School of Education (CUS)

Grounded in Christian faith, the School of Education (SoE) prepares teachers from culturally-diverse backgrounds with academic and professional expertise for service in public and private schools, locally, nationally and globally. Graduates demonstrate academic knowledge, specialized skills, leadership, and a commitment to the academic achievement and lives of children/youth in America and beyond.

In collaboration with the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the School of Science and Engineering, and the School of Music, the School of Education offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Music degrees coupled with professional, state-approved teacher licensure programs in Elementary Education (K-6), Secondary Education (7-12: Science, English, Mathematics or Social Studies), Music (K-12), Special Education: Generalist (K-12+/ages 5-21), and Physical Education (K-12).

Dual Teacher Licensure Eligibility

Upon graduation and passing of required PRAXIS exams, School of Education graduates of the Special Education Licensure Program are also eligible to apply to the Colorado Department of Education for a second endorsement in Elementary Education.
Upon graduation and passing of required PRAXIS exams, School of Education graduates in the Elementary Licensure Program, CLD Track, are also eligible to apply to the Colorado Department of Education for a second endorsement in K-12 Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education.

The School of Education provides a carefully planned sequence of courses and clinical practice in CCU Partnership Schools leading to effective, standards-based teacher preparation. Teacher candidates in the Elementary and Special Education teacher licensure programs have a special opportunity to participate in the School of Education’s new Reading, Writing, and Mathematics Clinics serving upper elementary students from Denver Public Schools and Jefferson County Schools.

In addition to state-approved teacher licensure programs, the School of Education offers a non-licensure B.A. program in Teaching and Learning. In this program, students complete 30 credits in a professional education core, where options exist for a focus on elementary or secondary content within school-based field experiences. Students then choose an established CCU minor of their choice to allow for an additional area of focus. This valuable degree includes 51 credits in the general education core, as well as 17 elective credits, preparing graduates for a wide array of educational, business or Christian careers throughout the world.

Teacher Licensure Programs

Students enrolled under this catalog may be required to or choose to participate in activities with outside institutions, including (but not limited to) internships, practicums, clinicals, student teaching, and field experiences. In addition to requirements imposed by CCU on participants in these activities, outside institutions providing these activities may impose their own requirements and restrictions on student participants. Students are wholly and solely responsible for compliance with these requirements of outside institutions. Further, students acknowledge that CCU is in no way liable for negative impacts on a student’s educational experience or progress due to a student’s failure to comply with the requirements of an outside institution hosting required activities for CCU students.

The School of Education teacher licensure programs are state-authorized and include all requirements stipulated by the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Department of Higher Education for professional teacher licensure in Colorado K-12 public schools. Upon completion of education program requirements at the proficient level, including a passing score on requisite state licensure PRAXIS exams, and graduation from the University, students (teacher candidates) are recommended for Colorado Teacher Licensure awarded by the State of Colorado.

Students attending CCU from out-of-state, and plan to return to their home state to become a licensed teacher are required to first secure an Initial Colorado Teacher License. Many states require that graduates seeking licensure after having completed a program out-of-state, use the Colorado license to apply.

Graduates from the School of Education teacher licensure programs are eligible to apply for teacher certification from the Association for Christian Schools International: https://www.acsi.org/

The Elementary Teacher Licensure Program has received top “A” grades in Admissions, Early Reading, Clinical Practice, and Classroom Management. A national percentile is coming soon. Read more on the website published by the National Council on Teacher Quality here.

The Secondary Teacher Licensure Program (all disciplines) has received top “A” grades in Admissions, Secondary Content in the Sciences, Secondary Content in the Social Sciences, Secondary Methods: Coursework, and Classroom Management. This program has a national percentile of 98%. Read more on the website published by the National Council on Teacher Quality here.

Teacher licensure programs are performance-based with content, activities, and assessments aligned to the Colorado Teacher Quality Standards, Colorado Licensure Endorsement Standards, Colorado English Learner Standards, Colorado READ Act (elementary and special education programs only), and the K-12 Colorado Academic Standards.

Teacher Candidates apply and meet criteria for admission to the School of Education and the specific licensure program. In the professional program, Teacher Candidates participate in theoretical coursework, action research, and a minimum of 800-850 school-based, clinical practice hours under the mentorship of School-Based Teachers who have demonstrated evidence of their effectiveness in increasing K-6/7-12 student achievement. Teacher candidates also work under the mentorship of CCU Supervisors, many of whom are former school principals.

Prior to the senior year, Teacher Candidates are required to take and pass the PRAXIS exam in their academic content/endorsement area. As applicable, Teacher Candidates work directly with state education officials outside of Colorado to be advised of the appropriate teacher licensure examination, as well as other applicable licensure requirements.

Passing the PRAXIS exam(s) is a graduation requirement and a requirement for receiving a recommendation for teacher licensure by the School of Education. Current Colorado PRAXIS exam requirements can be found here.

United States Department of Education Information

The United States Department of Education requires all institutions receiving federal assistance under the Higher Education Act to report the following information:

Program Information: 337 students were enrolled in traditional teacher licensure programs offered by the College of Undergraduate Studies and the College of Adult and Graduate Studies during the 2019-2020 academic year (Source: United States Department of Education Title 2 Report submitted in April, 2021). The SoE, within the College of Undergraduate Studies, served 187 Teacher Candidates during the 2020-2021 academic year (Source: CCU enrollment data system).

Regional and State Accreditation: The teacher preparation licensure programs offered by Colorado Christian University are authorized by the State of Colorado under the auspices of the Higher Learning Commission who accredits CCU as an institution of higher learning.

Screening

Students/Teacher Candidates must qualify and complete a screening process for acceptance into the SoE Teacher Licensure Program. The application is completed and submitted directly to the School of Education. General education or major courses can be taken prior to screening. Only screened students are permitted to register for advanced professional education courses.

Students learn about and initiate the screening process during introductory courses (e.g., EDU 214: Field 1 Theory and Practice in Elementary Education) taken during their freshman or sophomore year, in their chosen program of study. As part of the screening process, students are required to meet all the general CCU admissions requirements. Students are also required to maintain a “clear” Colorado and Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal background status throughout the entire CCU program. Additional screening requirements apply. Further information is available from the School of Education.

Course Requirements

Students must complete courses in three categories: 1) CCU General Education, 2) the Major (Liberal Arts, English, Mathematics, General Science, History, Music, Kinesiology and Physical Health Education, or Teaching and Learning), and 3) SoE Professional Education Courses.

Please note, the School of Education offers licensure programs approved by the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Department of Higher Education. We are accountable and responsive to these outside accreditation bodies. Thus, on occasion, a specific major, professional course requirement, or policy may be changed from that listed in this catalog to meet dynamic higher education teacher preparation requirements, and to assure our teacher candidates are prepared with best practices.

Student Teaching

During Student Teaching, Teacher Candidates/Student Teachers must be assessed and demonstrate proficiency on all Colorado Teacher Quality, Endorsement and English Learner Standards; standards-aligned criteria of an Action Research Project; document a positive impact on the academic achievement of K-6/7-12/K-12 students; and demonstrate proficiency on all SoE Professional Dispositions. Student Teachers who do not maintain these standards/requirements may be dismissed from the program, or may not be recommended for teacher licensure. Student Teachers may retake the Student Teaching internship semester to achieve comprehensive proficiency on the Colorado Teacher Quality Standards and SoE Professional Dispositions with permission from the SoE Dean.

The School of Education requires that Teacher Candidates take and pass their designated Colorado teacher licensure PRAXIS exam(s) prior to the senior year. Student Teaching Internship. However, Teacher Candidates may extend this deadline to the semester prior to Student Teaching. Taking the PRAXIS exam early in the program allows teacher candidates time to retake the exam(s) should a passing score not be reached. A passing score on the requisite teacher licensure PRAXIS exam(s) is a SoE graduation requirement. The SoE is not permitted by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) to recommend program graduates for teacher licensure, or sign program verification forms unless all CCU graduation requirements are met and the student has acquired a passing score on all PRAXIS licensure exams as required by the CDE. Current PRAXIS exam requirements may be found on the Colorado Department of Education website.

Progress and SoE Policies

Students are required to meet the School of Education graduation requirement of a cumulative 2.50 GPA or higher, across all courses taken at Colorado Christian University. In addition, students are required to meet the cumulative 2.50 GPA or higher across all CCU courses to meet the prerequisite course enrollment requirement for Student Teaching 2.

Students must demonstrate patterns of professional behavior/dispositions appropriate for an individual preparing for a position of public trust. The School of Education has a documented process for tracking and assessing professional behavior/dispositions. All teacher candidates receive an overview of the professional behavior/dispositions expectations and process by SoE faculty. Teacher Candidates who fail to maintain appropriate and expected professional dispositions, or fail to resolve identified issues may be placed on a professional development plan or transferred from the program into a non-teacher licensure program.

Students who are conditionally admitted may not enroll in Field 1 during their first semester at CCU. Exceptions may be made by the SoE Dean’s Office.

Students on CCU Academic Probation may not enroll in clinical or field courses (e.g., Field 1, Field 2, Student Teaching 1 and 2, Reading, Writing, and Math clinics, and Music courses with field components, etc.).

Students who do not receive passing grades for the field component/activities of a course will not receive a passing grade for the course.

Students who receive a grade of D+, D, D- or an F in a course within the major or SoE professional core will be required to re-take the course in order to achieve a grade of C- or higher. Exceptions may be made by the SoE Dean's Office.

Students are not permitted to take courses from CCU’s College of Adult and Graduate Studies (CAGS) in the major or the SoE professional core without prior approval from the SoE Dean’s Office. Exceptions include instances where CAGS courses are required in the CUS School of Education programs.

Due to the responsibilities of Student Teaching 1 and 2, School of Education policy restricts students from holding an outside job either full or part-time, paid or volunteer, during the work week (Monday through Friday, 7 am to 6 p.m.). The Student Teaching 2 semester is full-time, Monday through Friday, a 40-hour per week experience occurring over 4 months. Extra-curricular activities on the CCU campus may also be restricted. Elementary and Special Education students in their Junior Year are also restricted, due to the Reading, Writing and Math clinics being offered in the afternoons 3 days per week. Lastly, Juniors and Seniors should expect to complete field hours on Fridays.

Students may not submit passing CLEP exam scores for MAT 202: Teaching Mathematics in the Elementary Classroom 1 or MAT 402: Teaching Elementary Mathematics 2: Math Clinic because these two courses are pedagogy courses.

School of Education Recommendations to the Colorado Department of Education

To be recommended for teacher licensure, a student/Teacher Candidate must complete the following:

Completion of all required General Education, Major and SoE professional courses with a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher;
Successful Student Teaching - including evidence of assessed proficiency on all Colorado Teacher Quality, Endorsement, and English Learner Standards; assessed proficiency on the standards-aligned Action Research Project; documentation of impacting K-6/7-12/K-12 student academic achievement through classroom instruction; and demonstrated proficiency on all SoE Professional Dispositions;
Completion of the CCU chapel requirement, ministry hours requirement, and all other CCU graduation requirements;
Completion of the Teacher Candidate Portfolio Defense;
Documented 800-850+ hours of K-6/7-12/K-12 clinical practice in a partnership school with all required Lesson Observations implemented;
Passing score(s) on the Colorado Department of Education’s required PRAXIS licensure test(s) in the Teacher Candidate’s licensure content/endorsement area;
“Clear” United States and Colorado criminal background status;
Colorado Department of Education (CDE) application for licensure including the submission of CDE’s Approved Program Verification Form verifying completion of all School of Education teacher licensure program requirements.

Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) Teacher Certification

All students/Teacher Candidates graduating from the SoE teacher licensure programs are eligible to apply for Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) teacher certification: https://www.acsi.org/accreditation-certification/accreditation-for-schools.

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