Changes to teacher certifications in the works

Proposals have been made by the state of Pennsylvania to change teachers' certification requirements. An education major must maintain a 3.0 average in every course he or she takes during his or her college career. The students must also be out in some kind of work area by their sophomore year.

by Anne C. Miller staff writer

The state of Pennsylvania is in the process of considering changes in its certification of teachers.

Several proposals were introduced and are being researched by a board of representatives from the stare.

Only two of the proposals are directly targeted at education majors and will directly effect their education and future certifications.

Whether they are elementary, special, early childhood or secondary education majors, all undergraduates pursuing a major in any education field must maintain a 3.0 grade point average. This average is incorporated in both the core curriculum and courses within the ma1or.

The proposal was suggested after a particular incident that recently occurred in Massachusetts.

Several teachers teaching within the state were given a general knowledge test. More than onehalf of the teachers failed to pass the exam, according to Dr. Dawn Middleton, education department chair.

"General knowledge should be tracked, making for a more well rounded teacher," said early childhood/elementary education major Lori Gibbons, a sophomore.

The mandatory GPA in relation to core curriculum and courses within the major is utilized as a screening tool. One's GPA is believed to be in correlation with the quality of teaching.

"I don't think it should have to be in relation to your core curriculum," said sophomore Linda Gros, an early childhood/elementary education major.

Another proposal being researched deals with requirements of experience within the field. The proposal mirrors what Cabrini already incorporates as part of its education curriculum.

For example, all education ma- jors must be out in the classroom during their sophomore, junior and senior years. In addition, education students must maintain a set GPA in order to enroll in field experience.

Here at Cabrini, sophomores complete two semesters of field experience and are in the classroom one half-day per week. However, to do so. these students must have maintained at least a 2.75 GPA in their first year.

Junior-year students complete one full day per week in the classroom for two semesters and must maintain a 3.00 GPA sophomore year.

Seniors' field experience consists of one full day in the classroom per week for one semester, followed by their student teaching second semester.

"This encourages hands on experience and variety," said Middleton.

The down side to the proposal is that some colleges within the state will have trouble placing all of