programs, Piedmont College students explore the following: . Ways to help their students build a knowledge base of current technologies, ranging from interactive white boards to computers to cell phones and digital books. . Facilitating active student participation in instruction using technologies. 18

. Assessing the relative advantages of using technology in achieving the desired levels of understanding, versus other modes of instruction.  Using technologies to support differentiated instruction.  Awareness of the desired and undesired effects of technologies on classroom management.  How to detect and adapt to the “digital divide” within student populations.  The role local school resources and policies play in determining the uses of technologies for instruction.  The concept of “digital citizenship,” including ways to prepare K- 12 students to acquire the skills and dispositions to function as digital citizens.  Guiding students to recognize the informal nature of computer communication versus formal communication.  How to guide their students in understanding how the power of technological communications can be used for worthy purposes and invidious purposes.  Enabling their students to assess the reliability and accuracy of internet sources; to be critical consumers.  Candidates are required to include related GPS/CCGPS or other applicable standards in the lesson plans they design and teach throughout their program of study.  All candidates receive an orientation to the Georgia Code of Ethics and must pass a criminal background check prior to completing any field experience in schools.  Each program includes field experiences designed to provide an appropriate frame of reference for the candidates.

Standard 8: Alignment with PSC-Adopted Content Standards To ensure that the teacher candidates in the programs offered by the Unit demonstrate competence on the appropriate program-specific content standards adopted by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, the following procedures have been implemented:  The “outcomes” section of each course syllabus in the School of Education as well as the syllabi for Arts and science coursework taken as part of MG or SEC program coursework are aligned with the appropriate PSC-adopted Program

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Dispositions

Dispositions for All Candidates:

All candidates demonstrate personal dispositions expected of professionals. Their work with students, families, and communities reflects the following dispositions as defined by the School of Education faculty:

Scholarly: Inquiring; creative; seeks solutions; thinks critically about theory and method; keeps current in discipline (conferences, journals, classes); pursues lifelong learning.

Reflective: Bases daily decisions on in depth reflection, done frequently and honestly; considers many possibilities for problem solutions; stays open to constructive criticism.

Proactive: Anticipates problems in management; anticipates problems and difficulties in instruction; addresses pertinent issues of school and community to support student learning; encourages students’ critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity; plans for important student learning; fosters visionary thinking and action; promotes mindful leadership to improve schools.

Democratic: Facilitator; views others as capable to deal with problems and able to make decisions; promotes equitable treatment for all students; has high expectations for all students; seeks best interest of students they serve; open-minded; able to view other perspectives; accommodates individual differences; culturally sensitive in areas of communications, learning, assessment, and cultural norms; collaborates well with others; works for the good of the community.

Responsible: Patience, professional temperament; aims to be the best he/she can be; good work ethic; punctual; recognizes when their own dispositions may need to be adjusted and are able to develop plans to do so.

Off-Campus Overview

What is a Cohort? The Graduate Education Cohorts are a reflection of the commitment of Piedmont College’s School of Education to p rovide an alternative delivery model for the improvement of teaching in Georgia. The goal is to develop scholarly, r eflective faculty who will have positive impact on their candidates’ learning. The cohort model provides administrat ive services and instruction leading to an MA or ED’s degree from Piedmont College to teachers in Georgia school d istricts. Schedules and programs are customized to be uniquely relevant to each cohort by incorporating into the pro gram issues and concerns of improvement in the cohort’s program of study. The cohort members become a cadre of education leaders who can affect teaching and education within the local school district.

The Regional Program Coordinator is responsible for making contact with local school districts to obtain permission for conducting a cohort. The Coordinator also acts as liaison with the district once the cohort begins and assists the cohort in identifying areas of need or concerns. The Coordinator develops a program of study to meet the needs of the cohort. The Coordinator also works with faculty, candidates for the degree, and college officials to ensure that all aspects of the program are managed in such a way as to meet the goals and objectives of the School of Education.

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Academic Advisement

The Coordinator will be the academic advisor and maintains files for the candidates in the cohort. In some cases, especially for those seeking advanced secondary certification, the academic advisor consults with a content field liaison

Cohort Degree Options: Master’s  Early Childhood Education – Advanced Certification  Early Childhood Education - Adding a New Field  Middle Grades Education – Advanced Certification: Mathematics, English, History and Broadfield Science  Secondary Education - Advanced Certification: Mathematics, English, History and Broadfield Science

The MA program in Early Childhood Education and Middle Grades Education requires a minimum of 30 hours for a candidate seeking Advanced Certification and a minimum of 33 hours for Adding Early Childhood Education as a new field. For a candidate seeking Advanced certification in Secondary Education a minimum of 36 semester hours is required. Typically a cohort takes about 15 months or four semesters to complete. Applicants who want to change fields to areas in which they are not presently certified will be individually advised based on evaluation of their undergraduate transcripts. Additional courses may be required of these candidates. ANF, Middle Grades and Secondary candidates may have to travel to the Demorest or Athens campuses to complete their content coursework and program.

Education Specialist The EDS degree program includes 30 hours of course work. This degree provides for a certificate upgrade of a cand idate’s current T or S certification. Typically a cohort takes about 15 months or four semesters to complete.

The goal of the Education Specialist program is to develop distinguished contributing educators as instructional lead ers, mentors, and models across schools and systems. This is a degree program. Completion of the SACS approved Ed.S. Degree qualifies the Graduate to upgrade your current Level 5 certificate to a Level 6 certificate. This is NOT an Administrative Leadership Certification program.

General Information

Attendance Policy Available at: www.piedmont.edu/Education/SOEweb/syllabi/Specific_syllabi/syllabus A.pdf

Inclement Weather

If the host school district cancels school due to inclement weather conditions then Piedmont classes will not meet. Cancelled classes will be made up as arranged by the professor in cooperation with the student’s school system and approved by the Regional Site Coordinator.

Policies and Academic Integrity

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All off campus graduate candidates receive the same privileges and must adhere to the same rules and regulations of Piedmont College as those who attend one of the campus locations. Available at: www.piedmont.edu/Education/SOEweb/syllabi/Specific_syllabi/syllabusA.pdf

Honor Pledge: All students, by their enrollment at Piedmont College, commit to the Honor Pledge:

The Piedmont College community emphasizes high ethical standards for its members. Accordingly,

I promise to refrain from acts of academic dishonesty including plagiarism and to uphold the Academic Integrity Policy in all endeavors at Piedmont College.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY By accepting admission to Piedmont College, each candidate makes a commitment to understand, support, and abide by the "Academic Integrity Policy" without compromise or exception (See the Piedmont College Catalog for details of the policy). This class will be conducted in strict observance of the policy. The College imposes strict penalties for academic dishonesty (cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism) as defined in the Catalog and Handbook.

Some suggestions for helping you abide by the policy include: ¾ All work submitted must be your original work created in and for this course. ¾ Cite and reference work properly using the current APA guidelines. o Cite all quotes or paraphrased material. It is better to over cite than not give credit to the author of a work or source that you are using in your paper or project. ƒ Any time you use the exact words of researcher, author, or source, you must place the words in quotation marks when your quote is less than 40 words. If 40 words or more, place the quote in an indented block omitting quotation marks. (See the APA Manual for specific guidelines). ƒ You must also give credit to an author or source when you paraphrase. ƒ When referring to information from your course text, be sure you cite and reference the source and/or authors. ƒ Follow the protocol in the current APA manual for citing and referencing all electronic sources. ¾ Double dipping is not permitted. For example: o You may not use an assignment created in one course to meet the requirements in another.

Academic Integrity-Student Violations

All faculty must consistently follow the correct procedures in dealing with cases of academic integrity. Individual decisions or exceptions cannot be made.

1. The faculty member making the complaint will provide to the Dean of the School where the course resides a signed statement fully describing the act of dishonesty, naming persons involved and witnesses, and listing all physical evidence. All physical evidence is to be secured, if possible, by the Dean.

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2. The Dean will provide the student involved with written notification of the accusation of academic dishonesty, the identity of the faculty member making the complaint, and the procedures for resolving the case.

3. The Dean will review the case based on the evidence presented, taking into consideration any recommendations of the instructor responsible for the academic exercise in which the act of academic dishonesty is alleged to have occurred. The Dean will recommend a course of action to the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

4. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will make the final judgment and respond to the Dean. The Dean will provide the student written notification of the disposition and will send a copy to the student’s Dean.

5. A student may appeal the decision of the Vice President for Academic Affairs to the Office of the President.

A student who earns a grade of “D” or “F” as a result of a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy may repeat the course. However a “D” or “F” resulting from a violation of Academic Integrity is not eligible for the grade forgiveness. All course grades would count in computing the cumulative GPA.

Special Considerations:

Available at: www.piedmont.edu/Education/SOEweb/syllabi/Specific_syllabi/syllabusA.pdf

Location Piedmont College reserves the right to move the location of the cohort meeting place within the host school system a t any time due to a request from the host school district or any other unforeseen reason.

Faculty The Coordinator schedules faculty for each cohort in consultation with the Dean of Graduate Studies and the Dean o f the School of Education. Assignment of a specific faculty for a cohort is not guaranteed.

Syllabi and Textbooks Syllabi and textbooks are consistent with the School of Education as they are part of a designed program with key o utcomes based on the conceptual framework. A syllabus must be distributed to all enrolled in each class during the f irst class meeting. Part-time faculty must also include office hours on the syllabus. These could be an hour before o r after class or may be scheduled by telephone. (See Master Syllabus)

Standard textbooks, as selected by the appropriate academic departments, are identified for each course. Textbook s ubstitutions for courses are not allowed without the written permission of the Dean of the School of Education. Text s may be ordered through the Piedmont College Bookstore. The course texts are pre-ordered through the bookstore i n advance by the Cohort Administrator and should be available at least two weeks prior to the start of class. Texts ar e available via telephone ( 1-866-718-3194), in person, or online http://www.piedmont.bkstore.com/.

Scheduling of Courses

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The Dean of the SOE & the coordinator schedules courses and assigns faculty . Each semester’s schedule is designe d with the intention of meeting the particular needs of the cohort.

Registration Registration for each cohort is scheduled and carried out by the Regional Site Coordinator. All registration questio ns should be forwarded to the Coordinator, not the Registrar. The Coordinator will handle the necessary for ms for drop-adds, withdrawals, etc.

Program of Study The minimum period of time in which a candidate may complete a graduate degree program is one calendar year. H owever, candidates may take up to six (6) years to complete their program. No course older than six calendar years at the time of graduation may apply toward the M.A. degree. Refer to the current catalog for more information.

Degree Requirements The program advisement worksheet, which is completed with your Regional Site Coordinator, is the most critical do cument relative to your individual program of study. It specifies course requirements, field experience, and certifica tion issues.

Transfer Credit A candidate enrolled in a recognized and regionally accredited graduate school may transfer a maximum of six (6) s emester hours to a degree or certification program with the approval of the appropriate Department Chair or Dean of the appropriate school, and the Registrar. The transfer credit must be appropriate to the candidate’s planned progra m and carry a grade of at least “B”. Credit for graduate course work at Piedmont College or any other institution wil l be honored for a period of (6) years from the date of course completion. However, no course may be older than six years at the time of graduation. No credit is allowed toward graduate degrees for courses taken by correspondence.

Copies of transcript should be sent to the appropriate department chair within the SOE for evaluation (ECE-MGE- SEC). When the review is complete the applicant and the advisor/Regional Site Coordinator will be notified by Graduate Admissions outlining the credit to be accepted.

NOTE: This process can take 4-8 weeks to complete. It is the responsibility of a student to request the evaluation of any potential transfer credit when they REGISTER.

Course Work Standard English must be utilized for all course work. Written Work: Use APA style (6th ed.). All papers for the co urse are to be typed using size 12 print and Times New Roman typeface. Papers should be double-spaced, error-free, and grammatically correct (including punctuation, spelling, capitalization, etc.). Make good use of writing referenc es such as dictionaries, writing handbooks, and computer spelling and grammar checks. Quality is important! Wor k submitted should reflect professional and scholarly work. Your writings and reflections will be assessed according to the depth, breadth, clarity, and accuracy they convey. APA Resources  APA Style Website  APA Style FAQs  Purdue Online Writing Lab  Williams College APA Style Website  University of Wisconsin Writer's Handbook

Field Experience Field experiences are a required part of the ECE and Middle Grades programs. ECE and MG Advanced Certification candidates are required to complete 20 hours of documented field experience, Adding a New Field candidates in EC E are required to complete 30 hours of documented field experience. The Regional Site Coordinator will describe th e requirements and provide the appropriate form. Field experiences should demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and di spositions necessary to help all students learn as described in the School of Education Conceptual Framework and C andidate Program Learning Outcomes.

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Final Examinations Faculty members are expected to give final examinations or an equivalent evaluation measure. A grade of “F” for the final must be recorded for any candidate who misses the final examination ( or equivalent measure) unless pri or arrangements have been made.

Grades The grading system used in graduate courses is as follows: A candidate must earn an overall grade point average of 3.0 (“B”) calculated on all graduate work attempted. A can didate may earn no more than one “C” in the program. When a candidate receives a “C” or lower grade, he or she s hould confer with his or her academic advisor to review academic progress. Grades of a second “C” or a grade of “D” or “F”, or a GPA below 3.0 will result in academic probation. At this time the candidate’s progress will be revi ewed by the Dean of the appropriate school and the appropriate Department Chair to determine an approved plan of action to meet program requirements of no more than one “C”. Upon successful completion of the plan of action, th e candidate will be removed from probation. *Students must request their grade from the instructor using their lions e-mail account and they can only be sent to t he lions e-mail account. The quantitative and / or qualitative basis and procedures by which grades are computed ar e included in each course syllabus. All grades are sent to the student through their Lions email.

Incompletes:

For reasons such as illness or other extenuating circumstances, a student may receive an Incomplete “I” upon the approval of the course instructor and the dean of the appropriate school. Assignment of an Incomplete grade is appropriate only when a substantial amount of work (at least one-half) in the course has been completed. A request for Incomplete grade is not appropriate until after the official date for withdrawal without academic penalty has passed. Application forms may be obtained from the Registrar’s Office. Failure to remove the “I” by the end of the next semester (if the student continues to be enrolled) at Piedmont College will result in an “F”. For students who do not return to Piedmont College, the “I” must be removed within one calendar year or the “I” will be changed to an “F.”

Capstone Project The Coordinator is integrally involved in the program of study for each cohort and will either teach the capstone cou rse or advise the capstone course professor. The Coordinator or his/her designee is responsible for ensuring that all documentation , as well as the presentation align with the capstone guidelines and criteria set forth by the School of Education and that these documents are on file for records and assessment. Information will be provided to you by y our Regional Site Coordinator early in your program to assist in your capstone plan.

Graduation Application Regional Site Coordinators will arrange for the cohort students to complete the Applications for Graduation.. Candi dates will complete their portion of the Application and return the form to the Coordinator who will complete his/her portion, attach the Advisor Check sheet, attach the graduation fee and forward to the Registrar’s Office. Once the R egistrar’s Office has the Application for Graduation, an audit will be completed. Candidates and advisors will receiv e a letter indicating the candidate’s name as it will be printed on the diploma as well as all requirements necessary to graduate at the designated time.

Three graduation ceremonies are held each year, one in Spring, one in Summer, and one in December. Candidates who graduate at the end of Fall Semester may elect to participate in the Spring ceremony. Several letters will be se nt to all candidates via the candidate’s Piedmont email, who have applied for graduation during the term preceding t he graduation ceremony. These letters will give details about rehearsal, the commencement ceremony, ordering and obtaining caps and gowns, photographs, college rings, graduation fees, etc. also included with this letter will be a Pa rticipation Form which must be completed and returned by a certain deadline which will be stated on the form. Can didates who do not wish to participate in the ceremony will have the option of having their diploma mailed to the ad dress they specify on the participation form Graduation fees are due regardless of whether or not a candidate choose s to participate in the ceremony. Diplomas will not be released until all obligations to the college are met and gradu ation fees are paid.. Academic honors are not awarded in the graduate programs.

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Certification Application Upon completion of all program and graduation requirements it is the candidate’s responsibility to initiate the application for certification process by completing the forms required by PSC. Regional Site Coordinators can assist you but cannot file the forms. It is the candidate’s responsibility.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act – The Privacy Act of 1974- Complete information is available in the Office of the Registrar and on the web page at www.piedmont.edu/FERPA.html.

The law defines student education records to include “records, files, documents, and other materials which contain information directly related to a student and are maintained by a university or by a person acting for a university.” Within 45 days of receiving a request, universities must allow students to inspect those education records. Excluded from the definition of student education records are records made about students by teachers and administrators for their own use and not shown to others.

Confidential letters of recommendation or evaluations which were in the records prior to

January 1, 1975, need not be made available to students. For letters after that date, the law allows students to waive rights of access if the letters have to do with admission, employment, or honors, if the letters are used only those purposes, and if students are told, on their request, the names of all letter writers. No student or applicant may be required to execute a waiver.

Students have the right to challenge the contents of their educational records and to secure correction of inaccurate or misleading information. Students may insert into their records a written explanation respecting the content of such records. Students may challenge a grade in their records only on the ground that it was inaccurately recorded, not that it was different than the instructor ought to have recorded.

Teachers, administrators, and similar professional personnel (in the same institution) may look at the record if they have a “legitimate educational interest.”257 Piedmont College 2010-11 Catalog

The university may transfer information to other educational institutions in which the student intends or seeks to enroll, in connection with a student’s application for, or receipt of, financial aid, and to public officials enumerated as follows:

1. State and local officials to whom state law in effect on November 19, 1974 required information to be reported.

2. Organizations like ET S and CE B in connection with developing, validating, or administering predictive tests, administering student aid programs, and improving instruction.

3. Accrediting organizations in order to carry out their accrediting functions.

4. Parents of a student who is a dependent for income tax purposes.

5. Appropriate persons in the case of health and safety emergencies.

Directory information may be released without the consent of a student unless the student specifically asks that prior consent be obtained. Requests for non-disclosure will be honored for only one academic year; therefore, authorization to withhold directory information must be filed annually in the office of the Registrar. Directory

3/27/2013 26 information includes a student’s name, address, telephone listing, e-mail address, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weights and heights of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, and the most recent previous educational institution attended by the student. A university must publish a list of what it designates as directory information and give each student a reasonable period of time to ask that any and all such information not be released without prior consent.

Other than in the exceptions listed, or in the case of directory information, or in responding to judicial process, employees of a university may not release personally identifiable information in education records or allow anyone access to those records, unless the student has given written consent specifying records to be released, the reasons for such release, and to whom, and a copy of the released records is furnished to the student.

No information concerning a student’s education record may be disclosed over the telephone to anyone, even to the student.

Sexual Harassment Federal law provides that it shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for any employer, because of the sex of any person, to discharge without cause, to refuse to hire, or otherwise discriminate against any person with respect to any matter directly or indirectly related to employment or academic standing. Harassment of an employee on the basis o f sex violates this federal law. Sexual harassment of employees or candidates in Piedmont College is prohibited and shall subject the offender to dismissal or other sanctions after compliance with procedural due process requirements.

Definition: unwelcome sexual advance, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual n ature constitute sexual harassment when: 1. submission of such conduct is made explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s empl oyment or academic standing: or 2. submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as a basis for employment or acade mic decisions affecting an individual; or 3. such conduct unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work or academic performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive working or academic environment.

Piedmont College is committed to providing a learning and work environment conducive to effective learning and ef fective discharge of work-related duties and responsibilities. Employees are expected to act professionally in their r espective work settings. Candidates are expected to respect the rights of other candidates and all members of the Co llege community. The College environment must be free of discrimination and harassment of any kind, especially th at of a sexual nature. Any allegations of sexual harassment will be thoroughly and expeditiously investigated. Sexu al harassment is totally unacceptable, and determination that such harassment has occurred will result in prompt and firm disciplinary action which may include immediate dismissal.

As professional educators, faculty members have responsibilities to candidates in various roles including professor, advisor, sponsor, and mentor. Because of this educational responsibility that all faculty have toward all candidates, f aculty must ensure that their relationships with candidates remain clearly and exclusively professional. Any action or relationship which may tend to compromise a faculty member’s impartiality or objectivity toward a candidate sho uld be avoided.

An inherent inequality of power, prestige, and authority exists between faculty and candidates; therefore, some perso nal relationships which on the surface seem to be fully consensual may, in fact, be shaped by the faculty member’s p osition of influence and thus should be avoided. Faculty should take care to avoid not only impropriety or conflict o f interest, but also the appearance thereof. While applying to relationships with all candidates, this policy is especial ly important with regard to candidates with whom the faculty member has, or is likely to have, direct contact such as in class, in a student organization, or as a reference.

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Piedmont College Catalog, available at http://www.piedmont.edu/pc/index.php/current-catalog-registrar , pro vides additional information regarding rules and regulations. It’s the candidate’s responsibility to be aware o f these. If you have further questions please consult with your Regional Site Coordinator.

Need to Know Information for Cohort Sites

Piedmont College Satellite Web page: http://www.piedmont.edu/pc/index.php/new-cohort-resources PC Satellite FAQ’s: http://www.piedmont.edu/pc/index.php/cohort-faq Graduate Admissions Testing Information: http://www.piedmont.edu/pc/index.php/recruitments Financial Aid Information & TEACH Grant links: -General Financial Aid Questions: [email protected] or 706-776-0114 - Graduate Financial Aid link: http://www.piedmont.edu/pc/index.php/graduate-financial-aid - Georgia TEACH Grant information: http://www.piedmont.edu/pc/index.php/grad-teach - Financial Aid Handbook: http://www.piedmont.edu/pc/index.php/financial-aid-handbook - Federal Student Aid Gateway: http://www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov Graduate Tuition charges: http://www.piedmont.edu/pc/index.php/resources International Graduate Admissions: http://www.piedmont.edu/pc/index.php/international-admissions.

Internet Resources

Piedmont College’s web page www.piedmont.edu Piedmont Library http://www.pidmont.edu/library/homepage.html Piedmont Bookstore www.piedmont.bkstore.com

Educational Testing Services  GRE http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/register  MAT www. milleranalogies .com/.

Education Website clearinghouse http://www.library.ucf.edu/internet/Education/webed.htm

Education World http://www.education-world.com/

Georgia Association of Educators http://www.gae.org/

Georgia Department of Education http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/  GPS  Public School Report Cards http://168.31.216.185/

Georgia Professional Standards Commission http://www.gapsc.com

Internet Public Library http://www.ipl.org/

US Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/

University of Georgia http://www.uga.edu

Online Courses http://www.gactr.uga.edu/usgis/

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PAGE (Professional Association of Georgia Educators) http://www.pageinc.org.

GAE (Georgia Association of Educators) http://gae2.org/.

Graduate & Education Specialist Tuition Charges:

2013-2014 Tuition rate per semester hour - $427

Financial Payment Options for Graduate & Education Specialist Students: 1. Student Loans: Graduate students attending at least half-time (6 hrs) and seeking a Masters Degree or Education Specialist may be eligible for federal student loans.

2. Student Payment Options: If a student selects one of these options (rather than taking out a student loan) he/she will work directly with the Business Office. No contact with the Financial Aid Office is required. a. Payment Plan: Piedmont Payment Plan (PPP) is available and the tuition balance is divided into monthly payments each semester. Fee for PPP is $40 per semester for fall and spring. There is no fee for summer semester. Please see more information online at www.piedmont.edu by going to the Business Office webpage. b. Paying in full: Students, who wish to pay their balance in full, must do so before the start of the semester. We follow the academic calendar for dates; therefore, please refer to the academic calendar to see when the semester begins. c. Methods of Payment: Cash, Check or Credit Card (MasterCard, Visa, Discover & American Express). Online payments: www.piedmont.edu. Checks: Attention Business Office, P.O. Box 10, Demorest, Georgia 30535. *For more information, please call the Financial Aid Office at (706) 776-0114 or the Business Office at (706) 776- 0101.

Student Services

Career Counseling Career services provide a comprehensive program for career development. An assessment module provides students with information about personal strengths, preferences for dealing with the world, and interest patterns involving both career expectations and leisure activities. This service gives insight into long-range career decisions, as well as assisting in the more immediate decisions about choosing courses and selecting a major.

A career library provides access to the latest occupationally oriented information in various media formats, as well as a collection of current graduate school catalogs and informational files on potential employers, internships, co-op programs, overseas opportunities, and other relevant materials.

Also maintained are several database programs with information about specific occupations, programs of study at various educational levels in specific careers; and possible grants, awards and scholarships. Students can create a personal base of information to be used in future job searches.

Services also include information concerning resume preparation, job search techniques and job interviewing. Personal career guidance is provided throughout the career planning process, if requested.

Personal Counseling

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Counseling services are available to all students through the office of the Director of Counseling and Career Services. If necessary, referrals can be made for students requiring services beyond those which the College provides. Emily Pettit [email protected]

Students with Disabilities

Special Considerations: Piedmont College makes every effort to provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations to students with disabilities. Accommodations must be coordinated through the Disabilities Coordinator, Anne Hughes, at 1-800-277-7020 , ext. 1504 or by email at [email protected]. Students are responsible for providing accurate and current documentation of their disability and for making a written request to the director before receiving an accommodation. Students with special needs (disabilities, problems, or any other factors that may affect their performance or that require special instructional strategies) should also make these needs known to the professor/instructor during the first class session.

Book Store The Piedmont College Bookstore is run by Barnes and Noble. On their website you can purchase textbooks, Piedmont attire, and more. http://piedmont.bncollege.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/BNCBHomePage?storeId=50057&catalogId=1000.

Fitness Center The college operates a fitness center on campus that offers state-of-the-art facilities and exercise equipment for use by students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Health Services The College has an agreement with Habersham County Medical Center and a local physician to provide for a portion of the initial cost incurred by residential students. All students living in campus housing are required to have medical insurance.

Campus Security Hours: 24 Hours a Day/7 Days a Week Contact Information: Demorest-Phone: 706-776-0105

Campus Police Office is located in the Getman-Babcock Dorm Athens-Phone: 706-433-1789 Campus Police Office is located in Commons Hall

Parking Parking information is shared with students when they receive their parking decals. Students are required to get a new parking decal every year they are at Piedmont College.

Helpful Information Campus Security Information (PDF) This document contains all of the policies and procedures of campus security and safety. Crime Statistics The Clery Act requires all colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs to keep and disclose information about crime on and near their respective campuses. The link above can help you find the Clery Statistics for Piedmont College

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Intramurals The College offers Intramural individual events and league play that are offered through the Fitness Center.

Alumni Association The Office of Institutional Advancement acts as liaison between the College and its alumni. The Piedmont College Alumni Association is open to any person who matriculated and left in good standing. There are no membership fees. The association is led by six officers who are elected annually by the membership at large and by 20 directors elected for three-year terms by the membership at large. The officers and directors make up the Board of Officers and Director that governs policies, finances and activities of the association.

The Piedmont College Letter Club, also known as the “P” Club, is the organization that acts as the College booster club and as the organization that administers the Piedmont College Athletic Hall of Fame. The club functions under the auspices of the Piedmont College Alumni Association and is open to all former Piedmont College athletes or friends of Piedmont athletics. Membership dues are $25 per year. Funds raised by the club support the annual athletic banquets, the Hall of Fame and other projects approved by the leadership.

Library: http://library.piedmont.edu/ 706-776-0111 @ Demorest 706-433-0728 @ Athens E-mail: Ask a Librarian!

All candidates taking classes at the Demorest Campus, the Athens Center, and the Cohort Programs at Piedmont Col lege have full library privileges at Arrendale library in Demorest. These privileges include book borrowing, referen ce assistance, interlibrary loan, computer lab use, and the other usual library services. Visit the library homepage, ht tp://www.piedmont.edu/library, for more information about: reference assistance, access to delivery, reserves, and c ohort library connection. Residents of Georgia are able to use the non-circulating resources at the libraries of any pu blic institution. However, library services such as book borrowing, and interlibrary loan are usually not available to persons who are not registered students. Arrendale Library has negotiated book-borrowing privileges for its candida tes at certain other academic libraries around the state.

At the beginning of every semester, Arrendale Library sends the UGA Library a list of all candidates who have fully completed registration and been formally accepted as candidates at Piedmont College. It is a good idea to call ahead to the UGA Circulation Department and make sure your name has reached them before you go the first time. Their phone number is 706-542-3256. Piedmont has also made arrangements with other colleges in the University System, as well as several private colleges, so that our candidates may have borrowing privileges at these institutions. Quest ions regarding this should be directed to Piedmont’s College Librarian, Bob Glass.

Ask a Librarian! Service The Ask a Librarian service allows researchers to correspond with the Library about their research projects. It is best used to ask about research techniques or to ask questions with brief, factual answers. You may submit questions using the form on our website. A librarian will reply to your message within 24-48 hours, except on weekends and holidays. For complex questions, you may be contacted by phone.

LibGuides Using the Library's LibGuides, you can find subject research guides, course support guides, and other useful resources. You can browse the site by topics or search it by keywords. The Guides are accessed through the Library's website or you can go directly to http://libguides.piedmont.edu/ Contact any librarian for further assistance with your research! Education students at all levels should particularly take a look at the LibGuides named Education Research and Resources, Online Reference Books for Education, Working Online, Student E-Mail Accounts, Journals & Magazines, and Working at Other Libraries. Some will provide information about your working environment, such as how to access resources off-campus; some will provide direction for your pursuit of information and knowledge to support your research.

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Off-Campus Access to Research Services The Library uses the Ezproxy authentication software to identify you as a Piedmont College student to give you access to the online research services. Your username is your complete Piedmont College e-mail address; e.g. [email protected]. Your password is your student ID number, which you receive during the registration process. You will also receive a plastic College ID, with your student number is printed on it. It is a 9- digit number that always begins with a “9” Research Resources for Education  Education Research Complete — provides the information tools and full-text articles for scholarly research in all areas of education. Topics covered include all levels, from early childhood to higher education, and all educational specialties, such as multilingual education, health education, and testing. Education Research Complete also covers areas of curriculum instruction as well as administration, policy, funding, and related social issues. The database provides indexing and abstracts for more than 3,200 journals, as well as full text for more than 1,400 journals. This database also includes full text for 81 books and monographs, and full text for numerous education-related conference papers. It includes citations from many important publishers, such as SAGE.  Education Full Text — covers the full gamut of education topics. Check Peer-reviewed to limit your results to citations/abstracts from scholarly journals. Also contains professional magazines about classroom techniques, and provides citations/abstracts from 1929-present and full-text from the early 1990's to the present.  SAGE Premier — this service includes full-text articles from 1999-present only from all 500+ journals published by SAGE Publications, one of the leading publishers of scholarly journals in the social sciences, including educational research. Also includes citations/abstracts for all articles from the beginning issue of each journal through 1998; those articles may be obtained through Interlibrary Loan. It is important to search SAGE separately because the Library does not subscribe to a citation/abstract service that indexes many of the SAGE journals.  JSTOR — a full-text archive of over 1,100 major scholarly journals in all academic disciplines. All issues of each journal are available from the journal's beginning issue. In the case of journals still being published, the most recent 3-5 years are not included. You can use the Journal Locator to determine whether you have access to recent issues. From the Education subject page or the Education Research LibGuide, you can choose to open JSTOR with only the Education Journals preselected for searching.  Proquest Education Journals — gives users access to over 790 top educational publications, including more than 615 of the titles in full text. Covers not only the literature on primary, secondary, and higher education but also special education, home schooling, adult education, and hundreds of related topics.  ERIC — The Educational Resource Information Center is one of the most valuable sources for research in education, especially for the "gray literature" of the field, the ERIC Documents. All documents are available as full-text from 1993-present, as are about 60% of the documents from 1966-1992.  PsycInfo — provides citations/abstracts to the scholarly literature of psychology from 1887-present. It covers all aspects of psychology, including educational psychology, human growth and development, and cognition. The service provides all full-text articles, from the first issue to the present, from all of the journals published by the American Psychological Association, along with many other scholarly journals in psychology.  Mental Measurements Yearbook, with Tests in Print — Full-text information about and reviews of all commercially published English-language standardized psychological and educational tests included in the printed versions of the Mental Measurements Yearbooks.  WorldCat — Comprehensive catalog of the books, videos, and other materials held by over 15,000 domestic and international libraries. Most books available at U.S. libraries can be borrowed through interlibrary loan.  CQ Researcher — explores a single "hot" issue in the news in-depth each week, including current bibliographies. Topics range from social and teen issues to environment, health, education, and science and technology. The archive is from 1991 to the present.  For K-12 — this group of resources contains information services, like Britannica Elementary, that has both content and interface tailored to users of a particular reading and experiential level.

The MAYFLOWER Catalog

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Anyone who has access to a computer which is connected to the Internet may access Arrendale Library’s catalog, the MAYFLOWER, using the Library’s homepage. The catalog contains records for all of the Library’s holdings — its books, videos, periodicals and e-books — including all material housed in the Athens Campus Library. You may renew checked-out materials through the Mayflower to avoid overdue fines using the My Account service.

Journal Locator Members of the Piedmont College community have access to over 20,000 journals, magazines, and newspapers, each with an extensive back file. A few are available in print at the Arrendale Library and the Athens Campus Library; the vast majority is available online. Select the Journal Locator link to learn which full-text journals you can access online and the service through which they are provided.

Interlibrary Loan Interlibrary Loan is a service through which books and journal articles are obtained for you. You may request materials from the Libraries' own holdings at Demorest or Athens, or you can request materials from other libraries. Forms for journal article or book requests are available on our website. Full and precise citations should be provided, along with complete contact information. Only requests with all of the required information can be processed.

Materials Not Owned by the Library For access to materials not owned by the Library and not available online, you may obtain the material through ILL. When a request for material not available in our library is received, the Library will request such materials from another library. Please allow 5–15 working days from the time a request is received by the Library to receive an item obtained through Interlibrary Loan. The item will be sent to you upon receipt at the Library.

Materials Owned by the Library Students and faculty at the Demorest Campus may request that books from the Athens Campus Library be brought to Demorest for their use and vice versa. In addition, remote cohort students and faculty may request that materials from either collection be sent to them. Note that all circulation policies apply, including overdue fines and recalls. You will be responsible for returning the book(s) by the due date. Remember, you may renew books online in the MAYFLOWER in order to avoid overdue fines.

Borrowing Privileges at Other Institutions All public and many private academic institutions allow local residents to use their facilities and services on-site. However, library services such as book borrowing are usually not available to persons who are not registered students. Piedmont College Libraries have negotiated book borrowing privileges for our students at several public and private academic libraries around the state. Book borrowing privileges at other institutions do not include remote access to their electronic resources.

University of Georgia Libraries All Piedmont College students, graduate and undergraduate, have book borrowing privileges at the University of Georgia Libraries. At the beginning of every semester, the Library sends the UGA Library a list of all students who have fully completed registration. Book borrowing privileges last only for the duration of each semester. It's a good idea to call ahead at the UGA Access Services Department and make sure that your name has reached them before you go the first time. Their phone is 706-542-3256. UGA borrowing privileges include borrowing from the Science Library at UGA, but students must go to the Main Library to receive their borrower's card at the Access Services Office before borrowing at the Science Library. Students may also use the UGA School of Education's Curriculum Collection in Aderholt Hall, though the items in that collection do not circulate, even to UGA students.

Stewart Library at North Georgia College & State University All Piedmont College graduate students have book borrowing privileges at Stewart Library at North Georgia College & State University at Dahlonega. At the beginning of every semester, the Library sends the NGCSU Library a list of all students who have fully completed registration. These book borrowing privileges last only for the duration of each semester. It's a good idea to call ahead at the NGC&SU Access Services Department and make sure that your name has reached them before you go the first time. Their phone is 706-542-3256.

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Kennesaw State University Members of cohorts in and around Cobb and Cherokee Counties should take advantage of the borrowing privileges available to Piedmont College students at Kennesaw State University. At the beginning of every semester, the Libraries send to the Kennesaw State University Library a list of all students who have fully completed registration. These borrowing privileges last only for the duration of each semester. We suggest that you call ahead to the KSU Circulation Office to make sure your name has reached them before you go the first time. Their phone is 770-423- 6202.

University of West Georgia Anyone who lives in the vicinity of Carrollton, Georgia, may participate in the Guest Borrowers Program at the State University of West Georgia Library. This program gives participants temporary borrowing privileges and is free to all applicants. For further information, call the Library of the University of West Georgia at 678-839-6503.

PIEDMONT COLLEGE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION Mastering the art of teaching: Preparing proactive educators to improve the lives of all children

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION SYLLABUS A I. TEXT REQUIRED FOR ALL COURSES: VandenBos, G. R., Gasque, A. W., & Jackson, P. (Eds.). (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association. II. PIEDMONT COLLEGE MISSION: Piedmont College educates students to become successful and responsible citizens through rigorous academic instruction in the liberal arts and professional disciplines. The College provides educational opportunities through a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs. The institution emphasizes critical thinking, high ethical standards, and respect for diversity.

School of Education Mission: The theme of the School of Education is “Mastering the art of teaching: Preparing proactive educators to improve the lives of all children.” The School of Education strives to prepare scholarly, reflective, proactive educators in a caring environment with challenging and meaningful learning experiences. These practitioners effectively educate their own students to become knowledgeable, inquisitive, and collaborative learners in diverse, democratic learning communities.

Specific ideals under-gird our conceptual framework. We advocate the democratic ideals of: equal rights and opportunities; individual freedom and responsibility; responsibility for the greater good; respect for diversity; openness to possibilities; and open, informed discourse.

III. COURSE DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE:

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See Course Syllabus B – III.

IV. SCHOOL OF EDUCATION OUTCOMES: Core Candidate Learning Outcomes (CCLO) : The following ten outcomes, adapted from the 1994 INTASC standards (Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium) were updated in 2009 and became effective January 1, 2010. These outcomes are addressed in all courses and are applicable to the undergraduate and graduate programs. 1) Learning environment: The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation to create a community of learners that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in the subject matter, and the development of a sense of responsibility for their own learning. 2) Subject matter: The scholarly teacher understands and models the central concepts and modes of inquiry of his or her discipline(s), thereby engaging students in learning experiences that encourage critical thinking and stimulate continuing interest in the subject. 3) Student learning: Based on an understanding of how students develop and learn, the teacher provides learning opportunities that support students’ intellectual, social and personal growth. 4) Diversity: Understanding that each learner is unique, the teacher of a democratic classroom adapts and differentiates instruction to meet diverse needs of all students. 5) Instructional strategies: The teacher implements instructional strategies, including appropriate use of instructional technologies, designed to encourage students to develop critical thinking, performance skills, and content knowledge, while meeting required curriculum and program evaluation standards. 6) Assessment strategies: To foster knowledgeable and inquisitive learners, the teacher uses a variety of formative and summative assessments to evaluate student achievement and inform instructional decision-making. 7) Communication: The teacher uses verbal and non-verbal communication strategies along with complementary technologies to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom. 8) Research: The teacher’s professional practices reflect discerning uses of relevant research, as well as the ability to initiate systematic inquiry into instructional practices and school-wide issues. 9) Reflection and professional development: The teacher is a reflective, critical, open-minded practitioner who continually evaluates his/her practices, beliefs, and the effects of her/his decisions, thereby refining a personal pedagogy to guide professional practices. 10) Collaboration: The teacher communicates and collaborates democratically with other teachers, families, and members of the school’s communities to support student learning and well-being. In addition to the ten Core Candidate Learning Outcomes across programs, each program includes additional outcomes that graduate candidates are expected to demonstrate.

Early Childhood and Middle Grades Masters Candidate Learning Outcomes (ECMMCLO): 1) Constructivist Practices: The scholarly, reflective, proactive teacher models and provides opportunities for constructivist practices. 2) Informed Teachers: The scholarly, reflective, proactive teacher is an informed professional. 3) Scholarly Work: The reflective, proactive teacher actively engages in scholarly work. 4) Ethical and Legal Awareness: The scholarly, reflective, proactive teacher adheres to and explicates for others the professional ethical standards and abides by laws related to rights and the responsibilities related to students, educators, and families.

Secondary Education Masters Candidate Learning Outcomes (SECMCLO):  For both Initial and Advanced Certification Programs 1) Research: The teacher refines instructional practices informed by critical consideration of relevant research and by the application of action research as an ongoing aspect of practice. 2) Democratic Classroom: The teacher guides students toward involvement in activities that provide skills and dispositions to fulfill the roles of a citizen engaged in pursuing the ideals of democracy. 3) Philosophical Orientation: The teacher studies initiatives, patterns, trends and policies for their philosophical underpinnings as part of a continuing assessment of the efficacy of those underpinnings. 4) Integrity: The teacher pursues her/his professional practices with a strong sense of mission beyond keeping a job, and with a keen sense of ethical integrity. 5) Philosophical Pragmatism: The teacher maintains an intellectual spiral in which practices are improved by conceptual refinements, which are in turn refined by assessing the results of implementations over time.

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 For Advanced Certification Programs 6) Modeling and Mentoring: The teacher both models best practices and accept responsibility to mentor new and veteran teachers. 7) Professional Discourse: The teacher participates actively in the professional discourses related to the field of certification--at the school and in regional and national venues. 8) Proactive Involvement: The teacher takes advantage of opportunities to influence the school toward curricula, instructional practices, policies and professional climate which result in students acquiring more durable knowledge and skills and in-depth understanding, as well as positive dispositions toward learning.

Special Education Masters Candidate Learning Outcomes (SPEDMCLO): Based on the Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) professional standards for teachers of students with disabilities. 1) Foundations: Teacher candidates will understand the field as an evolving and changing discipline based on philosophies, evidenced-based principles and theories, relevant laws and policies, diverse and historical points of view, and human issues that have historically influenced and continue to influence the field of special education and the education and treatment of individuals with exceptional needs both in school and society. 2) Development and Characteristics of Learners: Teacher candidates understand how exceptional conditions can interact with the domains of human development and they use this knowledge to respond to the varying abilities and behaviors of individuals with disabilities. 3) Individual Learning Differences: Teacher candidates are active and resourceful in seeing to understand how primary language, culture, and familial backgrounds interact with the individual’s exceptional condition to impact the individual’s academic and social abilities, attitudes, values, interests, and career options. 4 ) Instructional Strategies: Teacher candidates possess a repertoire of evidence-based instructional strategies to individualize instruction for individuals with disabilities. Special educators select, adapt, and use these instruction strategies to promote challenging learning results in general and special curricula and to appropriately modify learning environments for students with disabilities. 5)Learning Environments and Social Interactions: Teacher candidates actively create learning environments for students with disabilities that foster cultural understanding, safety, and emotional well-being, positive social interactions, and active engagement. 6) Language: Teacher candidates understand typical and atypical language development and the ways in which exceptional conditions can interact with an individual’s experience with and the use of language. Teacher candidates use individualized strategies to enhance language development and teach communication skills to individuals with disabilities. 7) Instructional Planning: Teacher candidates develop long-range individualized instructional plans anchored in both general and special curricula. Individualized instructional plans emphasize explicit modeling and efficient guided practice to assure acquisition and fluency though maintenance and generalization. 8) Assessment: Teacher candidates use multiple types of assessment information for a variety of educational decisions. The results of assessments are used to help identify exceptional learning needs and to develop and implement individualized instruction programs, as well as to adjust instruction in response to ongoing learning progress. 9) Professional and Ethical Practice: Teacher candidates are guided by the profession’s ethical and professional practice standards, actively plan and engaging in activities that foster their professional growth and keep them current with evidence-based best practices. 10) Collaboration: Teacher candidates routinely and effectively collaborate with families, other educators, related service providers, and personnel from community agencies in culturally responsive ways. Special educators promote and advocate the learning and well being of individuals with disabilities across a wide range of settings and a range of different learning experiences; facilitating successful transitions of students with disabilities across settings and services.

Music Education Masters Candidate Learning Outcomes (MMCLO): 1) Repertory and History: The teacher candidate is a scholarly musician who is familiar with, through performance and academic studies, music of diverse cultural sources, historical periods, and media. 2) Technology: The teacher candidate is knowledgeable of the capabilities of technology as they relate to music composition, performance, analysis, teaching, and research.

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3) Performance: The knowledgeable teacher candidate has demonstrated the ability to perform, improvise, and compose in at least one applied music area and keyboard, and has experience throughout the program with ensembles that are varied in size and nature. 4)Teacher Preparation: The knowledgeable and reflective teacher candidate has a mastery of the fundamental elements of music (melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, form, and style) and music history, and is able to teach these elements at the appropriate level, P-12, to a diverse community of learners in a democratic classroom.

Education Specialist Learning Outcomes (SPCLO): 1)Specialist Candidates will demonstrate proactive knowledge of techniques that bring about positive change in schools, schooling and practices. 2)Specialist Candidates will use assessment of characteristics and needs of student learners. 3) Specialist Candidates (through reflection) will conduct self-assessment. 4) Specialist Candidates will reflect and improve on student learning. 5) Specialist Candidates will model, develop, and deliver content expertise. 6) Specialist Candidates will generate and use proactive and scholarly research to improve schooling. 7) Specialist Candidates will create learning communities. 8) Specialist Candidates will provide leadership for creating democratic learning. 9) Specialist Candidates will contribute to professional growth of their profession. 10)Specialist Candidates will demonstrate ethical dimensions of teaching.

Doctoral Program Learning Outcomes (DCLO):

1)Doctoral Candidates will demonstrate generative behavior by establishing and guiding the use of best practice and making substantial contributions to their schools and districts, while influencing others in a positive culture. 2)Doctoral Candidates will develop and implement a shared vision through reflective planning that is accurate and perceptive as well as apply knowledge regarding teaching and learning in an ongoing search for improved practice. 3)Doctoral Candidates will lead to promote effective change while facilitating collegiality. 4)Doctoral Candidates will effectively connect theory with practice, designing and offering programs, which contribute to the success of all students. 5)Doctoral Candidates will develop a culture for learning communities that is responsive to student needs in all areas of development. 6)Doctoral Candidates will model knowledge, skills and dispositions to motivate others to action leading to success for all students. 7)Doctoral Candidates will demonstrate a high degree of professionalism through actions and decisions, which model integrity and are consistent with the belief system held by their respective organizations. 8)Doctoral Candidates will support the SOE conceptual framework by demonstrating commitment through intellectual courage and superior academic work. 9)Doctoral Candidates will demonstrate the desire to think independently regardless of accountability structures, to strengthen communities of learners. 10)Doctoral Candidates will contribute original knowledge to their profession through research and presentation leading to publication, service and mentoring.

Dispositions for All Candidates: In addition to the common core learning outcomes and graduate candidate learning outcomes, all candidates are expected to be familiar with the dispositions expected of professionals. Their work with students, families, and communities reflects the following dispositions as defined by the School of Education faculty: Scholarly: Inquiring; creative; seeks solutions; thinks critically about theory and method; keeps current in discipline (conferences, journals, classes); pursues lifelong learning. Reflective: Bases daily decisions on in depth reflection, done frequently and honestly; considers many possibilities for problem solutions; stays open to constructive criticism. Proactive: Anticipates problems in management; anticipates problems and difficulties in instruction; addresses pertinent issues of school and community to support student learning; encourages students’ critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity; plans for important student learning; fosters visionary thinking and action; promotes mindful leadership to improve schools. Democratic: Facilitator; views others as capable to deal with problems and able to make decisions; promotes equitable treatment for all students; has high expectations for all students; seeks best interest of students they serve;

3/27/2013 37 open-minded; able to view other perspectives; accommodates individual differences; culturally sensitive in areas of communications, learning, assessment, and cultural norms; collaborates well with others; works for the good of the community. Responsible: Patience, professional temperament; aims to be the best he/she can be; good work ethic; punctual; recognizes when their own dispositions may need to be adjusted and are able to develop plans to do so.

V. COURSE OUTCOMES: See Course Syllabus B – V.

VI. COURSE POLICIES & PROCEDURES: 1. Class Attendance, Participation, and Professional Dispositions: Also see Course Syllabus B – VI As a candidate progresses through the program of study, he or she is developing a professional reputation. Upon completion of a program of study, a candidate often requests that a reference be provided to a school system for employment or for admission to an advance degree program. Almost every reference asks the recommender about a candidate’s attendance, promptness, punctuality, dependability, and exercise of professional judgment in absences. Thus, a candidate should work toward developing an exemplary reputation regarding attendance and punctuality. Furthermore, candidates for all professional educational roles are expected to model dispositions of professional educators. The GAPSC guidelines state: “Candidates’ work with student, families, and communities reflects the dispositions expected of professional educators as delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards. Candidates recognize when their own dispositions may need to be adjusted and are able to develop plans to do so.”

Attendance, timeliness, and participation are required in each course and part of professional dispositions. Each candidate is expected to be regular and prompt in attendance. Every class should be attended in order to gain the most toward professional development. The only time a candidate should be absent from a class is if he or she has an illness, emergency, extenuating circumstance, or approved college absence (e.g., athletics, drama, field trips, school system function). Contact the professor of the course in advance when possible (if you are attending a cohort program, you must also notify the Regional Site Coordinator). Keep in mind that tardiness or leaving class early is also considered a partial absence.

It is expected that a candidate make up work that was missed due to an absence. Understand that reading a classmate’s notes cannot easily duplicate many of the experiences of the course. It is the candidate’s responsibility to inform the professor in writing how work due to an absence was made up. Make-up work should be submitted in a timely manner. The due date for make-up work should be established with the professor. The submitted writing should be professional and include: the date of the absence; a statement explaining the reason for the absence; a detailed, quality description of the process undertaken to make up the work; and a comprehensive summary of the content that was covered in class. Be sure to include a Title Page. If make-up work is not submitted for an absence, it will have an impact on the final course grade.

If a professor or instructor of a course has a concern about a candidate’s attendance, participation, or professional dispositions, he or she is obligated to complete a Candidate Notification Concerning Professional Dispositions form. The following guidelines may be used to determine excessive absences:  Day classes meeting three times a week for entire semester: 6 absences  Day classes meeting two times a week for entire semester: 4 absences  All eight week classes: 1 absence  Evening classes meeting for entire semester: 3 absences  Courses operating under a different format (4 week, online, etc.) determined by the professor of the course or the department This form will be signed by the candidate and forwarded to the Dean of the School of Education. The Dean will distribute the form to the appropriate Department Chair for review.

Compliance with federal financial aid regulations requires faculty to keep attendance records for the purpose of determining the last date of attendance. When a student is absent for two consecutive class meetings, the faculty member will contact his or her dean.

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A faculty member may, with the approval of the Vice President of Academic Affairs, choose to implement an attendance policy which is stated in his or her course syllabus.

INCLEMENT WEATHER – In general, classes are dismissed or cancelled (day and/or night classes) when conditions in and around Demorest or Athens become such that the main streets and college parking lots become too dangerous on which to drive. Candidates who live outside the Demorest or Athens area for which road conditions are too difficult to proceed should stay at home. Candidates who miss class should consult their instructors for assignments and make-up work. Dismissed or cancelled classes must be made up during semester breaks, the first available Saturday, or an agreed upon make-up by class members and the professor.

If classes are dismissed or canceled, information will be posted to the Piedmont College website. Also the following radio/TV stations will be informed of the action taken: Station WCON (99.3 FM) – Cornelia; WMJE (102.9 FM) Clarkesville/Gainesville; WNEG (6.30 AM) – Toccoa; WAGA TV – Fox 5, Atlanta; WNEG TV Ch. 32; and WXIA TV – 11 Alive.

PARTICIPATION - Active participation means:  prepare for classes by reading the text and/or other assigned readings;  attend all classes for duration of allotted class time;  take active part and contribute significantly during class discussions and activities;  be attentive and respectful of peers and the professor during the discussions, dialogue, and presentations;  professional use of a laptop  submit all assignments on time.

2. Written Work: Use APA style (6th ed.). All papers for the course are to be typed using size 12 print and Times New Roman typeface. Papers should be double-spaced, error-free, and grammatically correct (including punctuation, spelling, capitalization, etc.). Make good use of writing references such as dictionaries, writing handbooks, and computer spelling and grammar checks. Chapter 3 of the APA Manual provides some general principles of expository writing and offers suggestions for improving your writing. You will find this chapter quite helpful.

Quality is important! Work submitted should reflect professional and scholarly work. Your writings and reflections will be assessed according to the depth, breadth, clarity, and accuracy they convey.

Be sure to keep a duplicate copy of all submitted work for your own records. It is also wise to periodically save your work on the hard drive as well as other data storage devices.

3. Academic Integrity: By accepting admission to Piedmont College, each candidate makes a commitment to understand, support, and abide by the "Academic Integrity Policy" without compromise or exception (See the Piedmont College Catalog and the Student Handbook for details of the policy). This class will be conducted in strict observance of the policy. The College imposes strict penalties for academic dishonesty (cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism) as defined in the Catalog and Handbook.

Some suggestions for helping you abide by the policy include:  All work submitted must be your original work created in and for this course.  Cite and reference work properly using the current APA guidelines. o Cite all quotes or paraphrased material. It is better to over cite than not give credit to the author of a work or source that you are using in your paper or project. . Any time you use the exact words of researcher, author, or source, you must place the words in quotation marks in text when your quote is less than 40 words. If 40 words or more, place the quote in an indented free standing block of text omitting quotation marks. (See the APA Manual for specific guidelines).

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. You must also give credit to an author or source when you paraphrase. . When referring to information from your course text, be sure you cite and reference the source and/or authors. . Follow the protocol in the current APA manual for citing and referencing all electronic sources.  Double dipping is not permitted. For example: o You may not use an assignment created in one course to meet the requirements in another. o Visiting a classroom for one field experience may not be used to meet a field experience requirement for another course.

4. Special Considerations: Piedmont College makes every effort to provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations to students with disabilities. Accommodations must be coordinated through the Office of Counseling and Career Services by contacting the director at 1-800-277-7020 ext. 1259 or by email – [email protected]. Students are responsible for providing accurate and current documentation of their disability and for making a written request to the Director of Counseling and Career Services before receiving accommodations. Information is confidential and the services are free to all students. Students with special needs (disabilities, problems, or any other factors that may affect their performance or that require special instructional strategies) should also make these needs known to the professor/instructor during the first class session.

Cell Phone Usage: Cell phones should not be used during class time. Use only prior to the beginning of class or during break. If you need to be contacted due to a crisis, critical, or emergency situation, you should leave your phone on vibrate and respond appropriately and professionally. Notify the professor in advance when possible.

Email: All Piedmont students are required to utilize the Piedmont email system for the dissemination of information by the administration. Students are responsible for all information distributed in this manner. Check your email daily. Grades by semester are also reported on your Lions email account.

VII. INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS, DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENTS, FIELD EXPERIENCES: 1. Instructional Methods: (Also see Course Syllabus B – VII). Classes in the School of Education operate as a democratic classroom. Candidates engage in shared decision making and in taking responsibility for making the classroom the best it can be. Interactive discussions and problem solving are emphasized where all ideas and contributions are explored and respected. Various approaches are utilized by the candidates and professor including but not limited to: lecture, demonstrations, observations, class discussions, small group discussions, cooperative group work, field observations, use of educational technology, student presentations, readings, writings, listening, questioning, and formative and summative evaluations. 2. Description of Assignments: See Course Syllabus B – VII. 3. Field Experiences (Initial and Advanced Certification Tracks): See Course Syllabus B – VII.

VIII. RESOURCES: (Make sure this section includes up-to-date information) 1. Bibliography: See Course Syllabus B – VIII 2. Relevant Web Sites: Below and See Course Syllabus B – VIII Piedmont College’s Web Page: www.piedmont.edu Library: http://library.piedmont.edu Galileo: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/ Bookstore: http://www.piedmont.bkstore.com/ Georgia Professional Standards Commission: www.gapsc.com Georgia Department of Education: http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ Common Core Georgia Performance Standards (CCGPS) available on this site Georgia Performance Standards : http://www.georgiastandards.org US Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov/ Education World: http://www.education-world.com/ Internet Public Library: http://www.ipl.org/ National Council of Teachers of English: http://www.ncte.org Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence (CREDE):

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http://crede.berkeley.edu/ Center on English Learning and Achievement (CELA): http://www.albany.edu/cela/ Better Teaching: Tips and Techniques to Improve Student Learning: http://www.teacher-institute.com University of GA website: www.uga.edu Georgia Framework for Teaching and Georgia Systemic Teacher Education Program (GSTEP) www.gapsc.com

3. GACE Information: All candidates seeking initial certification in the state of Georgia must pass the GACE Basic Skills Tests in order to be “Admitted to Teacher Education”. Students may exempt this requirement by providing either SAT, ACT, GRE, CBEST, CLAST, or FTCE scores which meet the following criteria: SAT: minimum required score – 1000 (with no minimum verbal score or math score required) The combined score is obtained by adding the verbal and the math scores. Candidates must take both the verbal and the math sections of the test. ACT: minimum score – 43 (with no minimum English score or math score required) The composite score is obtained by adding the verbal and quantitative scores. Candidates must take both the English and the math sections of the test. GRE: 1030 minimum score (with no minimum verbal score or quantitative score required) The composite score is obtained by adding the verbal and quantitative scores. Candidates must take both the verbal and quantitative sections of the test. CBEST: Passing Scores indicated on score report – Used in California and Oregon http://www.ctc.ca.gov/profserv/examinfo/cbest.html CLAST: Passing Scores indicated on report – Used in Florida http://www.firn.edu/doe/sas/clast/clstpscr.htm FTCE: General Knowledge – Passing Scores indicated on score report – Used in Florida http://www.cefe.usf.edu/TestDescGK.aspx

Teacher candidates who are seeking initial certification must also pass the GACE test(s) in the appropriate content area in order to be recommended for certification. Candidates who are currently certified and are adding a new field must also pass the appropriate content exam. Information for the GACE Tests may be found on the School of Education Website  GACE Official Website for Registration & Information  Publisher for GACE II Study Guides: http:// www.XAMonline.com;  GACE Basic Skills Study Software.

4. Admission to Teacher Education Admission to Piedmont College does not guarantee Admission to Teacher Education. Additionally, continuation and completion of all programs is contingent upon demonstration of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn. Piedmont College reserves the right to withdraw a candidate from a program for failure to meet the outcomes of the program as stated in the School of Education Conceptual Framework and Candidate Program Learning Outcomes.

Undergraduate candidates need to apply for formal Admission to Teacher Education between 30 and 60 semester hours of course work, even if all criteria are not met. MAT candidates need to apply during their first semester or at the beginning of their second semester. A formal interview is conducted based on the candidate’s self assessment of dispositions. Applications are available on the School of Education website and should be submitted to the administrative assistant in L112 (Demorest) or the main office in Athens.

5. Application for Certification Upon completion of all program and graduation requirements it is the candidate’s responsibility to initiate the application for certification process by completing the forms and following the procedures listed on the Piedmont College Website for

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Certification Information found on the School of Education website. If you have questions or have difficulty accessing the website you may contact Libby Willis at [email protected] or call 706-433-1759 x8010.

IX. COURSE ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION: See Course Syllabus B – IX.

X. TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE See Course Syllabus B – X.

COURSE SYLLABUS B Note: The School of Education Syllabus A is only one part of your syllabus. Your professor will provide you with Course Syllabus B for each course. Course Syllabus B contains information such as: the instructor’s office hours and ways to contact her or him, time and location of the course, basic course information as well as a course description and purpose, the required and recommended text(s) and supplementary readings, course outcomes (each Course Syllabus B will also include Core Candidate Learning Outcomes and Graduate Candidate Learning Outcomes emphasized and related to course objectives), course policies and procedures, a description of assignments, field experience requirements, a bibliography, other relevant websites, course assessments and evaluation, a tentative course schedule, and any other information pertinent to the course.

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