Department of Education

http://www.uvm.edu/~doe/

The Department of Education offers undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees, certificates, and micro certificates across a broad range of education domains and educator development. Graduates and completers of our programs engage in work related to birth through adulthood in public and private schools, non-profits, government organizations, and institutions providing services with an educational mission.

Requirements for Teacher Preparation Programs

Candidacy

Educator licensure is considered a "professional" program. The professional programs begin with the student enrolling in the College of Education and Social Services as a candidate for licensure. Candidacy status is the stage prior to acceptance into the Professional portion of the Education sequence and, for some programs, may also be available to students enrolled in other colleges at UVM.

Intercollege Transfer

Students transferring to the College of Education and Social Services for any Teacher Education program should check with the program of interest to identify recommended GPA's in order to qualify for licensure requirement. NOTE: Some programs require specific grade-point averages for candidates to enter the Professional portion of the Education sequence. 

Academic Concentration

All students enrolled in a teacher preparation program are required to complete an academic concentration in the liberal arts and sciences. The academic concentration must consist of thirty or more credits. 

Portfolio Development and Professional Licensure

Students seeking a license to teach are guided through the completion of a portfolio as a formative and summative assessment of knowledge and skills.  Requirements for the pre-professional portfolio are developed according to program guidelines. Students are expected to maintain an electronic portfolio using the management system identified by the Department. Portfolios are assessed by two independent raters and in the case of disagreement are scored again by a third rater. 

Application to Teacher Education

In some programs, candidates must apply to the professional program sequence. Applications are available in each departmental office. Once the candidate’s application is complete, the program faculty will review the materials which include: a record of academic performance at UVM, evidence of superior course work, and passing scores on PRAXIS Core (or fulfillment of this requirement by one of the approved alternate options) as determined for Vermont. In some programs, students are required to complete this application and gain acceptance before being eligible to enroll in the professional education courses.

PRACTICUM AND INTERNSHIPS

All licensed educators in Vermont are required to participate in a minimum of 60 hours of practicum and 13 weeks of student teaching (internship), with 2 weeks in "full-responsibility" for the classroom. Placement in practicums and internships are dependent on successful progress through the program benchmarks including content area course work, GPA, required state assessments, and positive results on the Professional Attributes and Dispositions Assessment (PADA).

Teacher Assessment–Demonstration of core competencies and content knowledge

Students are required to demonstrate meeting core competencies through a qualifying score on a state-approved assessment (including SAT/ACT/GRE/Praxis Core) or receiving a grade of B or better in coursework aligned with the core competencies as part of their application to the professional portion of their Teacher Education program. Passing scores must be received by the CESS Director of Teacher Licensure Programs before the student is considered eligible for a teaching internship placement. If the student does not meet these conditions, the student may submit an appeal to the program faculty and Director of Teacher Licensure Programs. A student must achieve a qualifying score on a state-approved content assessment (typically Praxis II) or a commensurate assessment approved by another US state or territory in order to be eligible for an endorsement for teaching.