Selective Retention

The Selective Retention committee is responsible for monitoring the progress of each candidate admitted into the Teacher Preparation Program in the College of Education and Human Development. The committee urges all faculty members to submit, at any time, the name of any candidate who they believe should be evaluated by the committee to determine whether the candidate should continue to pursue a degree in Teacher Education. At the end of each regular semester and summer session, the Selective Admissions committee examines records for all candidate to assure that each candidate is making satisfactory progress toward a degree and possesses the dispositions (personal and social qualities) that are necessary for effective teaching.

Satisfactory progress toward a degree is defined all of the following:

• Earn at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA each Fall, Spring, and Summer semester.
• Earn at least a 2.5 overall cumulative GPA (includes the transfer and institutional GPA).
• Earn a minimum grade of a "C" or better in all courses labeled EDCI, EDFL, IRED, READ, SPED; in PSYC 220, PSYC 311, PSYC 312, and/or PSYC 255 (where required); all required HLTH and KNES courses; and in all content area courses required for the primary and secondary focus areas in middle school and secondary education programs. The Early Childhood and Elementary Education major must earn "C" or better in MATH 107 (or 103), 117, 217, and 317, and in the specialized academic areas (VIAR 215, EDCI 308, MUS 306, KNES 301, and/or KNES 307, as required by the curriculum; and courses in other fields of certification).

The Selective Retention committee may place a candidate on probation or remove a candidate from the Teacher Preparation Program. Any candidate who fails to earn a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA for each Fall, Spring, and Summer semester and/or a minimum 2.5 overall cumulative GPA (includes both transfer and institutional GPA) will be placed on probationary status within the Teacher Preparation Program. Academic performance which continues to deteriorate will be cause for a candidate to be removed from the program. In all cases in which either type of action is taken, all candidates are requested to re-evaluate their vocational goals and/or study patterns by consulting with one or more of the following: the head of the Department of Educational Curriculum and Instruction, the head of the Department of Educational Foundations and Leadership, or the Assistant Dean for the College of Education and Human Development.

Any candidate who is either denied admission to, or removed from, the Teacher Preparation Program will be reconsidered for the professional program in education after having earned a non-education degree with a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA from a regionally accredited college or university. An individual may request such reconsideration by 1) submitting an official transcript which notes the awarding of the degree earned, and 2) obtaining an official prescription of courses required to complete a certification area and possibly a second undergraduate degree. NOTE: The College of Education and Human Development offers a post-baccalaureate option for non-certified individuals who desire to prepare for teaching, but who do not wish to pursue a second undergraduate degree.

Sequence of Courses

To provide a seamless progression through the skills of teaching, most methods courses (as well as other courses that support or provide foundations for the methods courses) are sequenced in a developmental manner. To accomplish these goals, certain courses are scheduled in blocks, with each block course requiring at least ten hours of field experience outside of class time. Students are required to adhere to the block scheduling of these courses and to the sequence in which the blocks (Block I, Block II, and Block III) occur in each curriculum. Students are urged to check with their advisors to plan well in advance for the scheduling of the course blocks.