English Teaching Certificate ..................................Bachelor of Arts

All Gannon University teacher certification programs have Pennsylvania Department of Education approval. The School of Education currently offers the following initial certification baccalaureate program options: Early Childhood Education PreK-4 Early Childhood Education PreK-4 and Special Education PreK-12 Special Education PreK-12 Middle Level 4-8 • English/Language Arts and Reading • Mathematics • Science • Social Studies • English/Language Arts and Mathematics • English/Language Arts and Science • Mathematics and Science • Social Studies and Mathematics • Social Studies and Science Secondary Education grades 7-12 • Biology (BA and BS programs) • English • Mathematics • Social Studies Associate Degrees • Early Childhood Education • Early Childhood Education/Early Intervention

Teacher Certification

In compliance with Pennsylvania Law, Act 354, all individuals entering School of Education programs must have and maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or greater. All individuals seeking teacher certification in Pennsylvania must fulfill the requirements of the University for the Baccalaureate Degree as well as the professional education requirements of the School of Education. Teacher candidates must also achieve passing scores, as determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), on the required teacher examinations. The process and requirements for teacher certification are described in the Gannon University Teacher Certification Handbook as well as this catalog. To obtain specific information about certification in other states, teacher candidates should review information online at each state’s Department of Education web site.

Please note that current Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) standards and regulations take precedence over any information described in this document or the Gannon University Teacher Certification Handbook. Should PDE’s standards and regulations change,

Gannon will change its requirements. Teacher candidates will be responsible for meeting the new guidelines for certification. Candidates must meet the PDE guidelines that are in effect on the day candidates submit their certification application. Please refer to the PDE website at https://www.education.pa.gov for changes in regulations.

Admission to the School of Education

Acceptance and enrollment at Gannon University does not automatically guarantee acceptance into the School of Education as a teacher candidate. Each teacher candidate must apply for official admission to the School of Education. Applications are available in the School of Education office. Teacher candidates are required to formally apply to the School of Education between their first 48-60 credit hours. This usually occurs between the first and second semester

of the sophomore year, but application must be made no later than the end of the sophomore year. Continuation in the Education program is dependent upon acceptance into the School of Education. The Education Review Committee evaluates applications for admission to the School of Education each semester. Individuals who meet the criteria are recommended to the Director of the School of Education for admission. The standards for admission and retention have been developed by the School of Education and require that teacher candidates accomplish the following academic requirements: • Candidates must earn a grade of C or better in all education courses. • An overall GPA of 3.0 or greater is required for acceptance into the School of Education.

Computation of the overall grade point average considers all coursework completed at the point of application to the program. • The School of Education is authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to permit candidates to proceed with Education coursework when the overall GPA is lower than 3.0 but at least 2.8. When all other criteria for admission to the School of Education have been met, candidates with GPAs between 2.8 and 3.0 may be granted permission to continue taking upper-level Education courses for one additional semester. Please refer to the Teacher Certification Handbook for further details of the 2.8 GPA policy. • All baccalaureate candidates, regardless of area of specialization, must have completed

LENG 111, LENG 112, three credits of an approved literature course, six credits of math (103 or higher), EDCR 101, and EDCR 103 with a C or better. • In addition, Early Childhood PreK-4 and Special Education PreK-12 majors must have completed ECED 100, ECED 111, ECED 200, EDCR 105, and SPED 101 with a C or better. • In addition, Middle Level 4-8 majors must have completed EDCR 105, MLED 201, MLED 202, and SPED 101 with a C or better. • In addition, Secondary majors also must have completed EDCR 105 with a C or better and have passed EDFL 101. • Before completion of 60 credits and before applying for admission to the School of

Education, candidates must show evidence that they have met PDE’s basic skills requirement in reading, mathematics, and writing. Examinations meeting the basic skills requirement include: Core Academic Skills for Educators Tests (CORE), Pre-Service

Academic Performance Assessments (PAPA), The Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT), and/ or The American College Test (ACT). Candidates may combine reading, mathematics, and writing module scores from different test providers to meet the basic skills requirement.

In addition, a composite score method is available. When using the composite score, each test must meet or exceed the minimum score listed. For complete details, refer to the

Pennsylvania Department of Education website at www.education.pa.gov and enter Basic

Skill Testing Requirements in the search box. • Candidates who do NOT show evidence of meeting the basic skills requirement prior to enrolling in their 61st credit will not be permitted to enroll in upper-level Education courses and may be required to change their major. • Individuals who have earned a BS or BA degree and who enroll in coursework to prepare for teacher certification do not have to meet the basic skills requirement. • The School of Education has no control or responsibility for the timely receipt of test scores.

Applications to the School of Education are assessed upon the most recent test scores on file. Teacher candidates who are learning disabled may make requests for adapted testing conditions. • Candidates must earn an overall satisfactory rating in professional dispositions. Details are provided to teacher candidates during their first semester as Education majors.

Denial of Admission to the School of Education

An overall grade point average of 3.0 must be maintained. Individuals who do not meet state mandated minimums are not eligible for admission into the School of Education. Incomplete School of Education applications will result in denial of admission. Application essays that earn a score of less than 15 will have one opportunity for revision. If the second revision earns a score of less than 15, the candidate will be denied admission to the School of Education.

Retention in the School of Education

Once admitted to the School of Education, candidates must abide by the following retention policies to remain in the program: • Candidates must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 or greater in all coursework. • Candidates must maintain a C or better in all required coursework in professional education and the chosen teaching specialization(s). • Candidates must successfully complete field experience requirements prescribed in the chosen teaching specialization(s). • Candidates must demonstrate professional dispositions that are appropriate for teaching and managing instruction in diverse learning environments. • The Director of the School of Education may recommend re-evaluation of status for any candidate previously admitted to the program when evidence exists that the individual may be unsuitable for the teaching profession. • Only candidates meeting the Pennsylvania Department of Education requirements at the time of application are eligible to be recommended for certification. • In some instances, the University may award a degree although the candidate is not eligible to be recommended for teacher certification.

Field Experiences Requirements

As freshmen, teacher candidates will complete their first field experience as part of EDCR 104 First-Year Seminar. This is an opportunity for candidates to observe for a total of 10 hours in one or more different educational settings. A variety of experiences in public, private, and diocesan schools located in urban, suburban and rural locations are directly linked to coursework. Expectations for each experience are described in the School of Education Field Experience Handbooks. Grades for field experiences in the PreK-4, 4-8, and Special Education PreK-12 baccalaureate, associate or minor programs are included as part of specific courses. In order to pass the course, ratings in the field experience must be satisfactory. All secondary majors must earn a passing grade in each field experience (i.e., EDFL 101, 102, or 103) before the next experience can be completed. Students will be removed from a field experience if the Cooperating Teacher and University Supervisor determine that the field student’s performance is unsatisfactory.

Required Clearances, Trainings, and Testing

Prior to beginning the first field experience, all students enrolled as Education majors and students enrolled in an Education minor must complete clearances, training, and testing mandated by the Pennsylvania School Code and the Diocese of Erie. • If a student is continuously enrolled in an education preparation program, the criminal background, child abuse and fingerprint information originally submitted shall remain valid for 60 months unless a field site requires clearances that are less than one year old when the field experience ends. Complete details are available in the School of Education office or on our website.

Candidates whose clearances are not on file during the first month of the semester in which they are enrolled for their first field experience will be required to drop the course from their schedules. Out-of-state candidates are also subject to background checks and must follow the same directions as residents of Pennsylvania. Act 34 Criminal History Record Check: The application for this clearance is available online only. Go to https://epatch.state.pa.us and click on “Submit a New Record Check.” Once the application has been completed, be certain to print the official clearance found under the heading “PA State Police Response for Criminal Record Check.” Further details are available in the School of Education office or website. Act 151 Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance: The online application form can be found at https://www.compass.state.pa.us/CWIS. There is also a mail-in form available. Under the heading “Purpose of Clearance,” select “School Employee.” Online applicants will receive their clearance by mail within 14 days. For mailed applications, the clearance may take three to six weeks to receive. Act 114 Fingerprinting Clearance: The fingerprint requirement includes all university students who are in a public or private school on field experiences of any type. Fingerprinting must be done in Pennsylvania, following these directions: 1. Go to https://uenroll.identogo.com and use service code 1KG6RT. This service code is unique to Gannon. Do not use this code for another purpose. a. Choose PDE under the category, Choose Your Agency. b. When applying for clearances for field placements, choose PDE – Colleges/Universities Teacher Education Program under the category, Select Your Reason for Fingerprinting

=PDE-.

If applying for clearances for student teaching, choose PDE-School Districts under the category, Select Your Reason for Fingerprinting. 2. Once the service code appears, click Continue; then, click Schedule or Manage

Appointment. 3. Follow the on-screen directions and fill in the personal information. a. Applicants are required to choose the official document they will bring to the fingerprinting center. 4. Choose the location for a fingerprinting appointment. a. Applicants can create an appointment or can select Walk In. 5. Next, access to a service summary will be provided. Print the service summary. 6. Fee requirements can be found on the Identogo website and can be paid online, using a money order or credit card. Payment may also be made at the fingerprinting center, using a money order or credit card. Act 82 Arrest/Conviction Certification Form: The Arrest or Conviction Report and Certification Form associated with Act 82 must be completed by Education students prior to participation in classroom teaching, clinical or field experience. The Act 82 form is completed annually. See the form for all reportable offenses. The form is available in the School of Education office. Act 126 Child Abuse Training (3-hours): The training includes recognition of the signs of abuse, mandatory reporting requirements, maintenance of professional and appropriate relationships with students, etc. ACT 126 training can be completed online free of charge at www.reportabuse.pa.pitt.edu.