Department of Education

Finley-Bowman (Chair), Bellew, Blouch, Coyle, DeArment, Haley-Mize, Myers, Pitcher, Thomason, Toro, Tyminski

For more information, please visit the Department’s website or check your course syllabi, which are available through the course instructor or at the High Library.

Elizabethtown College, through its Department of Education, offers several programs leading to a bachelor’s degree and Pennsylvania teaching certification. Together, the Department and College act as an agent of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the teacher certification process for students who meet all appropriate standards.

Majors Offered

The Department of Education offers majors programs that lead to a Bachelor of Science degree and Pennsylvania certification in Early Childhood Education  (Pre-kindergarten through fourth grade) and Elementary/Middle Level Education  (fourth through eighth grade). A concentration in Special Education (Pre-kindergarten through eighth grade) can be completed in conjunction with these majors for Special Education certification. The programs in Early Childhood Education and Elementary/Middle Level Education combine strong attention to the liberal arts and sciences with the development of high professional competence. Supported by the College’s Core Program, a required emphasis, and elective course work, these major programs creatively bring together the student, the school and the curriculum. Further, the Department stresses the importance of supervised field experiences that complement on-campus courses in education.

Programs in Secondary Education are available in select academic areas, including Biology , Chemistry , English , Mathematics , and Physics  as well as in special interdisciplinary programs of Social Studies  and General Science . Majors and Pennsylvania certification for kindergarten through 12th grade also are available in Music , Fine Arts – Art , and Modern Language – Spanish . Carefully designed work in the academic or interdisciplinary major, the Core program, and electives qualify students for a degree appropriate to that major and for Pennsylvania certification.

General Requirements

Admission to the Programs

Students must submit a written application to the Education Department for provisional acceptance into a certification program after they:

Complete 27 hours with a cumulative grade point average of 2.80 or higher. Complete at least two courses with ED prefixes and earned grades of C or better.

Submit a TB medical clearance less than two years old.

Provide a record of Act 34, PA Child Abuse, and FBI Criminal History Report. These clearances must be less than one year old.

Provide a portfolio for review demonstrating interest and/or experience in professional education and progress toward meeting required competencies.

Approval of the Education Department and any other appropriate major Department is necessary for the application to be successful. Students are evaluated at the conclusion of each semester in accordance with the Department of Education Teacher Dispositions/Foundational Competencies Policy. Students may be advised or required to withdraw from a departmental program at any time the Education Department determines such action to be appropriate. Students are required to have a provisional acceptance prior to enrolling in any 200-level education courses.

Progress in the Programs

Students must submit an electronic application to the Education Department for formal acceptance into a certification program after they:

Must complete two Mathematics courses (above the 011 level) and two English courses (one writing composition and one literature).

Complete 54 hours with a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher.

Successfully complete at least three courses with ED prefixes.

Periodic update of criminal clearances is required.

Submit a TB test that is less than two years old.

Receive passing scores on the Pre-service Academic Performance Assessment (PAPA) in Reading, Writing, and Mathematics.

Formally present an electronic portfolio demonstrating continuing interest, experience, and growth in professional education and progress toward meeting required Department competencies.

Approval of the Education Department and any other appropriate major Department is necessary for the application to be successful. Students are evaluated at the conclusion of each semester in accordance with the Department of Education Teacher Dispositions/Foundational Competencies Policy. Students may be advised or required to withdraw at any time the Department determines such action to be appropriate. Students are required to have formal acceptance in order to take 300-level education courses.

Exit from the Programs

Students seeking award of the degree in the major only (without certification) must:

Receive approval of the Education Department and any other appropriate Department(s) for completion of their degree plan.

Satisfy all requirements of the major, except the professional internship and Pennsylvania certification test results, with a cumulative/major grade point average of 2.00 or higher.

Complete an alternative internship experience of at least six credits, as approved by the Education Department.

Students seeking award of the degree in their major and certification must:

Satisfy all requirements of the major with the cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher.

Earn a grade of Pass in the professional internship and senior seminar.

Earn passing scores on the Pennsylvania Educator Certification Tests (PECT) and/or Praxis II series as it applies to your certification program. Students completing Early Childhood (PK-4) and Special Education (PK-8) certifications take the PECT exam series, Elementary Middle Level (4-8) certifications take the Praxis series in core assessment and subject concentration, Secondary certification (7-12) take Praxis II in a content area and K-12 (Music Education, Fine Arts – Art Education, Modern Languages – Spanish Education) must successfully complete the appropriate Fundamental Subjects: Content Knowledge Test and Praxis II in a content area.

For a comprehensive listing of testing requirements in Pennsylvania, please see www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/testing_requirements/8638.

Arrange for PAPA, PECT, and/or Praxis test score label(s) to be sent to the Education Department showing passing scores on all required tests.

Complete two Mathematics (MA) courses and two English (EN) courses, one English Literature and one English Writing. Note: MA 011  does not count toward fulfillment of the Mathematics requirement.

Formally and publicly present an electronic portfolio summarizing activities and experiences in professional education and demonstrating satisfaction of all required competencies.

Receive approval of the Education Department and appropriate major Department(s).

Submit the application for Pennsylvania certification to the Education Department.

The Professional Internship

Throughout its programs, the Department stresses the importance of supervised field experiences, which complement on-campus course work in education. The full-time professional internship, student teaching, is the capstone experience of the various teacher education programs. During this activity, there is a developmental process at work that is designed to lead to the professional and personal growth required to enter the profession. The program faculty believes the success of this experience is enhanced when students have the opportunity to work under the supervision and mentoring of experienced College faculty familiar with their previous and ongoing development.

Student teachers are placed in cooperating school districts in the local area and supervision is conducted by College faculty and experienced faculty in the field of education, such as retired education professionals, principals and superintendents with extensive supervisory experience. Requests for exceptions to this policy regarding local placement must be presented formally to the clinical faculty and staff of the Department as a group. To receive such an exception, students must convincingly demonstrate that an alternative placement would be decidedly more beneficial to their professional and personal development than completing the experience at a local site. Convenience or increased visibility for job searching is not considered important enough to earn an exception to Department’s policy regarding local placement.

Note: No courses may be taken concurrently with ED 470  (Professional Internship), and ED 495 , ED 496 , or ED 497  (Senior Seminars) without the written permission of the Education Department.

Honors in the Discipline

The Education Department participates in the College Honors in the Discipline program. Education majors are allowed to overload up to 20 credits in one semester, without paying an overload fee, only in the case that they decide to pursue an Honors in the Discipline project taken for credit.

For more information, please contact the Education Department Chair.

Compliance

Elizabethtown College is in compliance with Title II of the Higher Education Act and disclosure reporting. Requests for disclosure information – i.e., teacher preparation programs, successes on passing state licensing and certification examinations, and job placement – may be obtained by contacting the Education Department.