Program: BAQECE - Bachelor of Arts
Mission Statement
The mission of the Department of Education at Mercyhurst University is to develop teachers who are intellectually and spiritually sensitive, professionally and socially responsible; namely, those who seek to bring out these same qualities in their own students. To accomplish this mission, our teacher preparation program enables pre-service teachers to facilitate growth in intellectual curiosity, self-confidence, knowledge, responsibility, and interpersonal relationships.
Program Student Learning Outcomes
The Education Department Early Childhood/Special Education faculty has developed six-broad based learning outcomes that serve as the framework for the program’s curriculum. Upon completion of the pre-service teacher preparation program, graduates will be able to:
Certification Programs
Undergraduate degrees leading to teacher certification from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are available in the following areas: Art Education K-12; Early Childhood Education PreK-4; Early Childhood Education PreK-4/Special Education PreK-8; World Language Education K-12 (French, Spanish), and Music Education K-12.
Accreditation
All Certification Programs have full accreditation endorsements by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The State Board of Education adopted changes that affect all of PA’s teacher certification programs by adding 9 credits or 270 hours or equivalent combination for adaptations and accommodations for diverse students in an inclusive setting and 3 credits or 90 hours or equivalent combination to meet the instructional needs of English Language Learners. New regulations for certifying teachers became effective on January 1, 2013.
Minor
The Education Department offers a minor in Special Education PreK-8.
Admission
All students intending to complete a Bachelor Degree in Education must make formal application for admission to the Education Department during the spring semester of their sophomore year, or upon completion of 48 credits of university level study. Those students earning teacher certification in Secondary Education 7-12 or K-12 Education must make formal application in the specific academic department in their area of study. Transfer students must complete one Mercyhurst Education course prior to applying for admission.
All students must meet the published admissions criteria. Admission to an Education program constitutes admission to the Education Department. Dismissal from an Education program constitutes dismissal from the Education Department. Mercyhurst University complies with the Pennsylvania Department of Education regulations for teacher certification. Should these regulations change, Mercyhurst will change requirements accordingly and students will be responsible for meeting the new guidelines for program completion and certification.
Procedures for Admission Review
Minimum requirements for admission to the Education Program are:
Students eligible for admission to the Education Program have their applications examined as follows:
Retention
Students placed on any kind of probationary status by the admission/retention committees of the Early Childhood Education, Secondary, or Special Education Departments may not enroll in any Education Department courses unless specifically approved by the Chair of the Education Department.
A student receiving a final evaluation of unsatisfactory in any course clinical experience may not enroll in any other Education Department course until the department faculty agree to permit the student to repeat the clinical experience and such is completed at a satisfactory level by the student.
A student may be dismissed from the Education Department should they receive, at the conclusion of either the first or second half of the Capstone Clinical assignment, an evaluation of unsatisfactory. The final determination of unsatisfactory performance in the Capstone Clinical program is made by the university supervisor, the Director of Field Placements and the Chair of the Education Department.
Mandated Grading Scale
The faculty in the Education Department uses a unified grading scale in the assessment of student achievement in all education courses. Above average grades will be reserved for “exemplary” work only.
100-95 % (A) 94-90% (B+) 89-85 % (B) 84-78% (C+) 77-70 % (C) 69-65 % (D+) 64-60 % (D) Below 60 % (F)
Clinical Experiences
All students will complete the Capstone Clinical; a vital experience in the program of the emerging professional educator. As part of the Capstone Clinical experience, each student will present an accepted Professional Portfolio. Capstone Clinical assignments/placements are the responsibility of the university. To avoid conflicts of interest, a candidate will normally not be assigned to districts from which he/she graduated or to districts in which he/ she permanently resides or to schools in which an immediate family member is employed.
Most course offerings of the Education Department require that a student successfully complete an assigned clinical experience in order to pass the academic course. Students who register for courses with a clinical experience are required by PA state law to obtain ACT 24/82, ACT 34, ACT 114 and ACT 151 clearances, a clear TB test and the Mandatory Reporter Training Course. Copies of these clearances must be presented to the course instructor during the first week of class and submitted to the Education Office.
Information on obtaining these clearances can be found in the Education Office or on the Pennsylvania Department of Education website at: https://www.education. pa.gov/Educators/Clearances/Pages/default.aspx. Effective December 31, 2014, employees who have direct contact with children will be required to obtain new clearances every 36 months.
The nature of a course (location, number of hours, types of assignments, number of visits, student responsibility, etc.) is determined by the specific subject matter and content of the academic course. Specific information concerning a course clinical is found in the course syllabus.
An unexcused absence from an assigned course clinical and/or an unsatisfactory final clinical evaluation from either the course instructor or the classroom clinical supervisor will result in a grade of “F” for the course and the student being given notice of automatic placement on final probationary status within the specific department and the Education Department.
Capstone Clinical
Students accepted in the Education Department must make formal application for Capstone Clinical assignments at least one year prior to the semester in which they expect to do the Capstone Clinical experience. All assignments will be for a fourteen-week period. Capstone Clinical is done during the fall semester or the spring semester.
EDEC 475: Early Childhood Education PreK-4
ECSP 475: Early Childhood Education PreK-4/ Special Education PreK-8
EDUC 475: Secondary Education (Art/Music/World Languages)
After the application has been received and approved, each student accepted will be granted a conditional Capstone Clinical assignment. All Capstone Clinical assignments are conditional upon the academic results of the previous semester. Students accepted into the Capstone Clinical program must follow the rules and regulations governing admission/retention in this program.
Final approval for Capstone Clinical will be sent to students who have:
The Department will recommend for program completion and teacher certification only those candidates who have met the following requirements:
At any time during the Capstone Clinical assignment(s), unsatisfactory performance as determined by the University supervisor the Director of Field Placements and/or the Chair of the Education Department may result in a student being withdrawn from the course with a final grade of “F” and dismissal from the Education Department. It is the responsibility of the student to have knowledge of and be in compliance with all existing Pennsylvania State rules and regulations for certification.
Application for Capstone Clinical
All eligibility requirements must be completed and forwarded to the Director of Field Placements by the designated date to qualify:
Dismissal of a Candidate from Capstone Clinical Placement
Purpose
To establish reasons or a process for removal of a candidate from the Capstone Clinical assignment. The first two items are consistent with Act 34, Criminal Record Check; the third item establishes a procedure for removing a student if the candidate’s behavior is not consistent with appropriate expectations of the school district; the fourth item establishes a process and assures that the student learns of unsatisfactory progress as early as possible; and the fifth item is an appeal process.
Policy
Students ultimately are guests of the cooperating school districts and may be removed at the request of the principal/superintendent.
A student may also be removed by Mercyhurst University from the student assignment for any of the following reasons:
Decisions made under this policy may be appealed to the Dean of the Hafenmaier College.
Transfer Students
Transfer students seeking to complete their bachelor’s degree at Mercyhurst University and teacher certification are required to take a minimum of one -half of the Education Department Course requirements and one-half of the certification content area course requirements at Mercyhurst University. Transfer students holding a Bachelor Degree from accredited institutions other than Mercyhurst may receive Mercyhurst University recommendation for teacher certification upon completion of all requirements established on the basis of an evaluation of prospective candidates’ academic and experiential credentials by both the Chairperson of the Education Department and the Department Director of the certification area.
Factors considered in this evaluation include: date of course work, date of degree, and compatibility of academic and experiential credentials with the current academic and professional education requirements of the certificate.
Non-Traditional Students
Access to education programs leading to certification is available for adults planning mid-career changes, certified persons wishing to add new areas to their certificate, and the self-support students who must work while completing a program. The non-traditional student should meet with an Education Department faculty advisor to develop a plan of study that utilizes a variety of options for completion of certification requirements. The non-traditional student must meet all admission/retention standards of the Education Department as well as all the specific standards of the program offering the certification program.
K-12 Education Major
Teacher certification for grades Kindergarten through grade 12 is available in the following academic areas of study: Art (K-12), World Language (French, Spanish (K-12)), Music (K-12). K-12 Education majors must fulfill the requirements for admission to the K-12 Education Program and to the selected academic department of the major.
Students who are seeking certification in any of the K-12 education areas must complete the prescribed courses in their major area and the education courses listed below. All of the education courses must be taken in sequence, and must be completed before a student can begin the Capstone Clinical (see below). All Capstone Clinical assignments will be for a twelve-week period. The Capstone Clinical experience is typically during the fall and spring semesters. Final approval for the Capstone Clinical will be sent to students who have successfully met the requirements listed by the Department of Education, recommendation from the major Department, and possession of desirable professional and personal qualities as evidenced by successful completion of all clinical experiences.
Sophomores are required to make formal application for admission to the K-12 Education Program during the spring semester of that school year. Application for admission into the K-12 Education program beyond the sophomore year may result in extending the normal four-year university period for meeting graduation/certification requirements.
LEVEL I - Freshman/Sophomore Years
ESPE 101 Psychology of Diverse Learner 3 credits
WL 101 Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners 3 credits
LEVEL II - Sophomore Year
EDUC 210 Comparative Issues in Education 3 credits
ESPE 201 Inclusive Practices PreK-8 3 credits
LEVEL III - Junior Year
Content area methods courses
ESPE 301 Supporting Literacy PreK-8 3 credits
LEVEL IV - Senior Year
EDUC 474 Clinical - Secondary Education (K-12) 3 credits
EDUC 475 Capstone Clinical 12 credits