College of Education and Professional Development

Department

Admission Requirements

Regular admission to the university constitutes admission as a Pre-Teacher Education major for freshmen entering the College of Education and Professional Development.

Admission to Teacher Education

  1. Enrolled in the College of Education and Professional Development as a Pre-Teacher Education major.
  2. Completed at least 24 credit hours, including EDF 201 Ed Psych Developing Learner/EDF 200 Pre-Residency Clinical (12 hours for transfer students).
  3. Maintained Grade Point Average of 2.80 or better for all courses attempted overall.
  4. Maintained Grade Point Average of 2.80 or better for all courses attempted at Marshall University.
  5. ACT composite of 21 (see the Student Center of Professional Education Services, for alternative entrance table).
  6. Completion of ADMI 4 Portfolio, which includes:
  • Completion of Self-Assessment in LiveText.
  • Completion of Writing Sample in LiveText.
  • Three Recommendations uploaded to LiveText.
  1. Passage of Praxis Core Exam or approved exemption. 

Process for Application for Admission to Teacher Education

  1. During enrollment in EDF 201 Ed Psych Developing Learner, each student will be asked to submit an Application for Admission to Teacher Education.
  2. During the semester the application is submitted, personnel in the Student Center of Professional Education Services (SCOPES) will evaluate each student’s record to determine eligibility for admission to Teacher Education.
  3. Each transfer student is responsible for initiating the application procedure through the Student Center of Professional Education Services (SCOPES).

Students who desire to become teachers in early childhood, pre-kindergarten/kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary schools and who are confident that they can attain the standards of academic and professional competency required, enroll in the College of Education and Professional Development. Students who are enrolled in another college or school of the university may not enroll in the professional education core courses except for EDF 201 Ed Psych Developing Learner. 

Admission to the Residency Program at Marshall University

Requires the following:

  1. Completion of the professional education core prerequisites.
  2. Core Curriculum Requirements with the grade of C or better in ENG 101 Beginning Composition, ENG 201 Advanced Composition, or ENG 201H English Comp Honors.
  3. A Grade Point Average of 2.80 or better in all courses attempted, all coursework at Marshall University, and all courses in the teaching specializations; and a 3.0 in all courses in professional education.
    Courses in specialization(s) and professional education must be passed with a grade of C or better. Students should review their academic maps to identify professional education courses. It will be the student’s responsibility to insure that the above grade averages have been met prior to entering residency. Any student who enters residency without the above grade averages will be withdrawn by administrative action.
  4. The completion of 90% of the coursework in the teaching specialization(s). Applicants must complete a minimum of 100 hours prior to the beginning of residency. All professional education courses must be taken prior to residency.
  5. Application for Student Teaching/Residency. Applications must be completed the semester prior to enrolling for this experience.
  6. Successful passage of the Praxis II Content exam or two unsuccessful attempts of the exam.

Note: Students who are members of varsity teams may not participate in the residency program during the active season of their particular sport (e.g., football team members may enroll for Residency II only during the spring semester, basketball team members may enroll for Residency II only during the fall semester, and so on).

Site Selection

Teacher candidates will be placed in private or public schools where there is exposure to students who are diverse, at risk, and have special needs. The school supervisors have a thorough understanding of the College of Education and Professional Development’s expectations for the candidates during these experiences. While in these schools, the teacher candidates will have an opportunity to integrate content, basic professional knowledge and pedagogical skills in an appropriate educational setting.

Academic Policies

Academic Probation

Any student who has less than a 2.0 average will be placed on academic probation. Students with transfer credit must satisfy the 2.0 overall and institutional requirement.

A student on probation must show the improvement stipulated by the Marshall University Academic Probation and Suspension Policy during each succeeding term in which he or she is enrolled. Students failing to meet this standard will be suspended and declared ineligible to attend the next regular academic semester or may be dismissed from the university.

  1. Students, while on academic probation, must request permission to enroll each term from the director of the Student Center of Professional Education Services (SCOPES).
  2. Students desiring to take courses at another institution must complete an official request form seeking approval prior to visiting another institution as a transient student.

Clinical Experiences

Background Check Policy

All students representing Marshall University must be authorized by the director of clinical experiences prior to entering a school.

West Virginia law mandates that all persons entering a school or having contact with students must have completed a background check and have not been found on the sexual offender registry prior to entering a school. Each county and school can also use the results of that background check as a basis for admitting or denying admittance. It is the procedure of the Marshall University College of Education and Professional Development that every student will obtain a background check prior to being placed in a school setting.

Marshall University has chosen Castlebranch.com as an approved provider of background checks for our students. Students must obtain a background check at Castlebranch.com or another third party vendor (approved by the Student Center of Professional Education) to be permitted into a school. All results must be received prior to placement for any clinical assignment. Castlebranch charges a fee for this service. Renewals are cheaper – check the website. All fees are the responsibility of the student. You should contact the SCOPES office if you have any questions about your background check.

All students entering a field experience must complete a background check every 12 months.

Residency

An applicant for a professional certificate who is to be recommended to the West Virginia Department of Education for licensure must enroll in residency at Marshall University.

Students are assigned to private or public schools that have an agreement to provide student teaching experiences in cooperation with Marshall University. Since the supply of cooperating teachers is limited and the College of Education and Professional Development has a large number of teacher candidates, it is sometimes necessary to assign students to selected schools outside the campus area. It is not possible to place students in schools within walking distance. Students must provide transportation to residency site(s). In all cases the responsibility for placements rests with the Director of Clinical Experiences and with the approval of the public school administration of the county and school in which the student is to be placed. Students who are assigned a residency position but who do not complete the assignment may not be assured of a future assignment.

Policies for Admission and Retention in the Undergraduate Teacher Education Program

Admission to Teacher Education

Undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate students pursuing initial licensure in Elementary or Secondary Education must be admitted to teacher education before they can take professional education courses or participate in residency.

Monitoring Acceptance Status

Once applications are processed and entered in the teacher education database, the student will receive an e-mail that indicates whether he/she has been accepted in teacher education or if any deficiencies exist.

Appeals of Acceptance Status

Students who have not been fully accepted in teacher education may appeal to the Teacher Education Standards Committee (TESC). The Teacher Education Standards Committee meets the Friday before each semester begins (fall and spring semesters only). Students make an appointment to see the committee through the Student Center of Professional Education Services (SCOPES), prior to the beginning of the semester.

Maintaining Admission Status

Students who have been admitted into teacher education programs must continue to meet all criteria that were required for admission throughout their course of study. Failure to maintain those criteria could result in probationary status or dismissal from the program.

It is expected that students in professional education programs exhibit professional behaviors and apply professional knowledge in their coursework and clinical experiences. Students will be expected to:

  • Communicate effectively both orally and in writing;
  • Apply professional knowledge and skills (content and methodology) to meet their ethical and professional responsibilities in order to enhance student learning;
  • Demonstrate a respect for individual and family diversity;
  • Demonstrate the application of critical thinking skills;
  • Meet all standards of professional behavior established at each clinical site.

Probationary Status or Unsatisfactory Performance

Initiating the Process

Any member of the professional education community who questions the competency of a candidate related to any of the criteria for admission or other relevant professional performance standard, as described above, should contact the candidate’s department chair. The chair will request that the TESC review the candidate’s overall performance and make one of three decisions.

  • Student’s performance is satisfactory
  • Student’s performance is unsatisfactory; the student should be put on probation and counseled with an appropriate plan for action. The Teacher Education Standards Committee should be notified.
  • Student Performance is extremely unsatisfactory; the student should be counseled regarding options for a major other than teacher education. If necessary, the case would be referred to the Dean.

The student will be informed of each performance review, have the opportunity to meet with the Teacher Education Standards Committee (TESC), and be informed of the decisions of the committee.

Determining Probation

To place a student on probation, the chair will notify the TESC that he/she is recommending probationary status for the student.

  • If the TESC agrees with this recommendation, it will oversee development of a plan of action that identifies the areas of concern, an intervention plan, expectations for satisfactory performance, a monitoring process and timeline including what impact the probationary status would have on residency, and specified consequences. The student will receive a copy of the recommended plan.
  • The Teacher Education Standards Committee will review the plan and endorse it or ask for more clarification first. The student may request to meet with TESC if he/she objects to any portion of the plan. TESC will then make the decision regarding the plan, and notify all parties. The student will receive a copy of the final plan and will meet with the Associate Dean and the chair (or representative) to review the plan.
  • At the end of the time period specified in the action plan, the TESC will either recommend removal or extension of the probationary status or dismissal from teacher education.
Determining Extremely Unsatisfactory Performance

To recommend that a student not continue in teacher education, the chair will submit a written recommendation with supporting documentation to the Teacher Education Standards Committee. The student will also receive the information.

  • Within 21 days, the Teacher Education Standards Committee will meet to review the recommendation. At that time the chair (or representative) and the student will be asked to meet with the committee. Each will have the opportunity to present his/her case with supporting evidence.
  • The Teacher Education Standards Committee will then meet in a closed session to make a decision either not to permit the student to continue in teacher education or to place him/her on a continuing probationary status.
  • All parties involved will be advised of the results of the review.
  • If a student is placed on continuing probation, a timeline for improvement will be developed. If the student does not improve, he/she will not be permitted to continue in teacher education.
  • Students who are not successful on continuing probation in the teacher education program will be notified in writing by the chair of the Teacher Education Standards Committee. Reasons for non-continuation in the program will be explained as they relate to standards of professional behavior.
Procedures for Appeal

The decision of the Teacher Education Standards Committee may be appealed to the Dean of the College of Education and Professional Development on the grounds of due process. This is the final decision level in the College of Education and Professional Development.

Degree Requirements

Students who expect to complete degree requirements in the College of Education and Professional Development are required to complete their Residency/Student Teaching during the senior year. Students must complete at least 56 hours at Marshall University.

Candidates for a bachelor’s degree who entered Marshall University within ten years prior to their graduation may graduate by meeting the requirements in effect at the time of their entrance into the College of Education and Professional Development.

When the candidate fails to complete the requirements within ten (10) years, he/she must meet the graduation/certification requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the program. Any questions related to this matter should be referred to the director of the Student Center of Professional Education Services (SCOPES).

Credit for Courses Offered Externally

Credits earned through correspondence, extension, military service, radio, television, and special examinations are accepted up to a maximum of 28 semester hours. Courses are accepted only if such courses are offered by institutions of higher education which are accredited by a regional accreditation association of secondary schools and colleges and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. Enrollment for any such credit should be approved through the Student Center of Professional Education Services (SCOPES) prior to enrollment.

Program Requirements

The following information refers to programming required in the College of Education and Professional Development.

Students must complete the curricular requirements as outlined in the undergraduate catalog in effect at the time they enter their degree programs. Students should monitor their programs of study carefully due to ongoing curricular changes.

A minimum of 120 semester hours is required by the university for graduation. The degree program selected by a College of Education and Professional Development major could require additional hours to satisfy graduation. Program curricula, as printed, could have the same course listed in the general studies and the option areas. These need to be identified to determine the specific number of semester hours required for graduation in the selected major(s).

Credits for developmental courses are not included in the minimum 120-hour total.

A minimum of 45 semester hours must be earned in 300-400 level courses. Courses transferred from two-year colleges may not be used as part of the 300-400 level requirements. Courses transferred from four-year accredited colleges retain their original numbers.

Although students are expected to complete the majority of their work at Marshall University, it is possible to complete some coursework at other institutions. Arrangement for such enrollment must be made in advance of enrollment. Students must obtain a permission form in the Student Center of Professional Education Services (SCOPES).

Graduation Requirements

Graduation requirements in the College of Education and Professional Development differ by program area. General requirements for teacher education programs are listed. Individual program requirements are identified with the specific programs. Students should monitor their programs of study carefully due to ongoing curricular changes in many programs.

Teacher Education Programs

  • Satisfactory completion of the Core Curriculum, and the culminating capstone experience (residency/student teaching). Completion of all required courses in each specialization, and in professional education.
  • Grade Point Averages of:
    1. 2.80 overall and on all courses attempted at Marshall University. Transfer credit may not be used to increase the Marshall University Grade Point Average except in the case of D/F Repeat Policy.
    2. 2.80 in each specialization.
    3. 3.0 in professional education.
  • Completion of a minimum of 120 semester hours, including at least 56 hours at Marshall University.
  • A grade of C or better in all specialization and professional education courses.
  • Successful passage of all parts of the Praxis CORE Academic Skills for Educators Exam or an exemption.
  • Successful passage of the Praxis II Content Exam, or two unsuccessful attempts of the exam.
  • Successful passage of the WV Teacher Performance Assessment (WVTPA).

NOTE: Students seeking certification in West Virginia or other states should contact the SCOPES Office.

Curricular Structure

The Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Education and Professional Development includes the following components:

University-Wide Requirements
Core I Requirements
FYS 100First Yr Sem Critical Thinking3
Select two CT-designated courses6
Core II Requirements
ENG 101 Bison image Beginning Composition3
ENG 201 Bison image Advanced Composition3
CMM 103 Bison image Fund Speech-Communication3
Core II Fine Arts3
Core II Humanities3
Core II Math3
Core II Physical/Natural Science4
Core II Social Science3
Additional Requirements
Writing Intensive courses6
International or Multicultural courses3
College-Wide Requirements
45 upper-division hours45
Successful passage of all three parts of the Praxis CORE Academic Skills for Educators Exam, or other approved exemption
Admission to Teacher Education
Total Credit Hours88