Department of Education

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

The Department of Education offers degree and licensure programs in education related fields.  These include minors, majors, certificates and micro certificates at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level. The curriculum blends theory and skill development in high-impact, experience-based opportunities that include public and private settings (e.g., schools, non-profits, for profits, NGO's, and/or government institutions).

Requirements for Educator Preparation Programs

Intercollege Transfer

Students transferring to the College of Education and Social Services for any Educator Licensure program are required to meet with the Director of Educator Licensure to review the specific licensing requirements for the age/grade band and the state in which licensure will be sought. Program and state requirements vary.

Academic Progress

All students engage in self-reflection, self-assessment, and structured faculty instructor, faculty supervisor, and mentor assessments of progress through the program. Some progress is measured in lecture and discussion courses on campus, other progress is evaluated in classroom or community settings.  Meeting standards on assessments of knowledge, skills, and dispositions is a requirement for receiving an educator licensurure recommendation.

Some assessments are progressive, meaning they are introduced initially in introductory courses, and revised across the degree.  Students transferring in, should discuss these benchmarks with the Director of Licensure and with their program faculty advisor. The summative teaching portfolio is one such assessment. The Vermont Licensure portfolio assessment is required for licensure recommendation by the state of Vermont and expected of all students, regardless of the state in which they intend to seek licensure. Students begin the portfolio early in the program and use course work, service learning, practicums and internships to complete assignments and reflect on learning in order to demonstrate competency across 10 INTASC standards. Portfolios are assessed by two independent raters and in the case of disagreement are scored again by a third rater. Some programs include an oral presentation as part of the assessment.

Practicum and Internships

All initial licensure programs require the completion of a minimum of 60 hours of successful practicum prior to a minimum of 13 weeks of student teaching (internship). For two of these weeks, candidates assume "full-responsibility" for the classroom. Placement in practicums and internships are dependent on successful progress through the program benchmarks (e.g., content area course work, GPA, Dispositions Rubric).

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. Additionally, for most endorsements, 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.