Teacher Education Programs

Admission to Teacher Education Programs

All graduate students admitted to the initial certification programs in early childhood education, elementary education, secondary education, and multicategorical special education who wish to complete the University's Teacher Preparation Program, including clinical practice (student teaching), must be officially admitted to the program. Passing the Illinois Certification Testing Systems, (ICTS) Basic Skills Test for early childhood education, elementary education, secondary education, and multicategorical special education majors and (ICTS) Content Area Test for Secondary Education majors is a requirement for full admission to the School of Education. Admission to the Teacher Education Program is a four-benchmark process, which starts when a student enters Saint Xavier University and continues through admission to clinical practice.  Requirements in teacher education, including portfolio requirements, are subject to change within the time span of one’s university career due to changing requirements at national, state and local levels.  The four benchmarks are as follows:

Benchmark I, Teacher Education Candidate Status:

The requirements for reaching this benchmark includes:

  1. Admission into a graduate program in the School of Education.
  2. Completion of a  national criminal background check, facilitated by the Office of Teacher Education.
  3. Passing score on the Illinois Certification Test of Basic Skills within the previous 4 years (certification test dates, registration materials, study guides, and a practice diagnostic basic skills test are available at www.icts.nesinc.com)
  4. For secondary education majors, a passing score on the appropriate Illinois Certification Content Area Test.  A Content Area Test that was passed more than 5 years before certification is not acceptable for certification purposes.

Benchmark II, Admission to Clinical Practice (Student Teaching)

The process and requirements for reaching this benchmark include:

  1. Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in professional education courses.
  2. Successful completion of all professional education courses except EDUG 445 (Seminar),  and courses in the program that are not required for the master’s degree only, and any required general education courses.  A minimum grade of C must be earned in all professional education courses.
  3. Proof of passing the appropriate ICTS content-area test(s) (early childhood, elementary, or multicategorical special education) at a time that assures reporting of results prior to the start of student teaching according to the deadlines established by the Office of Teacher Education.  Graduate students in multicategorical special education also have to pass the Special Education General Curriculum Test prior to student teaching.
  4. Submission of the electronic LiveText portfolio to the Office of Teacher Education, and successful completion of an Educators Symposium the semester prior to student teaching.
  5. Submission of an online application for student teaching placement by January 15th for a Fall or Spring placement the following year.
  6. Completion of all required health screenings.
  7. Completion of all required field experience hours.
  8. Submission of an updated CBI, if requested.

A more in-depth explanation of program requirements is available in the School of Education and the Office of Teacher Education or in the Teacher Education Handbook.

Benchmark III, Exit from Clinical Practice (Student Teaching)

The process and requirements for reaching this benchmark include:

  1. Satisfactory ratings by supervisor and cooperating teacher on OTE instructional feedback forms.
  2. Grade of C or better in clinical practice.
  3. Successful completion of EDUG 445 (Seminar) appropriate to Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, and Secondary Education Programs.

Benchmark IV, Program Completion

The process and requirements for reaching this  benchmark include:

  1. Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in professional education courses.
  2. Successful completion of the clinical practice experience, EDUG 445 (when a requirement of the major) with a grade of C or better.
  3. Completion of minimum number of semester hours required by the program.
  4. Proof of passing the appropriate ICTS Assessment of Professional Teaching test (required for certification but not graduation).
  5. Submission of all required documents and fees to OTE and attendance at a certification workshop during the semester of student teaching to formally request a recommendation for certification from the SOE Certification Officer.

Teacher Education Council

The Teacher Education Council is the administrative structure established for the governance of teacher education. It consists of appointed faculty from the Schools of Education and Arts and Sciences, and the deans of the School of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences, and an undergraduate and a graduate student representative and the Director of Teacher Education as Chair. The Teacher Education Council is responsible for developing and approving policies relating to the teacher education program in the areas of admission, retention, certification, advisement, placement and curriculum. The Teacher Education Council also has as its responsibility the oversight of the appeals process regarding issues related to the Teacher Education Program.

Appealing Denial to Teacher Education and Certification

An appeal process has been developed for students who are denied admission to the teacher education program or student teaching, or whose pursuit of program completion is believed by the student to be compromised in some way. The Teacher Education Council will consider an initial appeal. The dean of the School of Education, whose decision will be final, will hear a final appeal as necessary. For appealing decisions related to the graduate program, please consult the beginning of the catalog.

Saint Xavier University 2008-2009 Catalog
Please visit the SXU Web site for the most recent information.