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9/3/13 Orientation for Undergraduate (UG) and Graduate (G) Teacher Education (TE) Candidates Secondary Education (SEC)

Fall 2013

Dear Secondary Teacher Education Candidates,

This document includes information for undergraduate and graduate students (both MA and Graduate Teacher Certification Programs [GTCP]). If you have any questions, please contact

Dr. Liliana Maggioni Coordinator of Secondary Social Studies Education Program 202-319- 6471 [email protected]

Dr. John Convey Coordinator of Secondary Math Education Program 202-319- 5810 [email protected]

Dr. Agnes Cave Director of Teacher Education 202-319-4633 [email protected]

Ms. Jennifer Kusnierczyk Administrative Assistant to the Director of Teacher Education 202-319-5801 218 O’Boyle Hall [email protected] 2

In this document you will find information on 1. Admission to Teacher Education 2. Admission tests 3. DC standard license and Reciprocity Agreement 4. LiveText 5. Field Experiences: Practica and Student Teaching 6. Policies in Teacher Education

I. Admission to Teacher Education (This information is only for sophomores taking EDUC 586 since all graduate students are automatically admitted, and most juniors have already been admitted to teacher education [TE]. This information was also shared with sophomores who attended the fall orientation session.)

a. Deadline for submitting all required application materials in the undergraduate program is April 1 of your sophomore secondary (spring) semester. You need to contact your program coordinator if your course of study does not allow you to apply at that time. b. Contact Ms. Kusnierczyk ([email protected]) for all application materials in LiveText in the fall of your sophomore year. She will send out all application forms at the beginning of the spring sophomore semester. c. Purchase a LiveText account at https://college.livetext.com/misk5/c1/purchase. (Make sure you purchase, not register, your membership.) The Standard Edition ($98) is the simple version, and the Learn360 Edition ($128) includes a vast array of video clips for your lesson plans. (Do not purchase the Field Experience Edition.) Once you have an account, send a message with your full name and username to Ms. Kusnierczyk at [email protected] so that your name can be added to the CUA database. d. As part of the application process, fill out the Teacher Education Application Form in LiveText. Ms. Kusnierczyk ([email protected]) will send you the URL. e. Fill out the Candidate Profile Form in LiveText. Ms. Kusnierczyk ([email protected]) will send you the URL. f. Fill out the Disposition Survey. Ms. Kusnierczyk ([email protected]) will send you the URL. g. Fill out the Technology Survey: Ms. Kusnierczyk ([email protected]) will send you the URL. The disposition and technology surveys ask you to evaluate your own skills and attitudes (self-assessment). These forms are not graded; we simply would like to know a little more about you, your knowledge, skills, and dispositions. h. Three recommendation letters will be provided by your professors. Both sophomore level education professors (in EDUC 251 and 361) will automatically submit their recommendations for you in LiveText. In addition you must ask an A&S professor in your discipline (English, History, or Math) to complete a recommendation form for you. If your A&S professor agrees, contact Ms. 3

Kusnierczyk and give her your professor’s contact information. Ms. Kusnierczyk will send the professor the URL for the recommendation in LiveText.

i. GPA info: i.i. UG: Maintain a cumulative GPA (3.0) and content/education GPA (3.0). Remember the C- policy! (If you receive a grade lower than a C-, you need to retake the course or take another course that fulfills that requirement. The exceptions here are TRS and philosophy. Before registration, discuss your grade and course selection with your advisor.) i.ii. G: Maintain 3.0 GPA in education and content. If you obtain a C in a course, you need to meet with your advisor and Chair. If you receive two C grades, you are subject to dismissal. (See ‘Grade C policy’ for graduate students.)

1. Courses and Key assessments: All required course assignments must be submitted in LiveText to be admitted and to continue in the teacher education program.

2. Passing scores on admission tests: Core Academic Skills for Educators (new tests as of F13) – See next page. 4

a. PRAXIS I: required for admission 5

STUDY FOR YOUR PRAXIS TEST(s)! Use Khan Academy (free tutoring on the internet at http://www.khanacademy.org) if you need to refresh your math skills.

DC Test Requirements: http://osse.dc.gov/service/information-all-license-seekers

Create an account at www.ets.org and sign up for your PRAXIS I tests there. 6

The ETS website (http://www.ets.org/praxis/dc/requirements) includes all necessary information on taking the PRAXIS I tests. Just click on PRAXIS I – Qualifying Score Option to see the test(s). You can click on the tests, e.g., PRAXIS I Writing, and can find information on the number of questions, material and concepts covered, and types of questions.

If you do not use your ACT, SAT, or GRE scores, you will need to take all three Core Academic Skills for Educators tests (Reading, Writing, Math). Each test lasts 2 hours on the computer, and you can take the tests a few days after you register. 1. Core Academic Skills for Educators (Reading, Writing, Math) (not PRAXIS II)  To register for the test, contact ETS at http://www.ets.org (or call 1-800-772- 9476) and tell them the zip code of the area where you'd like to take the test. You can select among various test locations.  Sophomores: Take admission test(s) in December, January or early February the latest so that you obtain your scores by the time you apply to teacher education on April 1st.  Computer-Based Testing (CBT) allows you to see your scores in PRAXIS I Reading and Math right away. It takes 6 weeks to obtain the score from the writing test, which is hand-scored.  Make sure you mark CUA as one of the recipients of your scores because both need to get your official score report from ETS directly. If a code for DCPS or OSSE is available, please mark that too.

If you need special accommodations for the PRAXIS tests, you need to request those accommodations four (4) weeks prior to registering for the tests.

When your scores are delivered to you (either hard or electronic copies), please save your scores on your computer immediately. (I would recommend scanning in the hard copy so that it can be E-mailed. The digital copy needs to be saved from your ETS account also as it is available on the internet only for 45 days.) 7

b. PRAXIS II (content and pedagogy) tests are taken once you are admitted to teacher education. More specifically, the PRAXIS II content test needs to be taken at least two months before the student teaching semester begins (no later than November for spring student teaching), and the PRAXIS II pedagogy test should be taken two months prior to applying for a license (in March of your student teaching semester if you want to apply for a license right after graduation).

*Please note that if you are asked for a license at an interview before you obtain your DC license, the Director of Teacher Education can write a college completion verification letter stating that you are eligible for a license upon completion of all requirements.

 NEW TESTS in math & English as of Fall 2013 o English Language Arts: Content Knowledge (5038) to replace 0041 o Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) to replace 0061  Licenses can be obtained in additional subject areas as long as the required PRAXIS II content and pedagogy tests are passed! For each additional license you need to add another $50 to the application packet.  All PRAXIS II information can be located at www.ets.org. Click on PRAXIS, then PRAXIS II. Specific information can be located by going to State Requirements, click on District of Columbia, click on PDF file next to test.

II. DC Standard License and Reciprocity

Candidates are eligible for the standard (Regular II) DC license upon completion of a program (required field experiences and courses as well as key assessments in those courses) and passed all Core Academic Skills for Educators (or alternative) and PRAXIS II tests. This Regular II license is now valid only for four years not five.

 Use the F-2 Application for Initial DC Educator License form at http://education.cua.edu/res/docs/License/Application-for-DC-Educator-License- REGULAR-II-S12.pdf to apply for your Regular II (standard) teaching license.  Use the F-5 Application for Teaching Endorsement at http://education.cua.edu/res/docs/kd-6-f5-osse-teaching-endorsement-app-vf-6- 14-10.pdf if you plan to obtain licenses in additional areas in which you did not complete a program but passed the required PRAXIS II content and pedagogy tests.  Use the Regular I (provisional license) application if you are a teacher of record and need a provisional license while you are completing the teacher education program. This license is valid only for two years (not three) until all requirements are fulfilled for a Regular II (standard) license.  Once you graduate, CUA notifies DC’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education of your program completion. Having received all your application materials, OSSE will need 6-8 weeks to issue your teaching license. 8

 FBI background check info: o FBI check URL and list of locations: http://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/publication/attachments/ Criminal%20History%20Report%20all%20other%20applicants_8.pdf

Everyone applying for a DC license must obtain a national background check from the FBI. (Documents are available on our website at http://education.cua.edu/Current %20Students/students.cfm). You should start the FBI check procedure 3-4 months prior to completing your degree so that you have the background check results by the time you submit your license application packet form to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). Upon your graduation, CUA informs OSSE of your program completion and sends the appropriate paperwork to OSSE. Once your application packet you submit to OSSE is complete, OSSE will process your license. Submitting your FBI check results to OSSE late will delay the process.

Through reciprocity candidates are eligible for a Regular I license in 44 states and jurisdictions. Reciprocity agreement for standard license Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Mississippi Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wyoming

The application fee is $50. DC continues to revise their license application form; please obtain the latest version at http://education.cua.edu/Current%20Students/students.cfm (go to the License Forms tab at the top) or from Ms. Kusnierczyk.

Forward completed application packets to: OSSE – Division of Elementary and Secondary Education Educator Licensure and Accreditation 810 First Street NE, 5th Floor Washington, DC 20002 9

III. LiveText

All TE candidates need to have purchased LiveText (the cheaper version suffices) and need to submit key assignments (identified by faculty) in LiveText. Make sure you save your assignments on a flashdrive also.

Presentation in LiveText: Submission of assignments for assessment

*When registering for their new LiveText account, all candidates must enter their Student ID (when prompted to enter their school ID) into LiveText to be properly matched up as an enrollee in each course. (If the username and student ID are not entered into the system, candidates will not be added to their courses and will not have access to course materials and assignments!) Please remember to send Ms. Kusnierczyk your LiveText username so that she can add you to our database.

Field Experiences: Practica & Student Teaching Field Placements: Candidates are required to complete field experiences in varied settings. Candidates are placed in various schools that are public, private, parochial, or charter and various grade levels in their program of studies. Placements are designed to provide candidates with the greatest variety of experiences and are arranged based on the decisions of faculty. Practicum Experiences  Practicum placements take place in middle schools and high schools (Grades 7- 12). These placements include diverse learning environments.

Do not forget to schedule your UG junior audit with the Dean’s office.

Student Teaching  The Student Teaching Application is available in LiveText. Contact Ms. Kusnierczyk to add your name to the database, and she will send you the URL for the student teaching application.  Deadline: 1st week of semester prior to student teaching (e.g., first week of September for student teaching in the spring). You MUST take the PRAXIS II content (not pedagogy) test before student teaching. The results are due to Dr. Cave’s office before you start the student teaching semester. Plan ahead!  ST-ing numbers for secondary education candidates not currently teaching:

1. EDUC 597, 598, 599 2. EDUC 498 (Undergraduate Comprehensive Examination) 3. ENG 498 or MATH 498 or HIST 498 (Undergraduate Comprehensive Examination) – depending on your secondary teacher education major 4. Graduate students need to sign up for comps also. Ms. Mammo will send out a message regarding the number. 10

 ST-ing numbers for secondary education candidates currently teaching: o EDUC 600  Contact your program coordinator before being absent from practicum. All missed hours must be made up.  Contact Ms. Neely ([email protected]) before being absent from student teaching. All missed hours must be made up.  Document your hours in the field (sign attendance sheet).

 Before student teaching: o TB test o Background check o PRAXIS II content test

Disability Support Services – Policy for Candidates Registering for Field Experiences

If you have a disability, we encourage you to inform Dr. Agnes Cave ([email protected]), Director of Teacher Education or Ms. Elsie Neely ([email protected]), Director of Field Experiences of your disability so that we can best help you in terms of accommodations for your field experience. We further encourage you to coordinate with the office of Disability Support Services to ensure you obtain support for completing the program. If you choose not to reveal this information, understand that there are consequences for that decision. Accommodations are not retroactive. Please visit the DSS website at http://disabilitysupport.cua.edu for additional information.

IV. Policies  Undergraduates: We can discuss your educational progress with your parents only if you give us permission to do so. If you want to give permission, please do the following: 1. Obtain the Education Record Release Form at http://enrollmentservices.cua.edu/res/docs/Education-Record-Release- Form.pdf and 2. Submit the completed form to the Registrar’s office.  Key assessments: All required course assignments must be submitted in LiveText in order to be admitted to and to continue in the teacher education program.  Admission & Retention policy: Maintain the appropriate GPA to be admitted and to continue in the program.  Repeat course policy (in case D or F)  Only one provisional semester (before admission) and one probationary semester (once admitted to program) can be given to a candidate.  Appeal process for (1) decisions in the Unit Assessment System (if e.g., someone is denied admission to TE) and (2) disposition concerns. 11

 Background check for field experiences and license application  CUA's policy regarding Absenteeism: http://arts- sciences.cua.edu/undergraduate/advising-handbook/formabsence.cfm  CUA's Policy on Student Academic Dishonesty can be located at the following URL: http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/integrityfull.cfm It is all candidates' responsibility to become familiar with this policy.  See http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/index.cfm and CUA Advising Handbook (http://arts-sciences.cua.edu/advising/) for other policies.  Graduate Student Handbook: http://education.cua.edu/res/docs/Graduate- Handbook-fall-2011.pdf  All TE documents (CF, UAS, handbooks): http://education.cua.edu/tedocs.cfm  Junior audit for undergraduate juniors  Information for graduate students regarding the comprehensive exam (Action Research Paper), research (formerly known as non-thesis) papers and other pertinent information will come from the Chair's office and the academic advisors.  Please check CUA E-mail account regularly (or forward your CUA mail to your preferred non-CUA E-mail address).  Information about student teaching and licensure is provided at the student teaching orientation.  Master’s candidates only: Comprehensive (Action Research Paper) & Research papers (See next page.) o Comps: Action Research Paper in student teaching semester o Research (formerly known as Non-Thesis Option) Papers (submitted a semester prior to taking comps) . EDUC 699 . EDUC 702 12

MA Program Exit Requirements (As of Fall 2011, Revised in Fall 2012)

Research (formerly known as Non-Thesis Option) Papers: Requirements. If a student chooses not to do a Master’s thesis, two research MA papers are required. One research MA paper will be written in EDUC 699: Introduction to Educational Research. The second research paper will be written in EDUC 702: Advanced Foundations of Education (not in EDUC 525: Psychology of Learning for Diverse Populations). The research papers are scholarly, comprehensive literature review papers on an approved topic. Each paper must be at least 20 pages in length and include at least 20 scholarly references. The professor of record for the course will grade the research papers. Students must receive a grade of B or better in order for the paper to count as the research paper. Students who receive a grade lower than B on the paper have the option of working with the professor of the course to improve the paper to meet the requirements of a research paper. Such students must complete a contract with the course professor that specifies the steps and deadlines in revising the paper, with the final revision submitted for approval no later than the mid-term of the following semester. Completed research papers must be approved by the course instructor and by the Department Chair. They indicate their approval by signing the “Research Paper Form,” which includes an abstract of the paper.

Comprehensive Exam: Action Research Paper Requirements. MA students will write an Action Research Paper (ARP) during their final teaching experience while enrolled in a field experience course. Criteria include a clear statement of educational philosophy, use of pretest data to document the problem under study, use of the reflective framework to examine dilemmas related to teaching strategies, use of scholarly literature to explore appropriate interventions, implementation of an intervention, use of posttest data to document the effect of the intervention on student learning, and personal reflection about the processes involved with transforming one’s teaching. This paper must be 20-40 pages in length and include at least 20 scholarly references. The faculty member who supervises the candidate during student teaching will evaluate the paper using the ARP Comprehensive Exam Scoring Rubric. The candidate’s average score must “meet expectations.” If the university supervisor is not a faculty member, a faculty member will be assigned to evaluate the ARP. Completed ARP papers must be approved by the assigned faculty member and by the Department Chair. They indicate their approval by signing the “Comprehensive Exam Action Research Paper Form,” which includes an abstract of the paper. Papers must be submitted to the department before the graduation deadline date in order to graduate in the same semester.

Electronic submission will occur as required by the program for the research papers and Action Research Paper (ARP) comprehensive exam.

This policy is effective beginning in Fall 2011 (and was revised in Fall 2012). 13

Additional Information  Dr. Convey will begin offering the secondary math methods course starting in Fall 2014. The course numbers are 479 for undergraduates and 579 for graduate students.  CUA’s professional education unit has been accredited by NCATE since 1975, and all programs are state and SPA approved.  All important documents (Conceptual Framework [documents, videos], Unit Assessment System) are uploaded at the following website: http://education.cua.edu/Current%20Students/students.cfm  Study Abroad o If you’re interested in studying abroad, meet with your advisor/program coordinator and then see Dr. Cave for more information. o SEC candidates need to see their program coordinator and the content advisor for advisement.  Communication with your instructor and advisor  Impact of personal photos/videos on internet  CUA resources for academic and emotional support

I verify that I have attended the orientation meeting and received all TE materials. I understand that if I have any questions, I can contact my advisor, Ms. Jennifer Kusnierczyk ([email protected]) and Dr. Agnes Cave ([email protected]) in the Teacher Education Office located in O’Boyle.

______Signature of Teacher Education Candidate Date