University of New England

Outcome: Eligible for Teacher Certification in the State of Maine

College: Arts and Sciences

Department: Education

Contact: Dr. Douglas Lynch (Chair)  dlynch@une.edu

The mission of the Department of Education is to develop - through research, service, and innovative teaching - reflective teachers and school leaders who are competent and caring lifelong learners. In addition to the mission statement, the Department of Education has identified four guiding principles to clearly specify goals for our students. These principles are:

• Rigorous of mind
• Compassionate of heart
• Competent demonstration
• Reflective stance

"Rigorous of mind" and "compassionate of heart" are overlapping principles we want to build in our students. Tasks may require primarily one principle-describing a theory in leadership-yet many times an overlap occurs when one applies knowledge to the school setting-how can a theory in leadership be used to benefit the school environment and impact student learning? Hence, as these two principles "rigorous of mind" and "compassionate of heart" are played out, the essence of both is our commitment to requiring "competent demonstration" from our students whether they are aspiring to be teachers or school leaders or are presently teachers or school leaders pursuing an advanced degree. The fourth principle, "reflective stance," encompasses the first three principles, since it is critical that our students are continuously reflective in all aspects of their work. These four principles work with our mission statement to define our commitment to our students.  Since programs in the Department of Education are aligned with state teacher certification standards, only individuals who demonstrate that they possess the knowledge, skills, professional attitude, and commitment to future students will be recommended by the institution for certification. The goal of the Department of Education and the University is to graduate teachers who reflect rigorous of mind, compassionate of heart, competent demonstration and reflective stance.  That is, we seek students who are suitable to contribute to the teaching profession.

Undergraduate Programs of Study
The teacher certification programs described below are approved by the Maine State Board of Education as meeting the state standards for certification.

1. Elementary Education Major with K-8 certification
   Students complete a four-year curriculum leading to a bachelor of science degree in elementary education and earn Maine certification to teach in grades K - 8.  There is also an option to complete all of the courses in the program without participating in the internship. In this case, students complete a bachelor of science is Educational Studies without the K-8 certification.
2. Secondary Certification (grades 7-12) linked with a major in Biology, Chemistry, English, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, History or Mathematics 
   Students complete a four-year curriculum leading to a bachelor’s degree in a content area such as biology, chemistry, English, environmental science, environmental studies, history or mathematics and additionally complete the secondary professional education sequence culminating in a semester of student teaching to earn Maine certification to teach grades 7-12 in the major area of focus which falls under the certification categories of life science, physical science, English, history or mathematics.
3. Art Education Major with K-12 Certification
   Students complete a four-year curriculum leading to a bachelor’s degree in art education (a major offered in collaboration with the Fine Arts Department) and earn Maine certification to teach art, grades K-12. 

Students who already hold a bachelor’s degree may complete a professional education core sequence to become eligible for state certification in grades K-8, secondary certification (7-12 in the areas of life science, physical science, English, history, mathematics) or art education, K-12. For more information see Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program in the Graduate Catalog.

Candidates for all undergraduate education programs not already possessing a bachelor’s degree must meet the core requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences and the requirements for their major.  Elementary certification requirements for the major rests solely within the Department of Education.  Secondary certification students and art education students must meet two sets of major requirements involving their content major as well as the requirements for professional certification.  Hence, undergraduates seeking secondary or K-12 art certification should consult first with their content advisor and next with their education advisor within the Department of Education. An additional application form must be filed for those seeking secondary or art education certification, since an applicant must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in their content teaching area and all courses counted in the content teaching field must be passed with a “B” or better.   Application forms may be obtained from the major advisor or from the secondary education/art education advisor in the Department of Education.

Each undergraduate student will be reviewed for admission to advanced standing when s/he has completed approximately 60 credit hours. Advanced standing is earned by achieving minimums of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average in professional education courses with no course grade below a C; 3.0 in content area classes for those pursuing secondary or art education certification; and a 2.5 cumulative grade point average across all courses including the core curriculum and electives. Grade point averages will be calculated using only courses taken at UNE (the cumulative grade point average) and using transfer courses if accepted as a part of the professional program (the cumulative professional grade point average). Students who do not meet these grade-point average requirements must improve their grade-point average before continuing in education courses.  If a grade below C is attained in a professional education course, that course must be retaken until at least a C is received before additional education courses can be taken. Also at the time of the 60-credit review, students must pass the Praxis I Pre-professional Skills Tests (PPST) or the Praxis I Computer-Based Test (CBT) using the state of Maine minimum scores. Undergraduate transfer students who bring in more than 60 transfer credits have up to one year to pass Praxis I or before the internship application deadline, whichever comes first. If Praxis I is not passed at the time of these deadlines, no further certification courses may be taken and if a student is at the point of internship, the application will not be accepted which automatically restricts the student from participating in the internship the following semester.

As of the October 1, 2006 application deadline for internships beginning the spring of 2007, all students must show evidence of passing Praxis II before the internship application deadline.

Students may obtain PPST registration information and Praxis II registration information from the Department of Education office or from the Educational Testing Service website.

In addition to these achievement requirements, students admitted to UNE's teacher education programs are assessed systematically for the purpose of determining their professionalism and suitability for teaching. Students complete self-assessment questionnaires in each professional education course and these are reviewed by faculty. If serious reservations arise in two or more of the assessments, a committee will convene to determine a student’s continuance in the program.  Finally, students must participate in the Professional Education Review Board (referenced later in this section of the catalog) at which competency in the ten Maine teaching standards must be shown.

All certification coursework including the internship should be completed within a five-year timeframe.  A delay beyond the five years might warrant the retaking of course work.  Furthermore, if state certification requirements change prior to your completion even within the five year timeframe, those changes must be incorporated into a revised plan program in order to meet state certification regulations. 

See University Undergraduate Admissions Requirements 

Field Experience
The faculty in the Department of Education are committed to ongoing and frequent observation and involvement in schools. The teacher education programs at UNE have a specific competency-based focus to meet the ten Maine standards for teacher certification. All students engaged in teacher preparation will spend time in a field setting in each of the semesters for which they are registered for professional education courses. Involvement in the schools will be connected to specific, course-related tasks (e.g., observation, the teaching of lessons, conducting of experiments, administration of assessments, etc.) The actual number of hours spent in the school setting will depend upon the number and nature of the courses in which students are involved. Transportation to and from schools is the responsibility of the student.

Internship
Courses may not be taken during the internship semester, so all required coursework must be completed the semester prior to the internship.  Admission to the internship is not guaranteed (see section on “Admission requirements and successful progression in the program”).  In addition, the student should have:

1. Sufficient knowledge regarding the components of effective instruction.
2. Sufficient knowledge of appropriate grade-level content and teaching methods.
3. Sufficient knowledge of the developmental needs of students.
4. Sufficient knowledge of how to establish and maintain effective cooperative relationships with  school personnel, students, and parents.
5. Understanding of and empathy for working with students.
6. No serious reservations identified on the Professional Performance Student Self-Assessment and Review instrument that is conducted in every course.

The selection of individual internship sites will be made by the Certification and Placement Officer. Geographical location relative to UNE is a consideration. UNE has a collaborative relationship with many districts and selects both schools and teachers based on their interest in and ability to assist interns in demonstrating mastery of the Initial Certification standards.  Placement in an internship is not guaranteed. The Department of Education, through its Certification and Placement Officer, will make a good faith effort to negotiate an appropriate placement. Schools have the right to refuse placement requests.

The University, at its discretion, will not place students in internship settings (1) where an intern's children or relatives are enrolled, or (2) where a spouse or relative of an intern is currently employed.

Professional Educator Review Board (PERB)
All students enrolled in the internship must demonstrate their teaching competence with respect to Maine's Ten Standards for Initial Certification before the Professional Educator Review Board (PERB). The Board is comprised of professional educators from area schools as well as UNE faculty.  Students are required to develop a portfolio reflecting their proficiency in meeting these state standards and present and defend the portfolio in front of the Board.  Passing the PERB is a requirement for completion of the certification program and subsequently being recommended to the Maine State Department of Education for teacher licensure.

Notice and Responsibilities Regarding this Catalog

This Catalog documents the academic programs, policies, and activities of the University of New England for the 2007-2008 academic year. The information contained herein is accurate as of date of publication August 1, 2007.

The University of New England reserves the right in its sole judgment to make changes of any nature in its programs, calendar, or academic schedule whenever it is deemed necessary or desirable, including changes in course content, the rescheduling of classes with or without extending the academic term, canceling of scheduled classes or other academic activities, in any such case giving such notice thereof as is reasonably practicable under the circumstances.

While each student may work closely with an academic advisor, he or she must retain individual responsibility for meeting requirements in this catalog and for being aware of any changes in provisions or requirements.