Teacher Education Program

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MISSION OF THE TEACHER EDUCATION UNIT

West Virginia Wesleyan College seeks to prepare graduates who are knowledgeable of lessons from the past, aware of demands of the present, and prepared to creatively face the challenges of a changing global community. Wesleyan seeks to assist teacher candidates to identify career goals and to develop a broad background in the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to become successful classroom teachers.

Upon completion of the teacher education program, candidates will be knowledgeable in all aspects of teaching and demonstrate the effective use of active learning in the classroom. Candidates will consciously make effective empirical and data based classroom decisions, reflect upon their impact, and modify instruction and practice for the future.Successful candidates will demonstrate the ability to adapt instruction to the cultural and social contexts of the school community and provide for individual differences and diversity. Candidates must be able to design instruction and learning activities based upon contemporary research, theories, and best practice. Personal, ethical, and professional roles of teachers are identified and nurtured through coursework and experiences. Candidates must possess the personal dispositions necessary to be successful teachers - initiative, responsibility, emotional maturity, being a positive role model, a sincere concern for students, ability to collaborate with colleagues, professional commitment, and reflective evaluation of one's own dispositions and decisions.

Content knowledge is a prerequisite for teaching. Through a comprehensive study in one's teaching field, the development of effective teaching strategies, and the desire to exhibit recognized qualities of a professional, the candidate becomes a viable practitioner.

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ADMISSION TO THE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM

Students may apply for admission to the teacher education program after completion of 45 credit hours of college work; however, they must be admitted prior to enrollment in 300-level EDUC/SPEC courses. Minimal requirements for admission include:

  1. 45 semester hours of college work in courses at the 100 level or above.
  2. A cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or above in courses at the 100 level or above and a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or above in each teaching field.
  3. Completion of each of the following courses with a grade of 2.0 or above: EDUC 101, EDUC 201, EDUC 205 or 206, ENGL 102, and COMM 211.
  4. Successful completion of all sections of Praxis I.
  5. Submission of two letters of recommendation from faculty members outside the Department of Education.
  6. Submission of an autobiographical statement.
  7. Evidence of a current, negative T.B. test.
  8. Completion of the dispositions evaluation.

Admission is not automatic for students who meet these minimal requirements. Rather, the Teacher Education Committee will use these data to make an informed professional judgment about the academic and personal disposition of the candidate for the teaching profession.

Once a student is admitted to the teacher education program, he or she must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or above on all college work and a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or above in each teaching field. The student is required to earn a 2.0 or above in each education course before proceeding in the program, and he or she must be free of substantiated challenges to his or her disposition(s) regarding the teaching profession.

A comprehensive review of each student's performance and progress in the teacher education program is undertaken again before permission is granted to enroll in the professional semester, which includes student teaching and a professional seminar.

Minimal requirements for admission to the professional semester include:

  1. An approved Application for Admission to the teacher Education program on file.
  2. Satisfactory completion of 85 credit hours. Students must have completed SPEC 230: Exceptionalities and all required professional education and specialty area courses. This must be demonstrated through the completion of the advising form submitted with your application to the Professional Semester.
  3. Overall GPA of 2.5 or higher.
  4. GPA of 2.50 in specialty area(s).
  5. Minimum grade of 2.0 in all Education (EDUC/SPEC) courses.
  6. Completion of written question and oral interview panel.
  7. Presentation of professional portfolio to education students and faculty.
  8. Current, negative T.B. test results on file.
  9. Completion of the dispositions evaluation
  10. A 15-hour field placement in a diverse setting.


Students who plan to enroll in the professional semester must make application to the Teacher Education Committee. For spring placements, all application materials must be in the Department of Education by the first Monday in October. For fall placements, all application materials must be in the Department of Education by the first Monday in March.

Students may challenge action taken during any phase of the admission or review process to the chairperson of the Department of Education. The department chair's decision may be appealed to the Dean of the College, whose action will be final.

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REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE (CERTIFICATION)

Each student must make formal application for a professional license (teacher's certificate) on forms supplied by the state department of education in the state where licensure is desired. It is recommended that all successful teacher education students apply for West Virginia licensure immediately upon graduation, since licensure in other states may require a West Virginia license. Allow eight to ten weeks for processing of the application, which should be submitted through the Registrar's Office.

Licensure in West Virginia requires successful completion of the Praxis II tests (NTE). Students are encouraged to work closely with licensure agencies within the states in which they plan to teach. Candidates for WV licensure must meet U.S. citizenship requirements set by the WVDE. Fingerprinting and FBI background checks are also required. logo

Students applying for certification must have completed course work within seven years of application.

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