Albion College Education Department

Course of Study | Admission & Testing | Special Advisory

Admission

The State of Michigan will grant provisional teacher certification to Albion College graduates who successfully complete the required course of study and are recommended as having met the qualifications for selection as outlined below:

I. Students desiring admission to EDUC 201, the first education course, must complete a Request Sheet- available in the Education Office- and have earned a college minimum cumulative academic average of 2.7 by the end of the second semester of their college work.

II.      Students admitted into the 200-level courses in the Elementary   Program must:
a. maintain a college minimum gpa of 3.0 in their teaching major,
     professional education courses and planned program;
b.  maintain a minimum cumulative gpa of 2.7;
c. pass the Writing Competence Examination prior to the end of the
     sophomore year;
d. meet each semester with an Education staff member (Education
     advising).

III. Formal acceptance in the Education Program requires all the above plus students must:

a. complete an application;

         b.  complete EDUC 201 with a 3.0 or above and a supportive
     evaluation from the field placement teacher;
c.  obtain passing scores for the Michigan Basic Skills Test prior to
     the beginning of the junior year;
d.  obtain two recommendations from faculty members outside of
     Education, one of whom is in the department of the teaching
     major;
e.  complete at least 25 documented hours of work with
     children/adolescents in an education setting outside your
     education courses.

IV. Prior to certification, Elementary Education students must take and pass the Elementary Education test and optional subject area test (Major) during the junior or senior year.

Student Teaching

Students must sign up for student teaching at the Shurmur Education Institute office not later than January 31 of the academic year preceding the year in which they wish to do their teaching. An autobiography, r�sum�, and formal application must be presented by this date. Students must make their own transportation arrangements for getting to and from their student teaching assignments. We try to place all Education student teachers within the Albion area. We feel that this provides a multicultural and diverse socioeconomic context. However, if we are unable to place you within the Albion area, we will place you as close to Albion as possible (maximum 30 mile radius). Students are not allowed to take other courses, have a job, or participate in an intercollegiate sport or similar activity that would interfere with student teaching.

Field Experiences

Field experiences are connected throughout the Secondary and K-12 Programs. Students will observe in classrooms and gradually begin to teach small groups and whole classes before student teaching. We also encourage students to get involved with volunteer programs such as HOSTS, FLES, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters in addition to the Secondary/K-12 Programs.

Certification Fee

In October 1988, House Bill No. 5718, specifically Act No. 339, was approved by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State. The Act requires that all certification applicants pay a fee of $125.00 for the issuance of a provisional certificate. Albion College is not involved in the collection of the fee. A Detroit bank will bill the student. Albion College can only recommend a student for certification; the state does not certify until the student submits the fee.

Testing

Act 267 of the Public Acts of 1986 requires that all students wishing admission to any Michigan Teacher Education Program must take and pass the Basic Skills Test administered by National Evaluation Systems, Inc. This test should be taken during the freshman year and no later than the sophomore year. Student teaching assignments cannot be made until a passing score is received by Albion College. Students will not be eligible to register for 300-level courses if they have not passed the Basic Skills Test.

All students must take and pass subject area tests in their major and minor during the junior or senior year. Passing scores must be received before a student can be recommended for Secondary or K-12 Certification. Cost, dates, sites and fee information for the tests is available in the Registration Book which may be obtained in the Education Department office.

All information about state tests is available in the education department's main office (Vulgamore 306) or from the Michigan Department of Education's Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) website.

As requested by the Michigan Department of Education to release information on institutional reports for teacher tests, we are reporting that Albion College students who completed the Education program for certification during the academic year 1999-2000 had a 100% passing rate for the Basic Skills test and the Elementary Education test. Because only a few students take other required subject area tests, Albion's pass rates for these tests are not included by the State in this reporting period.

Albion College ◦ Albion, Michigan ◦ 517/629-1000