Secondary Education, B.A.

The Education Department offers an undergraduate licensure program in education to prepare elementary, secondary, K-12 art, K-12 foreign language and in conjunction with the Department of Music, K-12 music teachers. It is an experience-oriented teacher education program based on the liberal arts. The faculty of the education department is committed to the serious study of education and the promotion of professional standards to foster innovation in professional preparation. This commitment encompasses social issues such as equity and capacity-based learning, with an emphasis on preparing candidates to teach in diverse school settings. The program is approved for licensure by the Illinois State Board of Education. Teacher education programs differ from other programs at the College in that additional specific criteria must be met in the area of general education, as well as in the area of the major.

Secondary Education majors are required to complete a second major in their chosen content area in order to obtain a teaching license. The content areas are as follows: Art, Biology, Chemistry, Chinese, English, Environmental Science, French, German, Japanese, Mathematics, Physics, Social Science/History, Spanish, and Integrated Science: Biology, Chemistry or Physics. Requirements for these majors are housed in their respective departments.

For additional programs and courses in this department, see Education .

Major Requirements

One of the following:

Note:

Grades below “C-” in professional education courses and field experiences and content preparation courses are not accepted for licensure.

If a student receives a “no pass” in a field experience, the student must retake the field experience the next time it is scheduled. If a student passes the field experience but not the class, then both must be retaken.

Progression Points - Secondary

The Department of Education has established the following Progression Points as ways for department faculty to ensure students are undertaking experiences needed to prepare them for the profession of teaching. Each checklist is designed to be met by teacher candidates at important points along their journey to becoming a teacher. Once all experiences of a Progression Point are met, a teacher candidate is ready to move forward in the program.

Progression Point 1: Admission to the Teacher Education Program

Course Requirements:

Complete EDUC 101, PSYC 100 and EDUC 200 with a grade of C- or above
Complete EDUC 290 with a grade of P

GPA Requirements:

For full admission to the Teacher Education Program:

Have earned an overall cumulative GPA of 2.75 or better in all coursework taken at and transferred to North Central College
Have earned a GPA of 2.75 or better in all coursework taken for and transferred in to the Secondary Education major
Have earned a GPA of 2.50 or better in all coursework taken for and transferred in to the content area major (min. 16 credit hours)

For conditional admission to the Teacher Education Program:

Conditional Admission to the Teacher Education Program allows candidates to progress in their plan of study while taking advantage of systems of support provided by the department to help ensure academic success in the Teacher Education Program.

Have earned an overall cumulative GPA of 2.25-2.749 in all coursework taken at and transferred to North Central College
Have earned a GPA of 2.25-2.749 in all coursework taken for and transferred in to the Secondary Education major
Have earned a GPA of 2.00-2.499 in all coursework taken for and transferred in to the content area major (min. 16 credit hours)

Evaluation Requirements:

Dispositions:

Recommendation from candidate’s EDUC 101 instructor
Dispositions Recommendation from full-time faculty member in candidate’s content major
Self-assessment of dispositions at time of application to TEP

Field Experiences:

Field Experience Recommendation from EDUC 101
Mentor Teacher Recommendation from EDUC 290
Supervisor Recommendation from EDUC 290

Note: Teacher candidates must be admitted to the Teacher Education Program (TEP) to take EDUC courses at the 300- or 400-level.

Progression Point 2: Progression to Student Teaching Residency

Course Requirements:

Complete of all professional education courses for the Secondary Education major with a grade of C- or better with the exception of EDUC 494, and 496, the Student Teaching Residency course package
Complete all courses for the content area major

GPA Requirements:

For full admission to Student Teaching Residency:

Have earned an overall cumulative GPA of 2.75 or greater in all coursework taken at and transferred to North Central College
Have earned a GPA of 3.00 or better in all coursework taken for and transferred in to the Secondary Education major
Have earned a GPA of 2.50 or better in all coursework taken for and transferred in to the content area major

For conditional admission to Student Teaching Residency:

Conditional Admission to Student Teaching allows candidates to progress to student teaching while taking advantage of systems of support provided by the department to help ensure success.

Have earned an overall cumulative GPA of 2.25-2.749 in all coursework taken at and transferred to North Central College
Have earned a GPA of 2.50-2.999 in all coursework taken for and transferred in to the Secondary Education major
Have earned a GPA of 2.00-2.499 in all coursework taken for and transferred in to the content area major (min. 16 credit hours)

Recommendation Requirements:

Mentor Teacher Recommendations from EDUC 390 and 490
Supervisor Recommendations from EDUC 390 and 490
Practitioner Interview Recommendation, if assigned
Receive a recommendation from the Department of Education for Student Teaching Residency

Additional Requirements:

Complete the practice edTPA as required for EDUC 4XX HS/MS Methods:<Content Area> and EDUC 403 HS/MS Assessment of Learning
*Earn a passing Score on the appropriate ILTS content test
(ENGL: 207; MATH: 208; BIOL: 239; CHEM: 240; ENVI SCI: 242; PHYSICS: 243; HIST: 246; CHIN: 251; FREN: 252, GERM: 253; JAPN: 256; SPAN 260; ART: 214).

Progression Point 3: Licensure

*Pass EDUC 494 Student Teaching Residency Seminar, and EDUC 496 Student Teaching Residency with a grade of C- or better
*Earn a passing Score on the edTPA teacher performance assessment
*Complete all other necessary requirements to earn a bachelor’s degree

* Illinois State Board of Education requirement enforced by North Central College

Additional Requirements for the B.A. Degree

Students must demonstrate elementary competence in a foreign language. For more information, see the B.A. Degree Requirements within the Academic Regulations section of this catalog.

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