Requirements: What to Do

• Courses
• GPA
• Praxis Tests
• Program Admission
• Pre-Student Teaching Practicum
• Pre-Student Teaching Portfolio
• Student Teaching
• Final Teaching Portfolio

To be certified to teach in the public schools, your Lawrence degree must include a major in your certification area as well as the courses listed below.  Students who wish to be certified in a second subject area should add a second major or minor to their degree; contact the department chair for details.  More information can be found in the Education section of the university catalog and in the Teacher Certification Handbook, which students receive from the Education Department when they pick up an application to be formally admitted to the Teacher Education Program.

Look under Timeline on this website for advice about when to do what as you plan your studies at Lawrence.  Careful planning will ensure that you receive your teaching license on time.

Courses

All of the following courses:

EDST 180 Psychology of Learning
EDST 350 Ethnicity, Cultural Diversity, and Education
EDUC 430 Educating All Learners (prerequisite: EDST 180)

One of the following foundations courses:

EDST 240 History of Education in the U.S.
EDST 340 Sociology of Education

One of the following methods courses according to certification area (taken Term III of the year prior to student teaching):

EDUC 560 Methods in Middle and Secondary Teaching
EDUC 563 Elementary and Secondary Foreign Language Methods
EDUC 565 Method, Materials, and Assessment in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
ART 585 / EDUC 585 Art in the Elementary and Secondary Schools

The following advanced methods course (normally taken during the student teaching semester):

EDUC 660 Advanced Methods in Teaching (prerequisite: EDUC 560, 563, 565, or 585)

At least one course in a life or biological science and one course in a physical science (ENST 150 satisfies both requirements). AP credit with a score of 4 or higher may be used to satisfy a science requirement.

At least one course in mathematics (MATH 107 is recommended). A quantitative (Q) course that is not a math course does not satisfy this requirement. AP credit with a score of 4 or higher may be used.

At least one course in a non-Western history or culture. Many global diversity (G) courses satisfy this requirement.

Other courses required for your specific certification area as outlined in the Education section of the university catalog.

Education Studies courses count as social science courses toward a Lawrence degree. Some also meet diversity or competency requirements for general education. Consult the course schedule to confirm the GER designations for particular course offerings.

GPA

You must have a cumulative and major GPA of 2.75 to be admitted to the Teacher Education Program and to be certified for licensure.

Praxis Tests

Before you can be admitted to the Teacher Education Program, you must pass the following general skills test:

Praxis I: Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST): Reading – Writing – Mathematics

Before you can student teach, you must pass the following subject area test (a separate test is required for each certification area; foreign language tests include an oral proficiency interview):

Praxis II: Subject Assessment

Your scores must be reported to Lawrence University by ETS (not by you) to count as official. Be sure to request a score report for Lawrence in your test registration to avoid extra fees for an additional score report or a delay in the start of your student teaching.

More information can be found under Praxis Tests on this website or in the Education Department office (Briggs 117).

Program Admission

Before you may enroll in methods courses or student teaching, you must be formally admitted to the Teacher Education Program. Any student who has successfully completed one education course (with a practicum) and passed the Praxis I test is eligible to apply. Additional experience with children/youth strengthens your application. Timely completion of paperwork helps demonstrate your professional responsibility.

College students should pick up a Teacher Certification Handbook and program application from Carol Marx in the Education Department office (Briggs 117, M-F before 11:30 a.m.); Conservatory students should pick up similar materials from the Music Education office. The application includes a petition for student teaching and recommendation forms to be completed by your faculty advisor and two other faculty members. Samples of these can be found under Forms on this website.

When your application is complete, the Education Department or Music Education Department will schedule you for an interview. After the interview, you will be notified whether you have been admitted to the program or whether there are any stipulations that must be satisfied before you can be admitted. The department may also offer advice to help you prepare for student teaching.

Pre-Student Teaching Practicum

Before you may student teach, you must have completed a minimum of 100 hours of practicum experience in public or private schools in the subject area and grade level(s) in which you plan to be licensed. Practicums help you relate course content to real situations while gaining practical experience prior to student teaching; they also give us a chance to evaluate your potential as a future teacher. Each of the required education courses includes a practicum; together these provide sufficient hours to meet the requirement. If you plan to student teach before completing all of your education courses, you will need to accumulate additional hours to meet the 100-hour requirement prior to student teaching.  Look for more information under Practicum on this website.

In addition to the practicum, you should seek other opportunities to gain experience working with children and/or youth, whether through tutoring, coaching, teaching music lessons, volunteering in an after-school program (Boys & Girls Club, YMCA, etc.), or working at a summer camp. Look under Community Engagement on this website for opportunities through the Volunteer and Community Service Center, the Lawrence Academy of Music, and other organizations.

Pre-Student Teaching Portfolio

Prior to the start of student teaching, you must submit an electronic portfolio documenting your progress toward Lawrence's 13 Teacher Education Program Standards. The portfolio should include evidence of content area mastery (major courses/grades, Praxis II test scores, senior independent studies, etc.), a record of practicum experiences, and evidence of emerging teaching skills (a teaching sample [video] and sample lesson plans and assessments). The pre-student teaching portfolio is normally assembled during the spring term of the year prior to student teaching, when you are taking your methods course. Your portfolio will be reviewed by a member of the Education faculty, who will provide you with feedback as you begin your student teaching. Note that you must submit a pre-student teaching portfolio before you may begin student teaching. This portfolio is checked for progress only; only the final teaching portfolio (below) is officially assessed for teacher certification.

Student Teaching

To be certified to teach, you must complete a full semester (18 weeks) of student teaching in your certification area.  Student teaching is usually done in the fall (late August through late January) of the senior year or in a 13th term after graduation, although spring student teaching (late January to early June) is also possible.  You can student teach in a school district in the vicinity of Lawrence, in the city of Chicago through our affiliations with the ACM Urban Education Program and the Chicago Center, or in another country through our new overseas student teaching option.  More information can be found under Student Teaching on this website.

Final Teaching Portfolio

At the completion of student teaching, in order to be certified for licensure, you must submit an electronic portfolio demonstrating that you meet or exceed each of Lawrence’s 13 Teacher Education Program Standards.  This portfolio is more extensive than the one submitted prior to student teaching. It includes a teaching video, lesson plans, assignments, assessments, and sample student work from your student teaching experience, as well as other information about you, your professional activities, and your qualifications as a teacher. The Education faculty member responsible for your student teaching supervision will review the evidence you present in your portfolio and certify that you meet or exceed each of the 13 standards for teacher certification and licensure.

For more information, look under Program Standards and Portfolios on this website.  Also check the Licensure Q&A for information about what must be done after student teaching to obtain a teaching license.