Admission

Applicants, with guidance from their advisor, must complete the teacher education admission application, which is reviewed by the department screening committee to determine eligibility.

New Applicants

To be considered for admission into the Teacher Education Program, teacher candidates must meet/complete the following criteria:

1. Submit the Online Application for Admission (Have all supporting documents completed and ready to submit prior to beginning the online application.)
2. Attain minimum overall GPA of 2.70 beginning August 24, 2015 (Program of Study and MAT students must have a minimum of 3.0 overall in courses for Program of Study.)
3. Complete the following courses with a grade of “C” or better in each: ENG 1003, Composition I; ENG 1013, Composition II; MATH 1023, College Algebra OR MATH 1043, Quantitative Reasoning, OR STAT 2003, Introduction to Statistics (or mathematics course required by degree program); Introduction to Education (specific to each department); and COMS 1203, Oral Communication or Speech Proficiency (as specified by the department)*
4. Complete a minimum of 30 semester hours*
5. Complete the Professional Educator Dispositions Assessment (self-assessment by candidate and evaluation by screening committee) as prescribed in the Teacher Education Handbook. Download this document, complete it, and save it prior to beginning the application process. You will need to upload it to the online application.
6. Complete the Professional Ethics Assessment as prescribed by the Teacher Education Handbook. Submit a copy of the training certificate obtained from ArkansasIDEAS.
   
   1. Professional Licensure Standards Board (PLSB) - The Code of Ethics Training Video (2018) Course #ERC19048 
   2. To register for an Arkansas IDEAS account, visit: https://ideaslms.aetn.org/
   3. All students should read the Arkansas Code of Ethics for Arkansas Educators.
7. Complete the Admission Technology Checkpoint Requirement
8. Obtain a signed Clarification of Teacher Education Admissions/Retention Standards on the application and the Mission & Values, Teacher Education Outcomes and Arkansas Teaching Standards as outlined in the Teacher Education Handbook
9. Documentation of an Approved Arkansas State Police (ASP) and Federal Background Check and the Arkansas Child Maltreatment Background Check through the Arkansas Department of Education Online Background Check Instructions
   
   1. A-State teacher education students and A-State faculty/staff select Arkansas State University for District/Location and use 8800002 for the Verification Code. Background check and child maltreatment must be less than one year old when applying for admission.
10. Verify the student has received a copy of the Mission & Values, Teacher Education Outcomes and Arkansas Teaching Standards.
11. Appear individually for a personal interview before the Department Screening Committee. The Signature Verification Page will need to be signed by the screening committee and submitted to the PEP Office.  Please complete the applicant portion of the document prior to interview.

Candidates may not enroll in designated professional education courses—marked with an asterisk in the Undergraduate Bulletin—until they are formally admitted to the teacher education program. Once the Professional Education Programs Director approves the application, candidates will receive an official email notification.

Admission does not guarantee continued enrollment; candidates must meet all retention checkpoints and demonstrate ongoing academic proficiency, moral responsibility, emotional stability, and professional growth.

One Year Prior to Capstone

Candidates must meet the following requirements one year prior to the capstone internship semester to continue in the program.

1. Maintain a minimum overall GPA of 2.70 (minimum of 3.0 in all course work required for Program of Study students)
   
2. Earn a “C” or better in all Professional Education courses (including Exceptional Child in the Regular Classroom and Educational Psychology; Adaptive PE for PE/Health majors)
   
3. Confirmation of eligibility for the Level 2 field experience
   
4. Provide documentation of an approved Child Maltreatment and Arkansas State Police (ASP) and FBI Background Check to be eligible for the capstone internship semester ELED, MCH & SPED majors).

 

One Semester Prior to Capstone

Candidates must meet the following requirements one semester prior to the capstone internship semester to continue in the program.

1. Maintain a minimum overall GPA of 2.70 (minimum of 3.0 in all course work required for Program of Study students)
   
2. Earn a “C” or better in all Professional Education courses (including Exceptional Child in the Regular Classroom and Educational Psychology; Adaptive PE for PE/Health majors)
   
3. Provide documentation of an approved Child Maltreatment and Arkansas State Police (ASP) and FBI Background Check to be eligible for the capstone internship semester.

Minimum Performance Requirements

Candidates must meet the following minimum performance requirements to be validated for the internship.

1. Formal admittance into the teacher education program
   
2. Senior standing–a minimum of 90 semester hours
   
3. Pre-Teacher Intern Check Form filed with the Office of Professional Education Programs
   
4. Completion of professional education courses for secondary and K-12 education majors and professional education/major courses for elementary education (K-6), special education (K-12) and middle level (4-8) majors with the exception of the capstone teaching internship semester (students must have a ‘C’ or better in the Professional Education Courses (including Exceptional Child in the Regular Classroom and Educational Psychology; Adaptive PE for PE/Health majors).
   
5. Attainment of a minimum grade point average of 2.70 in all course work and a minimum grade point average of 2.70 in the major area (a minimum of 3.0 in all course work is required for Program of Study (POS) students and a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in the major area; Masters of Art in Teaching (MAT) candidates must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average for the master’s degree). Some departments may require a 2.75 GPA in the major area. Please check with your advisor.
   
6. Meet prescribed department requirements
   
7. Completion of the Intent for Capstone Teaching Internship application form eight weeks before the end of the semester or one week before the pre-registration date of the semester preceding capstone teaching internship
   
8. Attend the orientation sessions for the capstone teaching internship
   
9. Verification of clearance of disqualifying offenses
   
10. Verification of clearance of the Child Maltreatment background check
    
11. Complete the Professional Disposition Self-Assessment as prescribed in the Teacher Education Handbook
    
12. Meet the Clinical Candidate Technology checkpoint requirements as assessed within the licensure program.

Transfer students must meet the above prerequisites and complete a minimum of twelve (12) semester hours of resident work at Arkansas State University to be eligible to enroll in the capstone teaching internship.

In addition to the aforementioned eligibility requirements for the capstone internship, the candidates must meet the following minimum performance requirements at Checkpoint 4.

1. Maintain a minimum overall GPA of 2.70 (minimum of 3.0 in all course work required for  Program of Study and Masters of Art in Teaching students)
   
2. Validation by advisor for the capstone teaching internship
   

According to Act 1090 (HB 1651) of 2015 “For a preservice teacher assigned to a public school as a student intern in a supervised field experience or supervised clinical experience, a sanction adopted by the State Board of Education may be imposed on a license when it is issued to a preservice teacher.”

Graduation Requirements

Candidates must meet the following minimum performance requirements to graduate from the teacher education program.

1. Successful performance in the teaching internship
2. Maintain a minimum overall GPA of 2.70 (minimum of 3.0 in all course work required for Program of Study and Masters of Art in Teaching students)
3. Meet EPP portfolio requirements
4. Meet Praxis II Content and Praxis II Pedagogy assessments specified for the Arkansas teacher licensure being pursued
5. Meet graduation check sheet requirements