The College of Education and Human Services offers baccalaureate programs for men and women who desire to serve as teachers. The faculty of the College of Education and Human Services confers the Bachelor of Science in Education degree with a major in Special Education along with other teaching areas. In addition, undergraduate students may earn State of Ohio Teaching Licenses in special education, grades K-12 in mild/moderate or moderate/intensive educational needs. All undergraduate Special Education programs at CSU address the Federal Highly Qualified Teacher status in addition to the Ohio teaching licensure requirement. The college's conceptual model for teacher education is "The Teacher as a Responsive, Reflective Professional: A Partner in Learning." Graduates of Cleveland State University's teacher education programs are known for distinctive abilities that reflect the four knowledge bases that serve as a foundation for this model: professionalism, partnership, inquiry, and contextualism.

At-a-Glance

Degree granted: Bachelor of Science in Education

Endorsements: Teacher licensure

Minimum hours for degree: 130 semester hours

Admission to professional education course work: 2.50 cumulative grade-point average; completion of 30 semester hours of college-level course work,; earning a grade of “C” or better in college-level English composition course; earning a grade of grade of “C” or better on college-level math course; intake interview, to include review of transcripts from all previous colleges attended. You are also required to sign a Verification of Good Moral Character. Call the college advising office for an interview appointment.

Financial assistance: Incentive grants; Teacher Scholarship program (details are available in the College Advising Office, Rhodes Tower 1401.)

Awards: Golden Apple for Academic Excellence, Award for Exceptional Achievement, and Outstanding Performance for Student Teaching.

Central advising office: College Advising Office, Rhodes Tower, Room 1401; 216-687-4625

Admission to the College
Undergraduate Students

Students planning to major in Special Education (Mild/Moderate or Moderate/intensive) must be admitted to the College of Education and Human Services. A student should apply for admission to the College of Education and Human Services at least one semester in advance of desired entrance. In addition, students are required to meet certain standards and requirements of the college to be fully accepted into a licensure program and prior to registering for professional course work in education beyond EDB 200 (Teaching as a Profession). These standards and requirements are as follows:

1. The student must have an overall grade-point average of 2.50 or better at the time of enrollment in professional education courses with the exception of EDB 200. All course work taken at other institutions is counted in calculating this grade-point average until the student has completed 12 or more credit hours at Cleveland State University, after which only the Cleveland State grade-point average is considered.
2. The student must have completed or be in the process of completing 30 semester hours of college-level course work.
3. The student must demonstrate proficiency in writing by earning a grade of C or higher in a college-level English composition course.
4. The student must demonstrate proficiency in mathematics by earning a grade of C or higher in a college-level mathematics course.
5. The student must satisfactorily complete an intake interview with an adviser in the College of Education and Human Services Advising Office, Rhodes Tower Room 1401. (Requirements 1-4 above must be met prior to the intake interview.)
6. The student must sign a Verification of Good Moral Character Form in the presence of the intake interview adviser.

Professional Standards

All students enrolled in degree and/or licensure programs in the College of Education and Human Services must meet the following standards:

1. All students must achieve a cumulative Cleveland State University grade-point average of at least 2.50
2. All students must maintain a grade-point average of at least 2.75 for professional course work in education. No grades of D will be accepted. No grade lower than B will be accepted in the practicum experience. Professional course work may be repeated with the approval of the College Advising Office.
3. Students are urged to participate extensively in school and community service as part of their professional preparation. Each student will have opportunities for field experience within the context of a number of professional courses required by the college. However, students also are encouraged to participate in voluntary group leadership activities in community agencies. Assistance in locating such opportunities is provided by the college.

Course Load

The normal course load is 16 hours. Students may carry a maximum of 19 hours per semester, but they are advised to do so only rarely, when there is clear academic justification. Students who wish to take an overload (20 hours) must obtain an overload form approved by adviser.

Student Teaching Internship

The student teaching internship, required of all students being recommended for licensure by Cleveland State University, is open to those students who meet the requirements specified by the College of Education and Human Services. In addition to those professional standards and the grade-point average requirements listed above, the following must be completed prior to approval to student teach:

1. A student must provide evidence of having taken the following 2 PRAXIS exams Principles of Learning and Teaching: Early Childhood (30521), OR Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades K-6 (30522), OR Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 5-9 (30523), OR Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 7-12 (30524); AND Education of Exceptional Students: Core Content Knowledge (20353) prior to the start of the student teaching experience.
2. Through work presented in a Professional Portfolio, a student must demonstrate competence levels of at least Emerging on all 12 program outcomes and Proficient in at least 8 of these, including #2 - Social Foundations, #3 - Knowledge of Subject Matter and Inquiry, #4 - Knowledge of Development and Learning, #8 - Instructional Strategies, and #10 - Technology.
3. A student must submit a negative TB (tuberculosis) test report (Mantoux version).
4. A student Mild/Moderate or Moderate/Intensive Special Education must submit verification of having completed a series of three Hepatitis B shots.
5. A student must complete a civilian background check (fingerprint check) and submit a copy of a Clearance Report from the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI).
6. An undergraduate student must be enrolled in the appropriate college and must have declared the appropriate major.
7. Application for the student teaching internship must be filed by September 15 (for spring placement) or February 15 (for fall placement).
8. At least two semesters of academic work must be completed in the College of Education and Human Services before a student is eligible for the student teaching internship.
9. A student must have completed a minimum of 100 credit hours prior to the student teaching internship. All required professional education courses must be completed.

Additional information about all standards and requirements is available in the College Advising Office, Rhodes Tower Room 1401.

Note: Programs require a practicum experience and must complete requirements 3 through 6 above before the start of the practicum experience in addition to all specified prerequisite course work. Application for practicum must be filed by September 15 (for spring placement) or February 15 (for fall placement).

Note: A student may not repeat the student teaching internship without approval of the Petitions Committee of the College. For information about this procedure, visit the College Advising Office, Rhodes Tower, Room 1401.

Portfolio

All teaching license students are expected to maintain a portfolio while completing their professional coursework and field experiences. The portfolio will evolve from a working portfolio to a professional portfolio and finally to an employment portfolio. In it, students are responsible for housing various required and optional artifacts that demonstrate their level of competency in each of the following 12 outcomes or standards:

1. Personal Philosophy. The Cleveland State teacher education student articulates a personal philosophy of teaching and learning that is grounded in theory and practice.
2. Social Foundations. The Cleveland State teacher education student possesses knowledge and understanding of the social, political, and economic factors that influence education and shape the worlds in which we live.
3. Knowledge of Subject Matter and Inquiry. The Cleveland State teacher education student understands content, disciplinary concepts, and tools of inquiry related to the development of an educated person.
4. Knowledge of Development and Learning. The Cleveland State teacher education student understands how individuals learn and develop and that students enter the learning setting with prior experiences that give meaning to the construction of new knowledge.
5. Diversity. The Cleveland State teacher education student understands how individuals differ in their backgrounds and approaches to learning and incorporates and accounts for such diversity in teaching and learning.
6. Learning Environment. The Cleveland State teacher education student uses an understanding of individual and group motivation to promote positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
7. Communication. The Cleveland State teacher education student uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster inquiry, collaboration, and engagement in learning environments.
8. Instructional Strategies. The Cleveland State teacher education student plans and implements a variety of developmentally appropriate instructional strategies to develop performance skills, critical thinking, and problem solving, as well as to foster social, emotional, creative, and physical development.
9. Assessment. The Cleveland State teacher education student understands, selects, and uses a range of assessment strategies to foster physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development of learners and gives accounts of students’ learning to the outside world.
10. Technology. The Cleveland State teacher education student understands and uses up-to-date technology to enhance the learning environment across the full range of learner needs.
11. Professional Development. The Cleveland State teacher education student is a reflective practitioner who evaluates his/her interactions with others (e.g., learners, parents/guardians, colleagues and professionals in the community) and seeks opportunities to grow professionally.
12. Collaboration and Professionalism. The Cleveland State teacher education student fosters relationships with colleagues, parents/guardians, community agencies, and colleges/universities to support students’ growth and well-being.

At various portfolio checkpoints, students must meet specific portfolio criteria in order to be eligible to continue to the next phase of their program. For complete information on portfolios, students are strongly encouraged to access the Student Portfolio Handbook available at:

PRAXIS II

All students are required to pass PRAXIS II examinations in two areas Principles of Learning and Teaching: Early Childhood (30521), OR Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades K-6 (30522), OR Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 5-9 (30523), OR Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 7-12 (30524); AND Education of Exceptional Students: Core Content Knowledge (20353) prior to the start of the student teaching experience. Minimum scores are set by the Ohio Department of Education. All undergraduate special education majors should also take the PRAXIS II: Introduction to the Teaching of Reading (Test #10200). Passing this test will give you HQT status at the elementary level and for grades 7-12 in Reading and Language Arts. In order to be hired as a new Intervention Specialist you must obtain HQT status in one academic content area. Graduate level Mild/Moderate and Moderate/Intensive majors will most likely need to take this test also. Test # 10200 will give you HQT status for 7-12 Reading and Language Arts. Early Childhood Intervention Specialist majors may also need to take this PRAXIS II test. Approval for endorsement for teaching licensure cannot be given if the student fails to meet the cut-off score in any of these areas. If a test is not passed, it may be repeated until a passing grade is achieved. Pertinent information is available in the Office of Testing Services, RT 1235, in the College Advising Office, or on the Web at www.ets.org/praxis.

Teaching Licensure Application

Students apply for licensure through the College of Education and Human Services Advising Office. Application forms are distributed and explained during orientation to student teaching. Additional forms are available in Rhodes Tower, Room 1401.

Entry Year Program

Students completing all requirements for initial teaching license receive a State of Ohio Provisional Teaching License that is good for two years. These individuals will be granted a full five-year Professional Teaching License upon successful completion of an Entry-Year Program as a professional teacher. The Entry Year includes a formal program of support and mentoring designed to foster professional growth. Success in the Entry Year also requires teachers to pass the Praxis III assessment administered by Praxis III assessors specially trained by the State of Ohio. Complete information on this process is available in the College Advising Office, Rhodes Tower Room 1401.

Student Responsibility

Each student is responsible for meeting the curricular requirements and following the academic regulations of the college and university. No university official can relieve the student of that responsibility. Petitions for exceptions to regulations or requirements may be approved only by an appropriate faculty committee. Petition forms may be obtained from the College Advising Office, Rhodes Tower, Room 1401, 216-687-4625.