Section I

 

Programs
The department of education offers licensure programs in several areas. Each of the programs leads to recommendation for licensure in the District of Columbia (DC).

There are three teacher preparation programs for undergraduate students:

1. Early Childhood Education
2. Elementary Education
3. Secondary Education:
   1. Biology
   2. Chemistry
   3. English
   4. General Science
   5. Mathematics
   6. Social Studies

Graduate students pursuing licensure must enter the Teacher Preparation Program, which offers several specializations. Candidates will follow a merged course of study resulting in dual licensure in Deaf Education and one of the following areas of general education:

1. Early Childhood Education
2. Elementary Education
3. Secondary Education
   1. Biology
   2. Chemistry
   3. English
   4. General Science
   5. Mathematics
   6. Social Studies

Candidates who have previously completed a teacher preparation program and hold state licensure in general education may enroll in just the Deaf Education component of the program.

 

Licensure Requirements
In addition to completing the required coursework, teacher candidates must meet a number of other requirements in order to be eligible for licensure. All licensure requirements are designed to ensure that teacher candidates meet the Conceptual Framework (Appendix A), the Student Learning Outcomes (Appendix B), and the professional standards for the content areas.

Praxis
Prior to entering practicum, students in all education programs must meet DC's requirements for Praxis I. To be eligible for recommendation for licensure, all students must meet the DC requirements for the appropriate Praxis II exams.

Teacher Work Sample (TWS)
All candidates must complete a TWS in each area in which they are seeking licensure. In constructing the TWS, the candidate applies theory to practice, employs a range of pedagogical approaches that address each learner's strengths and needs, and builds on learners' prior knowledge and experiences. Through this assessment the candidate provides credible evidence of his or her ability to facilitate, assess, analyze, and document learning by meeting the following TWS standards:

1. The candidate uses information about the learning-teaching context and learner individual differences to set learning goals and plan instruction and assessment;
2. The candidate sets significant, challenging, varied, and appropriate behavioral objectives;
3. The candidate uses multiple assessment modes and approaches aligned with behavioral objectives to assess learning before, during, and after instructional activities;
4. The candidate designs instructional activities for specific learning goals and behavioral objectives, learner characteristics and needs, and learning contexts;
5. The candidate uses regular and systematic evaluations of learning to make instructional decisions;
6. The candidate uses assessment data to profile learning and communicate information about progress and achievement; and
7. The candidate reflects on his or her instruction and learners' progress in order to improve teaching practice.

In order to complete the TWS component of the program of professional preparation, the candidate must teach an instructional sequence using an assess-teach-assess process.

Other Evaluations

1. General education teacher candidates must receive satisfactory scores on the following evaluations:
2. Student Teaching Evaluation (see Evaluation section for form)
3. Dispositions Assessment (see Evaluation section for form)
4. Lesson Plan Rubric
5. Content Assessments
6. Child Study (early childhood majors only)

Deaf Education teacher candidates must receive satisfactory scores on the following evaluations:

1. Language and Communication Exemplar
2. Student Teaching Evaluation (see Evaluation section for form)
3. Dispositions Assessment (see Evaluation section for form)
4. Use of Assessment
5. Content Assessments

 

Transition Points
As teacher candidates progress through their respective programs, there are a number of transition points that they must meet in order to move on to the next field experience. The following figures show the transition points for undergraduate candidates and graduate candidates.

All criteria are set at 80% for performance assessments. Praxis scores must meet the District of Columbia scores to be considered "passing."

 

 

Problem-solving Procedures

Although in most situations this is not the case, occasionally problems arise between a cooperating teacher and a teacher candidate. If the cooperating teacher requests the removal of a teacher candidate, the program will honor the request and terminate the placement. At that time, the problem will immediately be handled by the University Supervisor and the Program Director. For any other problem, follow this procedure to resolve it:

 

About the Student Action Plan

1. The teacher candidate, cooperating teacher, university supervisor, and program director (or designee) will meet to discuss, develop, and sign the Student Action Plan (SAP, See Appendix C).
2. The SAP includes:
   1. Statement of concerns from all parties
   2. Goals to help resolve concerns
   3. Plan of actions and a timeline for addressing goals
   4. Responsible party for each step of the action plan
   5. Consequences for failure to meet goals
3. Failure to follow through with any part of an SAP may result in:
   1. Failure of the field experience course
   2. Removal from the current placement
   3. Removal from the program
4. Decisions about consequences are made by the cooperating teacher, university supervisor, placement coordinator, and program director.
   1. If a candidate is on an SAP, the program will decide what and how much is disclosed to the next cooperating teacher and university supervisor.
5. A copy of the SAP will be placed in the teacher candidate's file.

 

 

Lesson Plan Format

The education department does not require one standardized format for lesson plans. Teacher candidates may use a format from a course or that is used in the school. However, these elements must be included at a minimum:

1. Topic and class information (length of time, number of students, grade, etc...)
2. Standards (national, state, or local)
3. Objectives include: Audience, Behavior, Condition, and Degree
   1. Cognitive
   2. Affective
   3. Psychomotor (if applicable)
4. Assessments
5. Step-by-step Procedures
   1. Bilingual methods required for EDU 789 and EDU 797
6. Accommodations for Individual Students

 

                                                                           

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