School of Education E-newsletter

by: Dr. Kathy Richardson-Jones, Coordinator

The Teacher Education Division thanks all undergraduate and graduate students for their participation in the NCATE process and for their on-going support of The Citadel's teacher education programs. Candidates, as they move through the program, have offered valuable suggestions for improvement through: Town Hall meetings, the Education Leaders Club, End of Course Evaluations, and Program Completer Surveys. Through review of survey suggestions, the Teacher Education Division has been able to improve its processes and better prepare teachers. Some of the changes to our programs are highlighted below.

Program Advising

Program advising has changed significantly over the past four years. Because of an indicated need for content area support and advising for incoming graduate students, a dual advising system has been implemented. The School of Education appreciates the work of Dr. David Allen, English; Dr. Michael Barrett, Social Studies; Dr. Steve Comer, Mathematics; Dr. Alix Darden, Biology and General Science; Dr. John Moore, Mathematics; Dr. Paul Rosenblum, Biology; and Dr. Josey Templeton, Physical Education for their assistance in this very important teacher candidate support effort.

Through the dual advising system, once an MAT applicant meets requirements for admission, content area faculty review the applicant's transcripts and develop a tailored Program of Study in accordance with state and national standards. The next step is for members of the Teacher Education faculty to finalize this personalized Program of Study. During a group meeting, Teacher Education faculty make sure that incoming students understand the requirements for program completion and faculty answer any questions that the group may have. Full admission to the program occurs when the Program of Study is signed by the relevant constituencies including the applicant, the academic and professional advisors, and the Dean of the School of Education. Throughout the program, both the Content Area advisor and the Education advisor are available to help teacher candidates with individual programmatic questions. Through the development of a similar, collaborative process, undergraduate students are also jointly advised.

Program Changes

A few program changes have recently been made. Beginning this semester (Fall 2007), MAT candidates take either EDUC 500 (Foundations of American Education) or EDUC 522 (Critical Educational Issues) dependent upon prior undergraduate preparation. In addition, if a teacher candidate has verifiable undergraduate preparation in Human Growth and Development, the Psychology requirement (PSYC 500) may be waived.

Admission and Retention

Early this semester (Fall 2007) the Teacher Education Admission and Retention Committee's procedures were revised to more closely monitor candidate progress and evaluations. This committee now reviews candidate grades, PRAXIS scores and disposition evaluations on a semester by semester basis as students move through the program. The committee's primary functions are to help make sure students meet the expected standards and to suggest appropriate remediation as needed.

The Teacher Education Division of the School of Education appreciates the suggestions offered by our students, alumni and P-12 partners. As part of our ongoing commitment to educational excellence, we welcome suggestions for program improvement from both current teacher education candidates and from graduates of our programs.