Gateways to Certification
“Teaching as a Mission: Touching Lives one Student at a Time”
The conceptual framework of the School of Education defines three key areas of focus in the preparation of candidates:
- Personal: The Teacher as Nurturer
- Professional: The Teacher as Reflective Practitioner
- Practical: The Teacher as Facilitator
Gateways to Certification is a performance-based assessment plan designed to ensure that teacher candidates are prepared with the personal, professional, and practical knowledge, skills, and dispositions essential to helping all students learn. Candidates are assessed at five transition points in their program. Four of these transition points occur prior to program completion: 1) admission to the School of Education, 2) admission to field experience, 3) admission to clinical practice, and 4) recommendation for initial certification. The fifth transition point occurs post-completion in the form of candidate self-report surveys and employer surveys at the one-, three-, and five-year benchmarks.
The Gateways to Certification plans listed below provide an overview of the requirements for program completion and certification. Candidates are encouraged to track their progress and to maintain contact with their academic advisor.
