Undergraduate BSEd Candidates | Post-Baccalaureate Certification | Professional Program Advising | CCSU Graduates

PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM ADVISING

Congratulations! 

You have already made significant progress toward your degree and certification. With acceptance into the Professional Program comes the responsibility to conduct yourself with the highest degree of professional standards. When you applied to the Professional Program (as of September 2005) you agreed to the following:

"I understand that in order to be accepted in the professional program and in order to qualify for student teaching and obtain a recommendation from CCSU for State of Connecticut certification, I must demonstrate the following:

• Personal attitudes and attributes appropriate to a teacher.

• Conduct that demonstrates appropriate professional behavior and shows realization that actions reflect directly upon the status and substance of the profession.

• Confidentiality of all information concerning colleagues and students obtained in the educational process.

• Integrity and honesty in written and verbal communication, documentation, and coursework."

FIRST THINGS FIRST

From now on, it is vital that you keep an accurate and up-to-date record of your educational and professional paperwork. Your files should start with a copy of your letter of acceptance into the Professional Program. Save all of your syllabi, course assignments, lesson plans, observations, letters of recommendations, grades, etc. You should have a resume that is updated every semester.

STUDENT TEACHING

You will have to apply for student teaching in the semester before you intend to student teach. Most students take SSCI 415: Social Studies Methods at the Secondary Level that semester, and you will spend a lot of time in class discussing the application process and the expectations of student teaching.

All student teaching is coordinated by the Office of Field Experiences (OFE). Student teaching application deadlines are 1 October and 1 March. You can download a student teaching application or pick one up in the OFE at Barnard Hall. The OFE maintains a list of frequently asked questions.

ADVISING MEETINGS

Be sure that your advising form is complete and accurate, and bring it and a current copy of your unofficial transcript with you to advising meetings every semester. It is your responsibility to make sure that you are on track to meet the general education, major, and Professional Program requirements. It is important to know exactly which courses are left for you to take in addition to the Professional Program sequence, especially because you can take only the two student teaching classes in your student teaching semester. (Post-bacs: be sure to bring your Planned Program of Study.)

SEQUENCE OF CLASSES

The first class you need to take is EDTE 316: Principles of Learning. It is important to take this class first because it is a prerequisite for EDSC 425: Principles of Secondary Education. For undergraduates, it is also a prerequisite for RDG 440.

EDTE 316: Principles of Learning   (4 credits - 30 field experience hours)

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The following courses can be taken at any time and in any order, as long as they are completed BEFORE your student teaching semester:

SPED 315: Introduction to Educating Learners with Exceptionalities   (3 credits – 10 field experience hours) (For Post-Bacs Only: If you took SPED 501 before your acceptance into the Professional Program you can substitute that class for SPED 315.)

EDT 315: Educational Technology in the Secondary School Classroom  (1 credit)

EDF 415: Educational Foundations  (3 credits)

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The following three courses should be taken in the semester just prior to student teaching. (By doing so, you can integrate the field experience requirements.)

UNDERGRADS only: RDG 440: Literacy in the Secondary School  (3 credits – 30 field experience hours in history/social studies)

POST-BACS only: RDG 506: Reading in the Secondary School (3 credits – 30 field experience hours in history/social studies)

EDSC 425: Principles of Secondary Education  (3 credits – 30 field experience hours)

SSCI 415: Social Studies Methods at the Secondary Level  (4 credits – 30 field experience hours)

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The following two courses are the student teaching courses. Take them together during your student teaching semester. No other courses may be taken in the semester of student teaching. EDSC 435 is the course for student teaching and SSCI 421 is the once-per-week seminar that all History/Social Science student teachers attend.

EDSC 435: Secondary Education Student Teaching  (9 credits)