College of Education

http://www.ncat.edu/CEd/index.html

Paula Groves Price, Dean

Through its three departments, the College of Education prepares students for careers in PK-12 schools, industry, government and other agencies. The Department of Educator Preparation, the Department of Counseling, and the Department of Leadership Studies and Adult Education have programs leading to degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels. All Educator Preparation programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and approved by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. In addition, counseling programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). North Carolina A&T State University was the first HBCU to receive CACREP accreditation.

The Dean of the College of Education is the designated authority (by NC Department of Public Instruction and UNC System Office) for university-wide licensure programs for teachers, school administrators, school counselors, and other school personnel. As such, although the secondary licensure programs are housed in other academic units, the College of Education is responsible for providing the core educational curriculum, coordinating and monitoring admission, placements, and assessment for all professional education students at the university. North Carolina A&T offers 35 licensure programs at the undergraduate (initial licensure) and graduate levels. The Dean chairs the Council of Educator Preparation Program (CEPP), which is the governance structure for all professional education (licensure) programs at the university. The CEPP approves and monitors implementation of curriculum development as well as admission, placement, and assessment policies and procedures for licensure programs. Consequently, the College of Education through the CEPP is responsible for overseeing (a) state mandated re-visioning of professional licensure programs and (b) attainment of state teacher productivity mandates.

The Department of Educator Preparation provides the professional studies component for the preparation of effective teachers and school personnel at the bachelor’s and master’s degree levels; the department cooperates with various departments within the university that offer Educator Preparation programs. The Department of Educator Preparation offers a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with dual licensure in special education. Master’s degrees include the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in each of the following discipline areas: Special Education, Elementary Education, Biology Education, Business Education, Chemistry Education, Child Development (Birth to Kindergarten), English Education, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health and Physical Education, History Education, Math Education, and Technology Education. Other master’s degrees include the MAED in Elementary Education and Reading.

The Department of Counseling offers master’s level programs in School Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and Rehabilitation Counseling as well as the doctoral degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and Counseling Education. The Department of Leadership Studies and Adult Education is an interdisciplinary academic unit that offers the master’s degree in Adult Education and the Master of School Administration and the doctoral degree in Leadership Studies. This department seeks to foster excellence, integrity, creativity, learning, engagement and responsiveness to the challenges that face the local, regional and global constituents of North Carolina A&T State University.

Mission

The mission of the College of Education is to prepare highly skilled, culturally responsive and sustainable educators, leaders, and counselors who create, use, and share knowledge on equity, access, and advocacy in local, state, national, and global communities. Building on our historically Black university (HBCU) legacy of exemplary teaching, scholarship and effective public service, the College of Education offer degrees at the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral levels. Our graduates are catalysts for transformative action to improve education and counseling in diverse contexts and communities.

Vision

The College of Education aspires to become a recognized national leader in the advancement of research and practice on equity, access, and advocacy through the preparation of scholars, practitioners, and innovators.

Accreditation

Educator Preparation programs were accredited initially in 1976 by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (formerly the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education). This national accreditation was reaffirmed in 2015. Our counseling programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (reaffirmed in 2017) and the Council on Rehabilitation Education (reaffirmed in 2017).

Degrees Offered

Elementary Education - Bachelor of Science

General Program Requirements

General program requirements for the College of Education programs can be found in this catalogue under the departmental sections.

Educator Preparation

Educator Preparation at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical (N.C. A&T) State University reflects the North Carolina Standards for Teachers and the 21stcentury knowledge, skills, and dispositions embedded in them through the University’s Professional Education Conceptual Framework. Educator Preparation degree programs are housed in five colleges and schools at the University; the licensure component is coordinated and managed by the College of Education. Each Educator Preparation degree program is composed of the general program requirements as defined by the General Education Council, the content area specialization, and the Professional Education Core.

General Education

General Education provides experience and learning that meet the fundamental needs of all teachers to be successful stewards of the profession. It provides candidates with multiple opportunities to gain knowledge, appreciation, and understanding through the study of a broad range of concepts across the humanities, the arts, the social sciences, the natural sciences and mathematics. Furthermore, it provides a broad understanding of cultural heritage and of physical and social environments. General Education is an essential foundation for the teaching specialty and professional education.

Content-Area Specialization

Subject-matter specialization provides opportunities for students to understand the theoretical and practical basis upon which subject area content is developed and organized. It also provides students opportunities to gain greater breadth and depth in a selected discipline. The function of knowledge and the knowledge production process through research is also emphasized in this segment of the prospective teacher’s experiences.

Professional Education Core

Educator Preparation candidates engage in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), or communities of practice, where all members work collaboratively to create a shared vision as they matriculate through the Educator Preparation Program. The Shared Vision of the Professional Education Unit at North Carolina A&T State University was developed in collaboration with the academic colleges that house professional education degree programs - the College of Science and Technology, the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, the College of Business and Economics, the College of Education, the College of Health and Human Sciences, and the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences - PK-12 education partners, and other stakeholders. Consistent with the mission of the University, the Unit strives to prepare 21^st Century Professional Educators who understand the complex needs of a pluralistic global society and who are responsive to these needs by creating interdisciplinary learning environments where critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and commitment to service guide behavior and actions. As such, the Professional Education Program at North Carolina A&T State University is committed to the development of 21^st-Century Professional Educators who are responsive to the needs of diverse populations in their communities, who appropriately use and interpret assessment data to guide future decision making, who engage in the skillful art of reflection to transform thinking and practice, and who use various pedagogies and forms of technology to manage instruction and assessment.

The Professional Education Program has adopted the theme “Learn to Lead. Lead to Transform: Equity, Access, and Advocacy” as its core belief to produce “Aggie Educators” (candidates) who work with learners of all ages with varying experiences and approaches to learning. Relying on an inquiry approach to teaching and learning, where candidates use critical thinking skills to work collaboratively with stakeholders, the Professional Education Program emphasizes the merging of theoretical and practical knowledge to develop educators who engage, inspire, and encourage learners to explore, discover, and become advocates for lifelong learning and service to humankind. Four core values interwoven throughout the Professional Education Program guide the development of professional educators at North Carolina A&T State University: Diversity, Assessment, Reflection, and Technology. Infused throughout the Professional Education Program are seven key principles necessary for the growth and development of an effective 21^st Century Professional Educator. These principles emerge from and align with the Unit’s core values: content mastery, professional knowledge, professionalism, leadership, equity, global awareness, and inquiry.

In the Educator Preparation programs at NC A&T, all candidates study in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), completing a developmental scope and sequence of courses collectively called the Professional Education Core (PEC). There are four PLCs - one associated with each academic year. PLC I aligns with the freshman year and introduces candidates to the profession. Each candidate will be required to take the course EDPR 110 - Ethics of Teaching , which has an accompanying twenty-hour field experience. Candidates are also required to take an additional course that addresses instructional technology for the 21^st century classrooms. During the sophomore year, candidates develop a context for designing, presenting and assessing learning in PLC II by completing two courses - EDPR 210 - Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and EDPR 310 - Assessement and Technology for P-12 Student Learning . A thirty-hour field experience is required in EDPR 210 - Culturally Relevant Pedagogy . In PLC III, candidates in the junior year learn to implement instructional plans for all students. The two required courses are: EDPR 410 - Differentiated Instruction and EDPR 420 - Content Area Literacy . The forty-hour field experience in PLC III focuses on the application of theories in the school. PLC IV is completed during the candidate’s senior year and provides candidates the opportunity to practice the teaching profession. During PLC IV, candidates will complete EDPR 487 - Clinical Practice I in P-12 Schools , and EDPR 498 - Student Teaching . During EDPR 487 - Clinical Practice I in P-12 Schools , candidates complete the sixty-hour field experience which focuses on pedagogical strategies within the content area. In EDPR 498 - Student Teaching , Educator Preparation candidates are assigned to a school Monday through Friday for the entire school day. At the culmination of each PLC, candidates are expected to have completed specific modules, evidences, and other requirements to transition to the next PLC. These transition points are the basis for monitoring candidates’ progress toward program completion. Candidates receive status reports detailing their progress toward completing each transition point. Additionally, during each PLC, candidates develop evidences that build upon the knowledge, skills and disposition needed to complete program competencies and the Education Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA), a nationally normed and valid assessment of clinical practice.

Enrollment in Advanced Courses

Only formally admitted candidates may enroll in advanced courses in the Professional Education Sequence. Students enrolled in all field experience courses and clinical practice courses must show proof of educator’s liability insurance at the beginning of the semester.

The Professional Studies Sequence includes: EDPR 102 (or meet testing equivalent), EDPR 110 , EDPR 210 , EDPR 215 , EDPR 310 , EDPR 410 , EDPR 420 , EDPR 455 , EDPR 487 , EDPR 498 ; SPED 250 , SPED 448 ; ELED 444. All courses numbered 400 and above in this sequence require formal admission to the Educator Preparation Program.

Clinical Practice

Students are required to complete all licensure tests prior to admission to beginning clinical practice.

Admission to Clinical Practice requires (1) formal admission to the Educator Preparation Program, (2) an approved Student Teaching or MAT Internship Application submitted in TaskStream (3) a cumulative GPA of 2.80 or higher, (4) copy of individual scores on the Pearson or Praxis II examination tests in the licensure area, (5) criminal background check, and (6) proof of educator’s liability insurance.

Students enrolled in a clinical practice course are permitted to take only one additional 3-credit hour course during the clinical practice semester. This additional course cannot be scheduled during the public school day nor during the student/internship teaching seminar. All students enrolled in a student teaching course are REQUIRED to pay a student teaching fee.

Candidate Dispositions

All Educator Preparation candidates are expected to exhibit appropriate dispositions at all times. Candidates are expected to embrace and abide by tenets described in the “Aggie Pact”, the NEA Code of Ethics, and professional dispositions described in the Conceptual Framework that are integrated throughout the program. The display of appropriate dispositions is especially significant for candidates enrolled in clinical, field, or internship experiences to ensure that candidates’ behavior represents appropriate and acceptable professional standards of conduct at all times. Examples of inappropriate dispositions include, but are not limited to, inappropriate language, dress, immoral conduct, tardiness, dishonesty, etc. Documented instances/episodes of inappropriate behavior may be grounds for a candidate’s dismissal from the Educator Preparation Program. Persons who have been convicted of a felony will not be recommended for licensure; therefore, all candidates should be able to submit to a criminal background check at their own expense.

Admission, Retention, and Licensure

The Dean of the College of Education is the designated University Official with the authority and responsibility to recommend to the State Department of Public Instruction candidates who apply for initial licensure in the following fields:

Agriculture Education
Art Education
Biology Education
Birth through Kindergarten
Business Education
Chemistry Education
Comprehensive Social Studies
Elementary Education
English Education
Mathematics Education
Music Education
Physics Education
School Social Work
Special Education (Add on)
Technology Education
Trade and Industrial Education (Add on)

Admission

All candidates who are recommended for licensure must be admitted to the Educator Preparation Program. Undergraduate candidates are expected to be admitted to the Educator Preparation Program during their Freshman/Sophomore year. Failure to be formally admitted to the Educator Preparation Program will limit candidates’ progress in completing the Professional Education core (see section on Enrollment in Advanced Courses). The application for admission includes:

Purchase and create a Taskstream account
Complete Disposition Survey via Taskstream
Maintain a minimum overall GPA of 2.8
Complete the Application for Admission to Educator Preparation
Pass Praxis Core I or meet the exemption requirements
Complete the Notification and Acknowledgement of Criminal Background Form

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure the application for admission and proof of basic skills competency are provided to the Office of the Dean of the College of Education. The GPA is verified before the candidate is admitted to the Educator Preparation Program.

Retention

To remain in the Educator Preparation Program, candidates must maintain a minimum cumulative academic overall grade point average of 2.80. Candidates are encouraged to meet with their advisors a minimum of three times per semester to discuss their progress in the program. A candidate who fails to maintain a 2.8 cumulative GPA will be placed on probation for one semester. If the candidate’s GPA does not increase to a minimum 2.8 GPA after the semester, the candidate will be dismissed from the program. Candidates are notified in writing of their probationary status and/or subsequent removal from the program by the Office of the Dean of the College of Education.

Readmission To Educator Preparation

Once a candidate has been dropped from the Educator Preparation Program for any reason, the following steps must be taken before a candidate will be readmitted:

The students must file a formal application for re-admittance to the Educator Preparation Program and have a cumulative 2.80 GPA.
The application of the student along with the student’s complete profile must be reviewed by the Council of Educator Preparation for action.
The student, program coordinator, department chairperson, and dean of the school involved will be notified in writing of the Council of Educator Preparation’s decision on the student’s application for readmission to the Educator Preparation Program.

Licensure

Upon completing the Educator Preparation degree, candidates are eligible to apply for state licensure in the Office of the Dean of the School of Education. Upon receipt of the candidate’s application, approval or endorsement of the licensure application is secured from the candidate’s major department. After processing the application, the completed application form is forwarded to the Office of Registration and Records, who attaches a copy of the candidate’s official transcript to the application form and forwards it to the State Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Note: The candidate is required to take and pass the Education Teacher Performance Asessment (edTPA), Praxis II test or the Reading Foundations and General Curriculum tests before being recommended for licensure. The University reserves the right to refuse to recommend applicants for licensure when they are deficient in mental or physical health, scholarship, character, or other qualifications deemed necessary for success in the education profession.

Transfer to the Educator Preparation Program

All students transferring into the Educator Preparation Program must have a cumulative GPA of 2.80 (on a 4.0 scale) and must meet all other requirements for entry to the Educator Preparation Program.