Teacher Education Secondary: Grades PK to 12

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SVSU is authorized by the State of Michigan to recommend students for initial certification for K (or PK) to 12, in the areas of French, Health & Physical Education, Music, Spanish, and Visual Arts Education.

If you are planning to teach grades 5 to 12 in the areas of English Langauage Arts, Math, Science, or Social Studies. Please review the program Teacher Certfification: Grades 5 to 12.

Students seeking teaching certification for the grades K (or PK) to 12 in one of these four areas of French, Health & Physical Education, Spanish, and Visual Arts Education, must fulfill the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in teacher education. If you are interested in Music Education, please e-mail music@svsu.edu or call 989-964-4159.” All options but Music include the completion of General Education, Pre-Education courses (with a grade of “C” or higher), Core Secondary courses, and specific methods courses. Admissions the College of Education is a multi-step process and information on that process can be found at the link below.

College of Education Admissions

Candidates must successfully complete the following requirements prior to submitting an application for the Teacher Education Program:

Attendance at a Pre-Education Seminar
All University Basic Skills Requirements in mathematics, reading and writing
Minimum 3.00 cumulative grade point. Letter grades associated with entry-level coursework will not be considered.
Completion of 60 credits in General Education and Pre-Education courses.
The Content Major(s) and minor(s) coursework (or approved equivalents) must be completed with a grade of “C” or better prior to beginning the Professional Sequence of the Teacher Education program.

I. PreProfessional Studies Courses

The following coursework (or approved equivalents) must be completed with a grade of “C” or better by all candidates pursuing K to 12 certification prior to beginning the Core Secondary Courses of the Teacher Education program.

TEMS 100 - Exploring Teaching 2 cr
PSYC 315 - Adolescent Psychology 3 cr
PSYC 100 - General Psychology (GE6) 4 cr

II. Content Major and Minor

All candidates must select a content area Major for their curriculum. Candidates can choose to major in one or more of the content area majors. A candidate should connect with their advisor to review curriculum requirements outlined in their chosen major.

The Content Major and minor coursework (or approved equivalents) must be completed with a grade of “C” or better prior to beginning the Professional Sequence of the Teacher Education program.

In addition to an approved major, an approved minor may be chosen. A minor is not required for certification. Approved minors are:

III. Core Secondary Courses

Upon admission into the Teacher Education program, candidates will complete the following course sequence and requirements:

TERM ONE
PSYC 317 - Educational Psychology 3 cr
TEMS 332 - Community, Planning and Assessment 3 cr
TEMS 333 - Literacy Foundations for Content-Area Learning 2-3 cr
TEMS 334 - Equity and Diversity in School 2 cr
TERM TWO
TEMS 432 - Advanced Planning, Assessing & Diversity 3 cr
TEMS 433 - Multi Language Learners Workshop 3 cr
TEMS 434 - Leadership in Teaching 3 cr
Recommended
KINE 130 - Community First Aid CPR & AED Training 1 cr
TERM THREE
TEMS 412 - Seminar in Secondary Teaching 2 cr
TEMS 422 - Secondary Student Teaching 3-12 cr
TEMS 444 - Digital Literacy 2 cr

IV. Specific Methods Courses

Students select the appropriate methods classes that correspond with their content major(s) and/or minor(s). Prior to enrolling into courses, a candidate should connect with their advisor to select the method courses that are required for their select program.

Secondary Teacher Education Program Requirements

Teacher Education: Policies And Procedures

Grade Point Average Requirement

Students in the Department of Teacher Education Middle/Secondary will be required to maintain an accumulative GPA of at least 3.00 in all professional studies courses, and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 in the required content courses for major(s) and minor(s) in order to student teach.

Students failing to maintain the required GPA in either case may be dismissed from the program, subject to an appeal. Information for an appeals process may be obtained from the dean’s office.

Seven Year Time Limit for Professional Studies Courses

All professional studies courses (credits and requirements) must be completed within seven (7) years prior to the date on which the degree is to be granted.

Student Teaching

TEMS 422 is graded on a pass/fail basis. Evaluations are made and kept on file in the College of Education Office. Application forms for student teaching can be obtained from the College of Education web site and must be returned to the Office of Clinical Experiences by the last working day of the month of November for the next year’s Fall Semester Student Teaching assignment, or by the last working day of the month of March for the next year’s Winter Semester Student Teaching assignment.

Student teaching and the seminar (TEMS 412, TEMS 422) constitute a full course load. No student may enroll for any additional credits without written permission from the Office of Clinical Experiences. Student teaching normally involves 14 weeks of full-time teaching in an area school. Assignments are made by the Office of Clinical Experiences.

Student teaching assignments are routinely made only for fall and winter semesters.

Note: It is particularly important that students placed in student teaching assignments for a given semester immediately notify the Office of Clinical Experiences when they are not able to fulfill their placement obligation. When a student drops student teaching without approval of the Office of Clinical Experiences, he/she will not be given a student teaching assignment during the following semester. When this student reapplies, he/she may be asked to appear for a formal hearing of the Department of Teacher Education.