School Personnel Preparation Standards - Baccalaureate

New Standards for Teacher Preparation Programs Culminating in a Bachelor's Degree¹

The Pennsylvania State Board of Education and the Department of Education (PDE) have published revised Provisions and Standards for the Preparation of Professional Educators², stipulating a gradual implementation process beginning with the academic year 2001-2002. In the context of the Penn State calendar this means August 15, 2001.

These new Standards have an impact on the admission, retention, and exit criteria of all programs which prepare school personnel. Also, in some cases, the new Standards will prompt curricular changes. These changes are reflected in Entrance and Exit Criteria for Teacher Education Programs.

What does this mean to our teacher certification candidates? Typically, they seek a baccalaureate degree, awarded by Penn State, and a teacher certificate issued by PDE. Therefore, our teacher preparation programs are designed to meet both certification and graduation requirements. Thus, an academic "major," such as Special Education, with its General Education requirements, the Requirements for the Major, and the Electives, is also viewed as a "teacher certification program."

Generally, when changes in PDE Standards prompt program modifications, these do not affect students already enrolled in the University. This time, however, some of the requirements become effective as early as Fall 2001.

The impact of the changes will depend on whether a candidate was admitted to a specific teacher certification program by August 15, 2001, or whether the candidate enters such a program after August 15, 2001. The following policies apply to each group of teacher certification candidates.

¹ This publication and a companion publication titled New Standards for Programs that Prepare School Personnel at the Post-Baccalaureate Level are available at the following web site: www.ed.psu.edu/certification/default.asp. Vocational certificate candidates please see: www.ed.psu.edu/wfed/
² Available on PDE web sites: www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt

Individuals Seeking Admission into a Specific Penn State Teacher Certification Program (or Major) after August 15, 2001:

1. Entry:
   1. Meet all entrance criteria on the attachment.
   2. Hold a cumulative GPA of 3.00 (or equivalent as per Chapter 354.31).
2. Retention:
   1. As per program guidelines.
   2. Maintain a cumulative GPA consistent with the Entry criterion above.
3. Exit:
   1. Meet all Program and PDE multiple assessment exit criteria in effect at time of admission to the program.

General Information

• Curricular changes prompted by the new Standards will be phased in as the programs' curricular proposals are approved through the regular University curricular process.
• A candidate pursuing a Penn State bachelor's degree (say Elementary and Kindergarten Education) who at graduation from the major meets the Penn State program's degree requirements, but does not meet qualifying scores for the PDE PRAXIS tests or the PDE cumulative grade point average requirement, is still eligible for the Penn State degree, but would not yet be eligible for the Pennsylvania teacher certificate.
• It is understood that during the transition period from the current Standards and Policies to full implementation of the new Standards, unique circumstances may warrant additional clarification from PDE. Likewise, within the spirit and parameters of Chapter 354, a candidate encountering unusual implementation difficulty may use our regular petition process by submitting the request, with supporting documentation, to Certification and Education Services, 228 Chambers Building, University Park, PA, 16802.

For additional information, please contact the cited PDE web sites, a program adviser, or Assistant Dean Jacqueline Edmondson, 278 Chambers Building, University Park, PA, 16802, jxe117@psu.edu, www.ed.psu.edu

New Standards for Programs that prepare School Personnel at the Post-Baccalaureate Level

Entrance and Exit Criteria