Education (Undergraduate Programs)

Faculty

Cynthia Calderone, Assistant Professor of Education
Bweikia Steen, Assistant Professor of Education

Faculty in the School of Education also support Trinity’s undergraduate education program.

Description

The School of Education offers three programs to undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences: a major in education, a minor in education, and a B.A./M.A.T. Program. Trinity’s teacher education programs are NCATE accredited and state approved and meet certification requirements of the District of Columbia. Students must complete a set of required courses, a set of courses in their specialization (including student teaching), and a set of co-requisite general education courses for certification. Students must adhere to the School of Education’s Policy on the Praxis Examinations to enroll in courses, above the 300 level.

Field-Based Instruction

Teacher preparation at Trinity emphasizes field-based instruction that includes a series of integrated field experiences and practicum experiences at different grade/age levels in a variety of school settings. Both the major in education and the B.A./M.A.T. Program require a one-semester full-time internship of supervised student teaching after the successful completion of all education course work and the Comprehensive Examination (see below for application procedures).

Admission to Education Programs and Advising

Students considering any academic program in the field of education should declare their major or minor and meet with a faculty advisor in the School of Education for academic guidance about major course work and general education coursework required for certification (students continue to consult with an advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences). Students majoring and minoring in education should follow the recommended sequence of courses as closely as possible, beginning by taking EDCC 220 Foundations of Education in the Fall term of their sophomore year. In the late Fall or early Spring of their sophomore year, students should take the Praxis I Examination. Students must provide evidence of taking the Praxis I Examination before taking 300-level courses. Passing scores on the Praxis I are required to register for all education courses at the 400-level and above. Please read Praxis information in this catalog.

Application to Student Teaching

Undergraduate students may not student teach until all of the following conditions are met: 1) General Education Requirements are completed, 2) Educational Core courses are completed; 3) Education Methods Courses are completed, 4) The Comprehensive Examination is passed. During the semester before prospective teachers plan to student teach, they must complete an application for student teaching. This form must be signed by the student, the student’s advisor in the School of Education (a CAS advisor’s signature is not acceptable), and delivered to the Program Director of Teacher Education. Failure to complete this form and obtain the requisite approvals may disqualify prospective teachers from student teaching. The completed and signed form is due to the Director before the end of priority registration the semester prior to student teaching.

Major Requirements

College of Arts and Sciences students majoring in education must complete a set of required courses (19 credits) and all of the courses for a specialization in either elementary education or secondary education. Students must provide evidence of taking the Praxis I Examination to the Program Director for Teacher Education before taking 300-level courses in education. Students are strongly encouraged to take courses in the recommended sequence.

Required Courses (20 credits)

ALL of the following courses:

EDCC 220 Foundations of Education
EDCC 250 Technology in Education
EDCC 330 Education of Exceptional Children and Youth
EDCC 340 Teaching and Learning
EDTE 301 Classroom Management
EDTE 401 Classroom Assessment
EDTE 503 Physical Education and Health for Teachers

Elementary Specialization Courses (32 credits)

ALL of the following courses:

EDTE 321 Reading Materials
EDTE 421 Emergent Literacy
EDTE 422 Teaching Methods for Elementary Mathematics
EDTE 423 Teaching Methods for Science
EDTE 424 Teaching Methods for Social Studies
EDTE 425 Teaching Methods for Reading and Language Arts

ONE course in child psychology

PSYC 231 Child Psychology

TWO teaching practica

EDTE 490 Practicum (taken twice for 1 credit in specific terms)

ONE supervised internship in student teaching:

EDTE 473 Student Teaching in Elementary Education

ONE senior seminar:

EDTE 499 Advanced Seminar in Teaching

Minor Requirements

Students in the College of Arts and Sciences may pursue a minor in education. Students minoring in education must complete 19 credits of course work. Completion of Minor requirements ONLY will NOT satisfy standard certification requirements of the District of Columbia.

Required Courses (19 credits)

ALL of the following courses:

EDCC 220 Foundations of Education
EDTE 301 Classroom Management
EDTE 321 Reading Materials
EDCC 330 Education of Exceptional Children and Youth
EDCC 340 Teaching and Learning

ONE course in Child Psychology:

PSYC 231 Child Psychology or
PSYC 233 Psychology of Adolescence

B.A./M.A.T. Program

In conjunction with the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education offers a bachelor of arts/master of arts in teaching (B.A./M.A.T.) program. Students are expected to pursue this teacher preparation program within the context of a liberal arts education and must major in a liberal arts discipline while they complete a minor course of study in the School of Education. For students who enter the B.A./M.A.T. Program, a further minimum of 33 credits of graduate course work is required (see M.A.T. Requirements). Other undergraduate course work may also be necessary to meet certification requirements.

Prerequisites

Students pursuing the B.A./M.A.T. track enroll in required undergraduate education courses usually beginning in the sophomore year, at which time students must seek a faculty advisor in the School of Education. Students must provide evidence of taking the Praxis I Examination to the Director of Teacher Education before taking 300-level courses in education. After achieving senior status (92 completed credits), students must apply and be admitted to the M.A.T. Program. Prerequisites for admission include a 2.8 cumulative GPA. Students should note that prospective teachers must have a 3.0 GPA in the content area in which they wish to teach (see M.A.T. Program Admission Requirements).

B.A./M.A.T. Requirements

Students enroll in the required undergraduate education courses starting in their sophomore year. Students pursuing the B.A./M.A.T. Program must complete at least 16 credits of course work; students are encouraged to take courses in the sequence listed. Prerequisites for each course are listed in each course description.

Required Courses (20 credits)

ALL of the following courses:

EDCC 220 Foundations of Education
EDCC 330 Education of Exceptional Children and Youth
EDCC 340 Teaching and Learning

ONE course in child psychology:

PSYC 231 Child Psychology

ONE course appropriate to the student’s specialization:

EDTE 321 Reading Materials
or
EDTE 341 Adolescent Culture in Literature

Program Policies

Advanced Placement:
Credits earned through Advanced Placement Examinations may fulfill general education for certification courses in cases where the student has earned a 4 or 5 on the examination and the credits have been reviewed by education faculty members.

CLEP Policy:
Credits earned through CLEP Examinations may fulfill general education for certification courses in cases where the student has earned a score that confers credit following the guidelines of the ACE and the credits have been reviewed by education faculty members.

Grades in Education Courses:
Undergraduate students are required to earn a minimum GPA of 2.5 in all Education core courses and a GPA of 3.0 in Education methods courses to fulfill requirements for the major, the minor, and/or the undergraduate portion of the B.A./M.A.T. Program. Graduate students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 and may earn only one “C.”

Pass/No Pass:
Courses fulfilling the major, minor, or undergraduate portion of the B.A./M.A.T. Program — including general education courses required for certification — may not be taken Pass/No Pass.

Student Assessment:
Assessments of student proficiencies required of students in the major, minor, and/or the undergraduate portion of the B.A./M.A.T. program are further described on the School of Education page, concerning the Student Assessment System.

Study Abroad:
Courses taken through a study abroad program approved by Trinity may count toward general education courses required for certification, pending review and approval by education faculty and the faculty of the appropriate academic program. In general, education courses taken abroad will not count toward the major, minor, or undergraduate portion of the B.A./M.A.T. Program.

Praxis Policy:
Passing scores on the Praxis I are required to register for all education courses at the 300-level and above. See the School of Education’s Policy on the Praxis Examinations.

Experiential Credit Policy:
Credits earned through experience may count toward general education courses required for certification, pending review and approval by education faculty and the faculty of the appropriate academic program. In general, experiential credits may not substitute for education courses counted toward the major, minor, or undergraduate portion of the B.A./M.A.T. Program.

Transfer Credits:
Transfer credits may be awarded only after appropriate program review. Courses at the 400-level and above must be completed at Trinity. Courses taken as part of the School of Education program of study must be taken at Trinity.

Course Descriptions

Explanation of Course Prefixes and Numbers
Courses designated “EDCC” are education core and common courses across various programs in the School of Education. Courses designated “EDTE” are largely specific to the teacher education program. Passing scores on the Praxis I are required to register for all education courses at the 400-level and above. The 300-level courses are generally for students in their junior year; 400-level courses are generally for students in their senior year. Courses at the 500-level are mixed undergraduate and graduate courses. Students are strongly encouraged to take courses in the recommended sequence.

EDCC – Education Core and Common Courses

EDCC 220 Foundations of Education
EDCC 250 Technology in Education
EDCC 330 Education of Exceptional Children and Youth
EDCC 340 Teaching and Learning
EDCC 498 Independent Study

EDTE -Teacher Education Courses

EDTE 301 Classroom Management
EDTE 321 Reading Materials
EDTE 341 Adolescent Culture in Literature
EDTE 401 Classroom Assessment
EDTE 421 Emergent Literacy
EDTE 422 Teaching Methods for Elementary Mathematics
EDTE 423 Teaching Methods for Science
EDTE 424 Teaching Methods for Social Studies
EDTE 425 Teaching Methods for Reading and Language Arts
EDTE 441 Teaching Reading in the Content Area
EDTE 473 Student Teaching in Elementary Education
EDTE 490 Practicum
EDTE 498 Independent Study
EDTE 499 Advanced Seminar in Teaching
EDTE 503 Physical Education and Health for Teachers