Teacher Education: General Information

Admission to the Teacher Education Program

Entering undergraduate students who intend to pursue professional teaching licensure should file a statement of “Intent to Pursue Teaching Licensure” in the Center for Assistance to Students in Education (CASE) at the beginning of their first semester at Milligan. Filing this statement will establish an initial program of study and designate an education adviser. Students initiate the application process leading to admission to teacher education while enrolled in Education 150, Introduction to Education, or immediately upon transfer from another program or institution. For full admission to the professional level of the teacher education program, students must have at least a 2.50 overall grade point average on a minimum of 30 credit hours. A minimum 2.75 overall grade point average will be required for subsequent approval to student teach. Students also must complete the Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST) with Tennessee approved scores and submit two references. Students with an Enhanced ACT score of 22 or an enhanced SAT score of 1020 are exempt from taking the PPST. Admission decisions will be made once each semester. The application deadline for fall semester admissions is the last Friday in September. The application deadline for spring semester admissions is the last Friday in February. Completing all requirements for full admission to teacher education is the responsibility of the student. Students not yet admitted to teacher education or those admitted in either provisional or probationary status may not be allowed to enroll in professional level course work. Teacher candidates with PPST and/or grade point average deficiencies will not be approved for enrollment in courses numbered 350 or above, including student teaching, without the permission of the instructor.

Enrollment in all teacher education courses numbered 350 and above requires admission to the professional level of studies or prior approval of the instructor. Admission to the program does not guarantee continuance or completion. The teacher education faculty may recommend that a candidate not continue in the program if determined that such action is in the interest of Milligan College, the teacher candidate, or the profession. The candidate will then be administratively withdrawn from the program.

Licensure

Teacher candidates complete supervised field experiences and student teaching in public or private partner schools in nearby communities. During one of the senior semesters, candidates complete a full-time student teaching experience and participate in a series of associated capstone seminars especially designed to provide opportunities to reflect on relationships between theory and practical experiences in education. Candidates will also develop and maintain a portfolio throughout the program to document emerging professional competencies. Final assessment of program outcomes (as reflected in the portfolio, the student teaching experience, and minimum scores on all PRAXIS II subtests required for the license sought) is a critical component of the capstone seminar. A passing grade in the capstone seminar reflects program completion and will not be awarded until all program outcomes are fully met. Early completion of all PRAXIS II subtests is strongly recommended to ensure completion of this course as well as the receipt of all credentials including one's academic transcript demonstrating program completion for submission to state regulatory agencies for licensure.

Teacher candidates should anticipate various fees related to state licensure requirements. Fees will be incurred for completion of the Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST) and the PRAXIS II, for purchase of liability insurance, for verification of CPR and/or first aid proficiency, and any other licensure requirements mandated by the State of Tennessee.

Milligan College offers curricula for licensure issued by the State of Tennessee for early childhood educators (PreK-Grade 3), elementary educators (K-6), middle grades educators (Grades 4-8), secondary educators, special educators (special education program voluntarily suspended currently), and specialists in music, theatre, and physical education. Milligan College is approved by the Tennessee Department of Education for teacher education and is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Successful completion of this program leads to Tennessee licensure. Meeting all Tennessee licensure requirements is mandatory, even for those who intend to move to other states for employment. Through state reciprocal licensure agreements, some Milligan graduates also attain licensure in other states.

Accreditation by NCATE ensures that a teacher education degree from Milligan is instantly recognized in Tennessee and the nation for its quality. Milligan College is one of only approximately 600 NCATE institutions nationally. Research has shown that graduates from NCATE institutions significantly outperform those from non-NCATE institutions on National Teacher Examinations. Milligan's commitment to meet NCATE standards means that each graduate of teacher education programs gains the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed for success as a professional educator.

Portfolio

Teacher candidates are required to develop an electronic portfolio documenting their mastery of applicable Milligan College program outcomes. Portfolios are organized around outcome statements based upon Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) standards and must be submitted in LiveText during the student teaching semester. Initial and continuing full admission status is contingent upon periodic review of developing portfolios. Fall semester student teachers must submit portfolios for final review by the last Monday in November; spring semester student teachers must submit portfolios by the last Monday in April. Students failing to meet these deadlines will receive a grade of “Incomplete” in EDUC 460 Capstone Seminar. This grade of “Incomplete” will delay graduation, program completion, and recommendation for licensure.

Student Teaching

Approval to student teach is granted only to teacher candidates who have been fully admitted to the professional level of the teacher education program and who maintain eligibility at that level. In addition to meeting established minimum grade point averages and Tennessee-approved PPST scores, approval to student teach requires:

1.     Maintaining a minimum overall 2.75 grade point average;
2.     Earning a minimum grade of C-minus in all courses in the academic major;
3.     Earning a minimum grade of C-minus in all required teacher education courses in the program of study;
4.     Obtaining liability insurance;
5.     Verification of CPR and/or first aid proficiency;
6.     Documentation of emerging teaching competencies in a portfolio; and
7.     Positive review by the Admission and Retention Committee.

The application deadline for fall semester student teaching is the first Monday in February. The application deadline for spring semester student teaching is the first Monday in October. Applications processed after these deadlines will incur a substantial late placement fee.

The candidate should expect to take no more than thirteen hours of credit (twelve hours of student teaching and one hour of the capstone seminar) during the student teaching semester. Employment and other substantial extracurricular activities during the student teaching semester are strongly discouraged. As a part of the student teaching approval process, the director of teacher education will determine that all prerequisite course work is completed and that any course work remaining to complete the Milligan College B.A. or B.S. program may reasonably be completed in one remaining semester. Prerequisite course work includes all professional level education courses and all courses in the academic major. Candidates pursuing licensure in two or more areas (i.e., middle grades and early childhood education) can expect an extended student teaching experience, possibly in a subsequent semester.

Student teaching is an experience in instruction, assessment, and classroom management in an assigned partner school, combined with initial orientation classes and periodic evening workshops and seminars. Student teacher experience placements will be made with partner school systems located in the surrounding area in order to maintain proper supervision levels and the integrity of the teacher education program. The student teaching assignment typically involves experience at two grade levels during the fifteen-week period. During the student teaching semester, candidates observe the schedule of the assigned partner school instead of the Milligan College schedule. Absences for reasons other than documented illness or family emergency are strongly discouraged. Excessive absences may result in an extension of the student teaching experience after completion of the Milligan College semester. Successful completion of student teaching is a condition of graduation from Milligan College with recommendation for licensure.

PRAXIS II

Candidates completing any teacher education program are required to take the PRAXIS II test “Principles of Learning and Teaching” and appropriate Specialty Area Tests. Tennessee publishes a list of the required Specialty Area Tests and passing scores for each licensure area. This list is available in the Center for Assistance to Students in Education (CASE) or online at ETS. Graduation does not guarantee licensure. Any teacher candidate who fails to meet passing Tennessee scores on all required PRAXIS II tests and subtests is not a program completer, cannot be recommended by Milligan College for licensure nor granted a passing grade in capstone.

In accordance with the United States Congress in the reauthorization of Title II of the Higher Education Act, the Milligan College Teacher Education Program reports the pass rates of the PRAXIS II exams for 2004 - 2005 program completers.

One hundred percent of the education graduates passed all institutional exams for initial teacher licensure.

Aggregate pass rates for 2005 - 2006 were:

        Professional Knowledge                  100%
        Academic Content                          100%
       

Tests Required for All Licensure Candidates

Effective September 1, 2006, every Initial Licensure Applicant is required to take one of the following PLT exams:

Specialty Area Tests

 
Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses

Undergraduate students may take up to 9 hours of courses for graduate credit in education, after they have completed 90 hours of undergraduate course work, and have these credits apply toward their Master of Education degree. Students earning graduate credit in undergraduate courses will be required to complete additional course requirements. These credits must be in addition to at least 128 credits of undergraduate work. Outlined below are the courses that may be taken and a list of the courses for which graduate credit may be earned.  

 
Center for Assistance to Students in Education (CASE)

The Center for Assistance to Students in Education (CASE) provides coordinated assistance and support to students seeking professional teacher licensure at Milligan College. Located in the Teacher Education Curriculum Center, CASE attends to several critical functions throughout the various undergraduate and graduate teacher education programs of study. Accountability checkpoints have been established from initial contact with potential teacher candidates through post-graduation and post-licensure follow-up contacts. Academic advisement, field placements, mentoring, performance assessment and portfolio development, completion of graduation and licensure requirements, assistance with induction into initial employment and if necessary, tutoring and counseling are coordinated by and through CASE.

Curriculum Center and Paul Clark Teacher Education Center

The Curriculum Center houses a collection of textbooks, instructional materials, curriculum guides, professional books, and electronic resources. Also included are audiotapes, videotapes, and educational computer software. A work space where teacher candidates can produce materials for learning centers and bulletin boards is a part of the Center as well as a scanner, laminator, lettering machine, transparency maker, and various consumable supplies for the production of such materials. Also housed in the Curriculum Center are digital cameras, videocassette recorders, and several camcorders. Computer terminals also provide electronic access to the P. H. Welshimer Library and other resources via the Internet. The Paul Clark Teacher Education Center includes a technology classroom and conference room. Located adjacent to the curriculum center and CASE, the Paul Clark facility provides a model environment for professional education studies.

Library

The P. H. Welshimer Library supports the academic program by providing research materials in all subject areas. In addition to print monographs and journals in education, the Library provides access to extensive education journals and research literature through the Education Research Complete, Academic OneFile, JSTOR, and Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) online databases. The Library holds the ERIC documents on microfiche from 1980 through 2004.

The Library is a participating member in the shared online catalog of the Appalachian College Association's (ACA) Bowen Central Library of Appalachia. The holdings of Milligan College are set as the default within the catalog display. However, the catalog allows the holdings of other participating ACA libraries to be searched. The Library also subscribes to WorldCat, an online catalog that gives Milligan students access, through our interlibrary loan service, to the holdings of thousands of libraries worldwide. Locally, the Library participates in resource-sharing agreements with the libraries of Emmanuel School of Religion and East Tennessee State University (main campus and medical school).

Source: 2007-08 Catalog
 

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