Education Department

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The Department of Education offers a major and certification in elementary education, certification in secondary education for majors in certain other departments, and a major and certification in special education. All programs incorporate an extended internship experience lasting several semesters.

The Department of Education offers a major and certification in elementary education (grades 1–6 ), certification in secondary education for majors in certain other departments (grades 7–12, with the exception of art and music, which are K-12 certification areas), and a major and certification in special education (grades 1–8).

The Education Department’s primary purpose is the preparation of teachers for elementary and secondary schools. Teaching at any of these levels requires three major areas of preparation: (1) thorough knowledge of the subject matter, (2) understanding of the learners, and (3) study of the means whereby knowledge is communicated. The first of these competencies is provided through courses designed to give breadth and depth in the liberal arts, while the other two are provided through the courses in education. These last two aim to have each student gain an understanding of the learners’ characteristics, the curriculum, the methods of teaching, the theories of learning and teaching, the relationship between theory and practice, and the school as a social institution.

The Elementary Education Program, Special Education Program, and the Secondary Education Program have been approved by the Maryland State Department of Education. A student who satisfactorily fulfills the standards of the programs, meets the Maryland State Department of Education’s Essential Dimensions of Teaching, and passes the Praxis I and II tests appropriate to the area of certification is recommended for certification in Maryland. Students eligible for Maryland certification can then receive equivalent or temporary certification in more than 40 states through reciprocity. Although graduation usually occurs within eight semesters, satisfactory completion of certification requirements may require one or more additional semesters. It is important that all students who plan to teach in secondary schools consult the chair of their intended major department, as well as the chair of the Education Department, no later than the spring semester of their sophomore year. Students planning to teach in elementary school should consult the chair of the Education Department.

Students who wish to be certified to teach outside of Maryland should obtain information about the requirements specified by the state department of education in the desired state. Maryland law prohibits anyone who has been convicted of a crime of violence or a crime against children from being certified to teach. Students enrolled in education courses may be required to be fingerprinted for fieldwork internship placements.

Department Faculty

Professor

Eli Velder, Dean Van Meter Professor (history and philosophy of education)

Associate Professors

LaJerne Cornish, chair (adolescent development, secondary education), Ann Marie Longo (reading, diagnostic assessment, special education), Tami K. Smith (child development, educational psychology)

Assistant Professors

Mary Adkins (special education), Frona Brown (learning disabilities and fieldwork)

4+1 B.A./M.A.T. AND B.A./M.ED.

For those interested in teaching and/or educational administration, Goucher offers accelerated degree programs in which students can earn both the Bachelor of Arts degree and either a Master of Arts in Teaching or a Master of Education degree in five years rather than the more typical six or seven years. Through these programs, students may take up to nine graduate credits while still undergraduates as long as they have attained junior status, possess a 3.0 or better grade point average, and have applied and been accepted into the program by the chair of the undergraduate Department of Education and the director of the Graduate Programs in Education. The nine graduate credits apply both to the 120 credits required for the bachelor’s degree as well as to the credits required for the master’s degree. These programs typically require two to three summers’ course work. Courses must be completed within one year of receiving the bachelor’s degree. For more information regarding accelerated degree programs in education, please contact the chair of the Department of Education.

The Special Education Major

The Department of Education offers a major in elementary/middle school special education as a teacher of exceptional children in Maryland. This program has been approved by the Maryland State Department of Education. A student who fulfills the standards of the programs and meets the Maryland State Department of Education’s Essential Dimensions of Teaching is recommended for generic special education certification (Grades 1-8) in Maryland. The state certifies special education teachers non-categorically by age/grade-level criteria. Although graduation usually occurs within eight semesters, satisfactory completion of certification requirements may require one or more additional semesters. Because Maryland certifies special education teachers non-categorically, students who would like certification outside Maryland should contact the department of education of the state of their choice regarding reciprocity and that state’s requirements. Maryland law prohibits anyone who has been convicted of a crime of violence or a crime against children from being certified to teach. Students enrolled in special education courses may be required to be fingerprinted for fieldwork internship placements.

Program Faculty

Associate Professors

LaJerne Cornish (secondary education, counseling), Ann Marie Longo, director (reading, diagnostic assessment, special education)

Assistant Professors

Mary Adkins (special education), Frona Brown (learning disabilities)

Title II 2010-2011 Academic Year Report Card Single-Assessment Pass-Rate Data: Regular Teacher Preparation Program

According to Section 207 of the Title II of the federal Higher Education Act, each Institution of Higher Education is required to publish students’ results on the teacher licensing examination, known as Praxis. The following describes both undergraduate and graduate students’ scores on the Praxis test(s).

*If there are fewer than 10 test-takers on any assessment, their scores are not analyzed by ETS.

Number of program completers: 43 submitted, 43 found and used in passing rate calculation

Contextual Information

Section 1B Program Enrollment

Section 1C Supervised Experience

The number of full-time-equivalent faculty in supervised clinical experience is 25 and includes mentor teachers and PDS site supervisors.

Goucher College has not been designated as low-performing by the state of Maryland and is scheduled for its next program approval site visit in Fall 2013.

All students in the Education Program, regardless of certification area, are required to take SPE 100 - Special Education: Historical, Philosophical, and Legal Foundations (4 Cr.) .

All students in the Education Program are required to meet a set of state-approved technology.

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