The College of Education undergraduate major in Elementary and Middle School Education prepares education majors to teach kindergarten through grade nine. Professional education courses provide preparation for teaching, and general education courses expand candidates’ knowledge of elementary school curricula and their understanding of pupils. This curriculum offers a combination of classroom instruction, pre-student teaching field experiences, as well as the supervised student teaching experience.
Admission to Teacher Education
After meeting the university admission requirements, students must meet the following requirements to continue in the Elementary Education program:
- be admitted to Governors State University and be in good academic standing;
- present transcripts showing a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.5 or higher in all undergraduate work attempted;
- present evidence of having passed the Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP) of the Illinois Certification Testing System;
- complete the ETS Proficiency Profile;
- earn a grade of “B” or better in the following two courses taken at Governors State University: EDUC - 3320 The Future of American Education (3) and EDUC - 3321 Effective Teaching and Laboratory (4) ; and
- receive a positive recommendation from the Elementary Education faculty to continue in the program.
Note: Candidates must provide proof of passing the ICTS Test of Academic Proficiency before enrolling in EDUC-3321 .
All candidates for Illinois teacher licensure at Governors State University are required to submit to an Adam Walsh fingerprint-based criminal background check by CertifiedBackground.com prior to their initial field experience in the schools. For more information on this testing, please visit www.certifiedbackground.com. Consult with your advisor for information concerning the related GSU policies and procedures.
Candidate Progress
The faculty monitors and evaluates candidate progress continually. The section Licensure of Teachers and Other School Professionals in this catalog provides a general description of the standards used to evaluate candidate progress. A more detailed statement of the standards and processes followed by the Elementary Education faculty is available in the Elementary Education Student Handbook.
Conditional Continuation
The faculty may permit a candidate to continue conditionally. In such cases, faculty reviews of the candidate’s records identify evidence that the candidate will likely be successful in the program. The status of all candidates allowed to continue under conditions is reviewed by the faculty each term, and the candidates are informed in writing of the conditions necessary for them to be transferred to good standing status. When conditions are met, the candidate is informed in writing of the transfer to good standing status. A candidate may not be admitted to student teaching without being in good standing status.
Candidate Handbook
The Elementary Education Candidate Handbook referred to in this catalog is available at www.govst.edu/education.
Teacher Licensure
This program is approved by the Illinois State Board of Education for recommendation of the Initial Elementary License by entitlement. To be recommended for licensure by Governors State University, candidates must complete 72-73 hours in general education and the professional education requirements in Elementary Education. General education courses may include both lower and upper-division course work. Candidates must earn a grade of “B” or better in ELED-4999 Student Teaching .
Candidates must meet other requirements for licensure through approved programs listed in the Licensure of Teachers and Other School Professionals section in this catalog.
Middle School Endorsement
Requirements for the middle school endorsement are discussed in the Licensure of Teachers and Other School Professionals section in this catalog.
Program Portfolio
The Program Portfolio is a selection of examples of candidate work (artifacts) that is organized according to the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards and the Standards for Licensure in Elementary Education. Throughout the program, candidates choose artifacts to include in their portfolios, write reflections, and receive evaluations of their artifacts and reflections. At the conclusion of student teaching, candidates will submit portfolios that contain artifacts for each standard.
Admission to Student Teaching
All professional course work must be completed before enrolling in student teaching. For those students teaching in a content area at the middle-grades level, all endorsement requirements must also be completed.
To be admitted to student teaching, candidates must:
- complete the required course work with a grade of “B” or better in EDUC-3320 and EDUC-3321 and a grade of “C” or better in all other courses;
- complete the 69-73 hours of general education requirements with a G.P.A. of 2.75 or higher;
- complete all professional education requirements with a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher, with a “B” or better in EDUC-3320 and EDUC-3321 ;
- complete 100 clock-hours of pre-student teaching field experiences;
- complete at least 18-19 hours in the teaching specialization with a G.P.A. of 2.75 or higher;
- have completed all but nine credits in general education;
- receive a positive recommendation from the Elementary Education faculty; and
- verify successful completion of the Elementary Content Exam of the Illinois Certification Testing System.
An application certifying that the first six of these requirements have been met must be submitted to the coordinator of field experiences by January 31 for the following fall and spring terms. Student teaching is not offered during the summer term. In addition, candidates must pass the ICTS Elementary Content Test before student teaching.
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