UTSA College of Education & Human Development

1. UTSA College of Education & Human Development Undergraduate Teacher Certification Program

2. Agenda • Fitness to Teach • Program Admission Requirements • Field Experiences • Restricted Courses • TExES Exams • Student Teaching • Scholarships • Contact Information

3. Fitness to Teach • Must be read prior to applying to the Teacher Certification Program • Fitness to Teach Policy addresses: • Academic Requirements • Personal and Professional Requirements • Cultural and Social Attitudes and Behaviors • Physical Skills • Emotional and Mental Abilities • Policy can be found at http://coehd.utsa.edu/FTT/FTT.htm

4. Admission Requirements • Cumulative GPA must be a 2.5 or better • Students will be required to earn a C or better in WRC 1013 AND WRC 1023. • Junior Standing with at least 9 hours completed at UTSA • Core Complete

5. Admission Requirements • Passing scores on THEA, ACCUPLACER, Asset, or Compass or meet exemption requirements

6. Admission Requirements:ALPS • Take the ALPS exam • Offered to help students determine their Spanish Language skills • Assesses and identifies how much Spanish development a student needs before going on to BBL approaches coursework • Contact Gabby Santiago for more information: • gaby.santiago@utsa.edu or at 458-5577

7. Admission Requirements • Complete a Teacher Certification Program Applicationin ASAP • Submit authorization for a Texas Dept. of Public Safety Criminal Background Report

8. Field Experience • Field Experience (field work) is time spent in an educational setting, usually a public school, in addition to regular class hours • Field Experiences allow students to: • Develop teaching skills in the context of a school setting • Develop an understanding of the needs of diverse learners

9. Field Experience:What does it require? • Each student is required to complete a minimum number of hours of observation or participation per class, per semester • For Example: • Reading courses: 20 hours • Curriculum and Instruction courses: 25-30 hours • Early Childhood Education courses: 10-20 hours • Other courses: refer to course description for details • Criminal background checks required

10. Restricted Courses • Must have all prerequisites completed AND be admitted to the teacher certification program • Restricted courses require advisor clearance and be obtained online by following the instructions found athttp://coehd.utsa.edu/Students/Advising/documents/OnlineInstructionstoRestrictedCourses.pdf

11. Restricted Courses Contd. • EC-6 will be required to take “Blocked Courses” • Require concurrent enrollment • Designed to allow students to spend extended periods of time in one school setting

12. Field Experiences and Restricted Courses • Plan carefully to make sure all prerequisites are met • Check course descriptions in the current catalog to determine course prerequisites • Build in travel time before and after field-based courses

13. Every student is required to fill out a criminal background check at the time of course registration. Please visit http://coehd.utsa.edu/Students/FESP/BG_Checks/BG_Intro.htm to get the form and for more information about criminal background checks. If you have ever been arrested, it is very likely that the arrest(s) will appear when your background check is run. To learn more about how arrest(s) on your record can impact your ability to become a certified teacher, please visit http://coehd.utsa.edu/Students/FESP/BG_Checks/Impact.htm Criminal History Background Check COEHD courses that involve field experience require that a criminal history check be conducted before students are allowed to participate in or obtain class credit for field-based assignments.

14. TExES Certification Exams • Students are encouraged to complete all practice tests, reviews, and TExES exams the semester before student teaching • Information for practice exams, review sessions and state exam registration procedures can be found at: http://coehd.utsa.edu/students/TExAS/Home_TExES.htm • For more information, contact the TExES Testing Office at 210-458-5849.

15. Student Teaching • A placement for student teaching requires attendance at a mandatory meeting ONE long semester in advance • Requirements and guidelines for student teaching and application information will be discussed and disseminated at meeting • Deadlines: • Spring Semester – October 1 • Fall Semester – February 15 • All coursework should be completed before student teaching

16. Student Teaching Contd. • Student teaching is a full-time commitment and working while student teaching is highly discouraged • Student will be assigned to a school and cooperating teacher Monday-Friday for the entire semester • If you anticipate the need for financial assistance, contact COEHD Student Services at least 2 semesters before you student teach

17. COEHD Scholarships and Services • Visit COEHD Scholarship webpage for assistance • http://coehd.utsa.edu/students/scholarships/home_scholarships.htm • Services offered: • Guidance in finding and applying for scholarships • A ‘Scholarship Alert’ E-mail • Essay writing assistance • Be aware of application deadlines

18. Contact Information • Degree/Program Questions: 458-4424 (1604) or 458-2550 (DT) http://coehd.utsa.edu • Field Placement Questions: Ron Thomas/Jesus Marquez 458-6128ron.thomas@utsa.edu • Student Services/Scholarships: Francesca Bronder458-4021 • TExES Exam Questions: Cherie Weiss 458-5849cherie.weiss@utsa.edu • Student Teaching Questions: Janet Scott 458-5420janet.scott@utsa.edu

19. Congratulations!!! • If you would like a printout of this tutorial, please visit http://coehd.utsa.edu/Students/Advising/Admin_U_T_C.htm • Close this window and return to ASAP • Take the brief quiz • Apply to the Teacher Certification program