First Year Fall Semester
____ Enroll in Exploring Teaching.
____ Make plans to take the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (VCLA).
____ Complete the Virginia Communication Literacy Assessment (VCLA) with a minimum passing score of 470 and submit examinee score report to the education program office.
*There are no exemptions as the VCLA is a Virginia state licensure requirement.
____ Maintain a 2.5 GPA and have a C or better in all education and methods courses (courses with an ED prefix, VACA 397/398, MUED 341/342, PE 401/402) and a 2.7 GPA to be admitted to student teaching.
____ Make arrangements for access to a vehicle to transport yourself to and from schools for each semester in which you have a field experience. You are responsible to arrange for your own transportation to all field experiences after ED 101.
First Year Spring Semester
____ Declare a major and licensure area in education.
____ Complete a 4-year plan with your advisor.
____ Make arrangements for access to a vehicle to transport yourself to and from schools for each semester in which you have a field experience. You are responsible to arrange for your own transportation to all field experiences after ED 101.
Sophomore Fall Semester
____ Apply for admission to teacher education by November 30 which includes the following requirements:
Sophomore Spring Semester
____ Complete a teacher education interview – in February.
____ Admission to teacher education is required before registering for ED 341/2/3 Literacy Block or ED 351 General & Special Methods.
Junior Fall Semester
____ Apply for admission to student teaching by November 30 if planning to student teach the following academic year which includes the following requirements:
(Designated courses: ED 331, 333, 351, and 385; EDS 331 and 332; PE 402; VACA 398; MUED 342)
(Designated courses: ED 252, 331-333, 341-343, & 361; VACA 397-398; LING 460; MUED 341-342; PE 401-402)
____ Transfer students are expected to be in residence one full semester in addition to the above requirements before being admitted to student teaching.
Junior Spring Semester
____ Meet individually with the Coordinator of Field Placements to discuss student teaching placements.
____ Complete the following requirements for admission to student teaching:
____ Make arrangements for access to a vehicle to transport yourself to and from schools for your student teaching semester.
Senior Year
____ Participate in Opening School Experience. Spring student teachers participate the August prior to student teaching.
____ Take the Praxis Subject Assessment(s) prior to the student teaching semester. Health & Physical Education candidates may take their Praxis Subject Assessment in January of their student teaching semester.
____ Have enough credit hours to graduate (120 semester hours) and not exceed 18 hours (6-12 and PreK-12) or 24 hours (PreK-3 and PreK-6) of professional education hours.
In addition to meeting the requirements for your academic major, you must satisfy the following exit requirements before graduation.
You must:
You will be required to take the Praxis Subject Assessment and Praxis Teaching Reading: Elementary exam (if applicable) to receive initial licensure in Virginia and most other states. You should register directly through the Educational Testing Services. Registration information is available on the web at http://www.ets.org/praxis and in the teacher education program office. When registering for Praxis tests, please select EMU as the institutional score recipient. You are responsible to submit a copy of your score report to the teacher education office.
You will also be required to pass the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (VCLA) for licensure in Virginia. This test is administered in Virginia with dates announced at the beginning of each school year. You should register directly through the National Evaluation Systems, Inc. (NES). Registration information is available on the web at http://www.va.nesinc.com/. You are responsible to submit a copy of your score report to the teacher education office.
You are responsible for all test fees. Current cut-off scores for each test are listed in Appendix A of this handbook and on the web: http://www.emu.edu/education/test-scores/.
Please be aware that required tests for licensure vary from state to state. It is possible that you will need to take additional tests to qualify for licensure in the state to which you are applying.
LICENSURE APPLICATIONS WILL BE PROCESSED AFTER THE ABOVE EXIT REQUIREMENTS HAVE BEEN MET AND A COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT HAS BEEN RECEIVED BY THE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM.