Program Advancement

To complete the program and be eligible for licensing, candidates must pass assessments at three points:

1. Entrance to Program (between the sophomore and junior years)
2. Admission to the supervised teaching
3. Completion of supervised teaching and portfolio

The University reserves the right to modify test score requirements and specific course requirements based on changes in licensure being implemented by the Indiana Professional Standards Board. Information will be disseminated to candidates on a regular basis; nevertheless, it is the candidate's responsibility to maintain contact with the Department of Teacher Education for details.

1. Entrance to Program

A candidate must be admitted to the Teacher Education Program in order to enroll in most 300-level education courses. To be admitted, a candidate must provide evidence of meeting the following requirements:

• Junior standing (60 semester hours)
• A Limited Criminal History Check
• Cumulative grade point average of 2.500 (C=2.000)
• Minimum grade of "C" in all EDUC courses
• Completion of any of the following required courses with a grade of "C" or above:

All Education Majors: ENGL-101 English Composition ENGL-102 Western World Literature and Composition ENGL-220 Advanced Composition COMM-201 Classroom Communications

Elementary Majors: HIST-207 History of the US I HIST-208 History of the US II MATH-208 Elementary Teachers-Math I MATH-210 Elementary Teachers-Math II BIOL-112 Practical Methods/Topics in Biology CHEM-100 Elements of Chemistry and Physics ESCI-100 Elements of Earth-Space Science IREL-204 World Geography

• Successful completion of a written case analysis completed under supervised conditions.
• Successful completion of a personal interview with two professional educators.
• Passing scores on the Praxis I Academic Skills Assessments in writing, reading, and mathematics. The Praxis Exams are produced and administered by Educational Testing Service and are required by the Indiana Professional Standards Board.

Praxis I Requirement

Teacher candidates may NOT participate in the Essay/Interview portion of Entrance to Program unless they have taken all sections of Praxis I.

Teacher candidates may NOT take controlled courses (EDUC courses 300 and above) unless they have passed ALL sections of Praxis I.

The Praxis I (Academic Skills Assessments) is designed to be taken early in the college career to measure reading, writing, and mathematical skills. They are available in two formats:

1. Paper-based tests - Administered at numerous times during the year at various locations around the state and the University of Indianapolis.
2. Computer-based tests - Administered at local testing centers by appointment. They contain the same questions, the same distribution of content, and have the same amount of test time as do the paper-based tests.

NOTE - Regardless of the format, ETS requires 3 to 5 weeks to report scores (due to hand-scoring the writing portion). Therefore, it is essential that candidates who wish to apply for Entrance to Program at the end of their sophomore year take the Praxis I no later than January.

Passing scores that are required by the University of Indianapolis for Entrance to Program also meet the licensure requirements as set by the Indiana Professional Standards Board:
Passing Scores:
Mathematics - 175
Reading - 176
Writing - 172

2. Admission to supervised teaching

For admission to the professional semester of student teaching, candidates must have been formally admitted to the Teacher Education Program and provide evidence of meeting the following requirements:

• Senior standing (92 semester hours)
• Cumulative grade point average of 2.500
• Grades of "C" or above in all major courses both content and professional education.
• Successful completion of courses as listed on departmental program sheets.
• Passing scores on ALL Praxis I tests.

3. Completion of Supervised Teaching and the Portfolio

The culminating activity and final assessment for those completing the Teacher Education Program is a supervised teaching experience that provides student teachers with an opportunity to integrate the theories, methods and techniques of the teaching-learning process in a classroom setting. During this experience, student teachers produce a portfolio that demonstrates and documents their abilities to meet the developmental and content standards required for an Indiana teaching license.

The finished portfolio contains:

• A Culture and Climate of School and Community Narrative.
• A sequence of Five Lesson Plans that is prepared and taught. An overview of INTASC Principles, rationales, reflections, analyses of student learning, and a documentation of professional involvement are included in the lesson plans.
• A videotape of one of the five lessons being taught.

Each portfolio is scored by a team of professional educators using a University-developed rubric based on the INTASC Principles. The portfolio and classroom experiences are high-stakes activities. Candidates who do not receive a "Satisfactory" on either requirement will not be recommended for licensing.

Grades that may be earned in student teaching, including the portfolio:

• "S" - Satisfactory completion with recommendation for license.
• "Credit/NR" - Credit given for the University hours earned but no recommendation for license. An appropriate notation will be placed on the student's transcript.
• "Deferred" - Final grade is deferred until successful completion of additional student teaching, the length of which is determined by the Director of Student Teaching and Department Chair.
• "U/NR" - Unsatisfactory and no recommendation for license and no credit for hours attempted.

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