Education (EDUC) General Program Requirements
Admission to Teacher Education
Education students are admitted to the college as pre-education majors. Subsequently, students will then apply for formal Admission to Teacher Education. The application for Admission to Teacher Education is available online and can be accessed from the SOE Student Bulletin Board. Once admitted to Teacher Education, all candidates will be required to apply for a Georgia Pre-Service Certificate, which will involve a state background check.
Eventually the following requirements must be met for full admission to the teaching program:
- Attendance in EDUC 2251 Professional Practice I.
- Evidence of adequate scholastic ability, demonstrated by a 2.5 “C+” or higher cumulative GPA or 2.75 for Secondary Education majors.
- Evidence of meeting expectations for professional conduct and ethics as documented by completion of Compliance Director Code of Ethics and Mandated Reporting Modules and by passing the Georgia Ethics Assessment (entry level).
- Passing score on the GACE Program Admissions Assessments (PAA)unless exemption filed according to the following criteria: SAT exemption (1000 or better on combined verbal and math); ACT exemption (43 total by adding English and Math); GRE exemption (1030 total with no minimum verbal and quantitative or 297 if taken after 8/1/11). Students must pass the GACE Program Admissions Assessments and be admitted to Teacher Education in order to take professional courses in the major.
- Passing required interview and written assessment.
When all of the above requirements have been met the candidate will receive a letter confirming his or her full admission to the education program.
See School of Education Portal on PilgrimNet for more information.
Fees
Although Piedmont College does not assess student fees, candidates for degrees and programs leading to teacher certification will incur costs associated with state certification requirements, over which the College has no control.*
| Membership – Student Professional Association of Georgia Educators (SPAGE) – Liability Insurance (3 years) – required of all candidates for field experience, Internship I and Internship II |
$18 |
Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE)
| Program Admissions Assessment |
$128† |
| †If all three parts are taken together; otherwise, the cost is $103 for two tests; $78 for a single test |
| Ethics Assessment (Entry level) |
$30 |
| Content Assessments |
193† |
| †If taking a combined test (2 assessments); a single content test is $123 |
| Ethics Assessment (Exit level) |
$30 |
| Education Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) |
$300 |
*Fees were accurate at the time of printing, but are subject to change.
Professional Practice Courses
All candidates in undergraduate programs in teacher education must complete three, one- credit Professional Practice courses. These courses are designed to position education students for the Georgia pre-service certificate, and to prepare candidates for the various GACE (Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators) Content Assessments and the Educator Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA). Candidates who come to Piedmont from other states and who do not wish to remain in Georgia must also complete these courses, as they are linked to field experiences and internship requirements.
Field Experiences
Field Experience requirements are established by each department. Teacher Candidates should consult the School of Education portal on PilgrimNet and the School of Education Bulletin Board website for detailed information concerning their program of study. Field Experiences include documented hours built into individual courses, practicum, student teaching, and apprenticeship. Education majors should be aware that they must have the pre-service certificate and undergo a criminal background check prior to completing any required field experiences.
Continuation and completion of all field experiences is contingent upon demonstration of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn as described in the School of Education Conceptual Framework and Candidate Program Learning Outcomes and, for candidates in programs leading to secondary T-4 certification, the Georgia Systematic Teacher Education Program Accomplished Teacher Framework. Piedmont College reserves the right to withdraw or change the placement of a teacher candidate for failure to meet these outcomes or at the request of the host school.
Compass Program: Experiential Learning
Students who are enrolled at Piedmont for all four of their undergraduate years will be required to complete three Experiential Learning Endeavors that reflect distinct Compass Points of Interest, in addition to their fulfillment of academic requirements. The Compass Points of Interest include Social Ethics, Leadership, Cultural Awareness, Creativity and Innovation, Vocation, and Service Learning.
Each endeavor will originate with a project proposal, involve sponsorship by a member of the Piedmont College faculty or staff, and include a reflection component. Upon completion of endeavors, students compose succinct descriptions of what they gained from the experiences that will comprise an Experiential Learning Transcript.
Technology Requirements
As technology continues to evolve in P-12 and in the college classroom, students and faculty of teacher preparation programs are challenged to stay current in the “tools of the day.” This need is reinforced by recent changes in accreditation requirements where the skillset in instructional technology use by teacher candidates is required. Additionally, constant changes in initiatives such as “Bring Your Own Technology” and network-based 1:1 student/technology ratios require that current and future teachers possess strong technology integration skills and cross-platform selection for their P-12 students.
School of Education candidates will no longer be required to purchase, or bring to class, mobile technology, laptops, or other relevant instructional technology tools. However, the School of Education strongly encourages teacher candidates to come prepared with any tools that demonstrate their abilities to apply student engagement activities through related educational Apps, educational games, and educational websites, and other software. Many of these skills are provided in EDUC 2250/EDUC 6601 Media and Technology for Educators, but Candidates are also charged with the ability to prepare with varied technology-based tools and a working knowledge of a need for compatibility with tablets and laptops from varied platforms. Optimizing student engagement through the use and support of current technologies and online systems is the primary focus of School of Education faculty to enrich education classes and to further make our graduates competitive in the educational arena.