Successful Completion of an Educator Preparation Program (Licensure Candidates)
Teacher candidates must meet all requirements of their respective educator preparation programs for licensure. They must also
- Submit time reports of field experiences and student teaching experiences for approval by cooperating teachers and university supervisors
- Satisfactorily meet the minimum requirements of their respective program’s evaluation of their field experience. Educational Practice (student teaching) courses are graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U)basis.
- Comply with all other program-defined responsibilities
Minimum coursework requirements for all programs include the following:
- A grade of “C-” or better must be earned for all content and professional education courses
- A cumulative grade point average of “2.5” must be maintained by undergraduate students or notification of academic warning will be issued
- Undergraduate students with a grade point average lower than “2.5” will not be permitted to student teach without an approved petition
- A grade point average of “3.0” must be maintained by graduate and certificate of advanced study students or notification of academic warning will be issued
- Sustained academic performance below the grade point average threshold puts a student at risk of being dropped from the licensure program
- No grade of “Unsatisfactory” may be earned for applicable courses required for licensure
If a program has requirements that exceed these minimum requirements established by the Council on Teacher Education, those requirements must be communicated in writing to teacher candidates within the program and in writing to the Council on Teacher Education.
During the student teaching experience, a program may elect to assign a grade of “Unsatisfactory.” The reasons for assigning a grade of “Unsatisfactory” may be related to, but are not limited to, the following:
- The teacher candidate fails to meet minimum requirements of the student teaching experience
- The teacher candidate exercises poor personal and professional judgment which impairs their effectiveness in the placement
- The teacher candidate’s instructional performance remains at the “Unsatisfactory” level throughout the experience
- The teacher candidate is unable or unwilling to meet the time demands of student teaching
- Education licensure candidates who receive "U" grades in student teaching/internship, may be eligible for graduation if they otherwise have sufficient credit hours and grade-point averages.
Program personnel must write a Focused Development Plan on behalf of a teacher candidate if a grade of “Unsatisfactory” is considered during the clinical experiences. Elements of successful remediation are considered on a student-by-student basis. The FDP must be filed with the Council on Teacher Education (See “Focused Development Plan” policy.)