Teacher Certification Program

Tulane's Teacher Preparation and Certification Program has received state approval for the three programs (Secondary, Early Childhood and Dance) from the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and national accreditation from the Teacher Education Accreditation Council.. Please contact the Teacher Certification office for details.

Teacher Certification Secondary Education Level

In addition to the B.A., B.S., or B.F.A. degree from Tulane University, students may earn teacher certification in secondary education (grades 6-12) from the Louisiana State Department of Education, which can then be transferred to other states. Students should consider the “content teaching fields” requirements in choosing a major. Students must fulfill all Tulane degree and major requirements, resulting in a bachelors degree in their content field, and teacher certification course work except for student teaching or internship. After completion of the baccalaureate degree, students finish the student teaching or internship requirements.

1. Secondary Content Focus Area Requirements

A content focus area selected from: English, mathematics, social studies (combination of economics, history, and political science), French, Spanish, Italian, German, cell biology, ecology and evolutionary biology, chemistry and physics. Courses taken to fulfill general education requirements and major may count towards the primary teaching certification area requirements.

Students will be advised by both content area faculty and TPCP staff to ensure certification requirements are met. Students who elect to earn secondary certification in a content area must register with the Office of Teacher Preparation and Certification, usually during the sophomore year or after completion of EDLA 2000/2890. In order to enroll in upper level coursework and progress through the program, students must:

1. maintain a 3.0 GPA in education courses with no grades below a "C"
2. maintain a 2.5 overall GPA
3. pass the Praxis I (PPST) exam (usually the semester after EDLA2000/2890). Students who achieve a score of 22 or above on the ACT or 1030 on the SAT combined math/verbal are excused from taking the PPST.
4. submit an electronic portfolio demonstrating knowledge, skills, anddispositions for teaching
5. complete an interview process

2. Secondary Content Area Teacher Certification Coursework (23 credits)

3. PRAXIS Requirements (Required for licensure in Louisiana and many other states)

• Praxis I (PPST) - Complete during sophomore year and before
• enrollment in EDUC methods courses. Students who achieve a score of 22 or above on the ACT or 1030 on the SAT combined math/verbal are excused from taking the PPST.
• Praxis II (Content Area) - Complete before Student Teaching semester or internship.
• Praxis II (Principles of Learning and Teaching) - Complete before or during Student Teaching semester or internship.

Knowledge of the Learner and the Learning Environment (13 credits)

• EDLA 2000 - Education in a Diverse Society
• EDLA 2890 - ServiceLearning in Public Schools
• EDUC 3400 - Classroom Management, Instructional Design and Assessment
• PSYC 3200 - Educational Psychology
• PSYC 3390 - Adolescent Psychology

Methodology and Teaching (10 credits)

• EDUC 3802 - Methods of Secondary Reading Instruction
• EDUC 3820 - Practicum in Secondary Reading
• EDUC 5010 - Secondary Education Methods I

One of the following:

• EDUC 5090 - Secondary Methods of Teaching II: Social Studies Methods
• EDUC 5100 - Secondary Methods of Teaching II: Science Methods
• EDUC 5110 - Secondary Methods of Teaching II: English Methods
• EDUC 5120 - Secondary Methods of Teaching II: Math Methods
• EDUC 5130 - Secondary Methods of Teaching II: Foreign Language Methods
• EDUC 6930 - Student Teaching Semester in Secondary Schools (6-12) OR
• EDUC 6940 - Internship in Secondary Education (6-12) and
• EDUC 6950 - Internship in Secondary Education (6-12)

Note(s):

Coordinate Major Early Childhood Education

1. Early Childhood Education

Students may elect to major in psychology with a coordinate major in early childhood education to earn certification to teach in grades PK-3. Required PSYC courses are: PSYC 1000 or 1010 or 1020, 2090, 3180, 3200, 3210, 3230, 3250, 3260, 3340, 3350, PSYC 3650 or SOC 1030 and one course from the psychobiology group. Students will work with both an adviser in the psychology department and an adviser from Teacher Preparation & Certification to ensure that both major and certification requirements are met.

Students who elect to earn early childhood education (ECE) certification must register with the Office of Teacher Preparation and Certification (419 Newcomb Hall), usually during the sophomore year or after completion of EDLA 2000/2890. In order to enroll in upper level education coursework and progress through the program, students must:

1.  maintain a 3.0 GPA in education courses with no grades below a "C"
2. maintain a 2.5 overall GPA
3. pass the Praxis I (PPST) exam (usually the semester after EDLA 2000/2890). Students who achieve a score of 22 or above on the ACT or 1030 on the SAT combined math/verbal are excused from taking the PPST.
4. submit an electronic portfolio demonstrating knowledge, skills, and dispositions for teaching
5. complete an interview process

2. Early Childhood Teacher Certification Coursework (27 credits in addition to ECE Psychology major)

3. PRAXIS Requirements (Required for licensure in Louisiana and many other states)

Praxis I (PPST) – Complete during sophomore year and before enrollment in EDUC methods courses. Students who achieve a score of 22 or above on the ACT or 1030 on the SAT combined math/verbal are excused from taking the PPST. Praxis II (Content Area) - Complete before Student Teaching semester or internship. Praxis II (Principles of Learning and Teaching) - Complete before or during Student Teaching semester or internship.

Psychology Courses

• PSYC 1000 - Introductory Psychology
• PSYC 3090 - Psychological Applications of Univariate Statistics I
• PSYC 3180 - Psychological Testing and Measurement
• PSYC 3200 - Educational Psychology
• PSYC 3210 - Child Psychology
• PSYC 3230 - Nursery School Observation
• PSYC 3250 - The Psychology of Early Childhood
• PSYC 3260 - Infancy
• PSYC 3340 - Developmental Psychopathology
• PSYC 3350 - Nursery School Principles
• PSYC 3650 - Family Psychology and Psychopathology
• SOCI 1030 - Sociology of the Family
• and one course from the psychobiology group

Knowledge of the Learner and the Learning Environment (10 credits)

• EDLA 2000 - Education in a Diverse Society
• EDLA 2890 - Service Learning in Public Schools
• EDUC 3400 - Classroom Management, Instructional Design and Assessment
• PSYC 3210 - Child Psychology (included in psychology major)

Reading/Language Arts (10 credits)

• EDUC 3000 - Emergent Literacy
• EDUC 3801 - Methods of Early Childhood Reading Instruction
• EDLA 3160 - Children's and Adolescent Literature

Teaching Methodology (7 credits)

• EDUC 3500 - Methods I - Early Childhood Education - Language Arts & Social Studies Curriculum Integration K-3
• EDUC 6900 - Student Teaching Semester in Early Childhood (PK-3) OR
• EDUC 6910 - Internship in Early Childhood Education (PK-3) and
• EDUC 6920 - Internship in Early Childhood Education (PK-3)

Note(s):

Dance (K-12)

Students major in Dance and earn a degree in the field:

The BA degree in Dance requires 40 credits in the discipline including core courses for all Theatre and Dance majors, courses in Ballet and/or Modern Dance, and courses in Dance History and Dance Composition. The structure of the program addresses both curriculum-based and discipline-based teaching methods with community contact in both areas. The courses in the K-12 Dance Certification Program are aligned with national standards in the field (The National Dance Association and the National Association of Schools of Dance).

Candidates will work with both an advisor in the Department of Theatre and Dance and an advisor in the Teacher Preparation and Certification program to ensure that all requirements for certification are met.

Students complete coursework for (K-12) Certification:

Knowledge of the Learner and the Learning Environment (13 hours)

• EDLA 2000 - Education in a Diverse Society (3)
• EDLA 2890 - Service Learning in Public Schools (1) or EDUC 3250 Focused Clinical Experience I
• PSYC 3210 - Child Psychology (3)
• PSYC 3390 - Adolescent Psychology (3)
• EDUC 3400 - Classroom Management, Instructional Design and Assessment(3)
• Methodology and Teaching (14 hours)
• EDUC 3500 - Methods I - Early Childhood Education - Language Arts & Social Studies (3)
• EDUC 3801 -Methods of Early Childhood Reading Instruction (3)
• EDUC 3820 - Practicum in Secondary Reading (1)
• DANC 3610 - Children's Dance Methods and Practicum (Grades 4-5) (1) / EDUC 3610 Children's Dance Methods & Practicum (Grades 4-5)
• DANC 5140 - Secondary Methods of Teaching II: Dance Methods (3) / EDUC 5140 Secondary Methods of Teaching II: Dance Methods
• PSYC 3200 - Educational Psychology (3)

• AFTER completion of baccalaureate degree, students finish a clinical capstone:

• EDUC 6960 - Student Teaching Semester in Dance Education (K-12) (6)
• or
• EDUC 6970 - Internship in Dance Education K-12 (3) and EDUC 6980 Internship in Dance Education K-12 (3)
• 
  Dance (K-12) candidates will be assigned to an elementary setting (K-6) for half of the clinical capstone and to a secondary setting (7-12) for the other half.

In addition to coursework, students must complete:

After completion of coursework, PRAXIS exams, and student teaching, successful candidates can be recommended for certification.

Sequencing of SEC TPCP courses:

Several of the courses required for DANCE (K-12) program completion are only offered once a year (either Fall only or Spring only). Students interested in earning the DANCE K-12 teaching certification should meet with a TPCP advisor as soon as they enroll in EDLA 2000/2890 (if not before) to plan out a program of studies to ensure that prerequisites are met.

In addition, the majority of the TPCP courses have extensive service learning field experience requirements. Students may not enroll for coursework that requires more than 80 hours of field experience without special permission from the program director.

In addition to required courses, the following courses are additional suggested electives:

• PSYC 3010 - Introduction to Personality
• PSYC 3090 - Psychological Applications of Univariate Statistics I (elective for SEC)
• PSYC 3240 - Urban Child Development
• PSYC 3300 - Brain and Behavior
• PSYC 3340 - Developmental Psychopathology (elective for SEC)
• PSYC 3430 - Introduction to Social Psychology
• PSYC 4610 - Black Youth: Developmental Psychology Perspectives
• SOCI 1030 - Sociology of the Family (elective for SEC)