School of Education

Programs

Elementary Licensure Program: B.A. Liberal Arts (CUS)
Music Education K-12 Licensure Program: B.M. (School of Education) (CUS)
Secondary English/Language Arts Licensure Program: B.A. English (CUS)
Secondary Science Licensure Program: B.S. General Science (CUS)
Secondary Social Studies Licensure Program: B.A. History (CUS)
Special Education Generalist Licensure Program: B.A.Liberal Arts (CUS)
Education Minors/Emphasis

The School of Education, in collaboration with the School of Humanities and Sciences and the School of Music, offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Music degrees with professional teacher preparation programs in elementary education (K-6), secondary (7-12), music (K-12), and special education: generalist (ages 5-21). The School of Education provides a carefully planned sequence of courses and clinical practicum within the framework of the arts and sciences that leads to teacher licensure.

The School of Education prepares teachers, grounded in their Christian faith, 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 and to education in America.

Teacher Licensure Programs

The School of Education teacher licensure programs are state-accredited 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 exams, and graduation from the University, students (teacher candidates) are recommended for Colorado Teacher Licensure awarded by the State of Colorado.

Teacher licensure programs are performance-based with content, activities, and assessments aligned to the Performance-Based Standards for Colorado Teachers, the appropriate Colorado Licensure Endorsement Standards, and the K-12 Colorado Academic Standards. Students apply and meet criteria for admission to the School of Education and the specific licensure program. In the professional program students participate in theoretical coursework, research, and a minimum of 800 school-based hours of clinical practicum/internship

Three semesters prior to the Student Teaching Internship, teacher candidates are required to take and pass the PLACE or PRAXIS II exam in their academic content area. The School of Education is not responsible for delays in Student Teaching Internship placement or student graduation that may occur as a result of not meeting this policy. Students who are unable to fulfill this program requirement are placed on a remediation plan.

The PLACE is taken by those students who plan to seek a teaching position in Colorado, while the PRAXIS II is accepted in Colorado and numerous other states. As applicable, students can check with state education offices outside of Colorado to be advised of the appropriate teacher examination.

United States Department of Education Information

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

Program Information: The School of Education had 142 students in the School of Education College of Undergraduate Studies during the academic year 2014-15.
Accreditation: The teacher preparation licensure programs offered by Colorado Christian University are accredited by the State of Colorado.
Program Completer Pass Rate: CCU School of Education teacher candidates taking the state teacher exam had a 100 percent pass rate for the academic year 2014-15.

Screening

Students must qualify and complete a screening process for acceptance into the Teacher Preparation Program. Application is made to the School of Education Dean. 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 in their chosen program of study in the School of Education. Further information is available from the Dean’s Office.

Progress

Appropriate progress requires students to maintain a cumulative 2.75 GPA or higher for all courses taken at the university. In addition, teacher candidates must demonstrate patterns of behavior appropriate for an individual preparing for a position of public trust. Students who fail to maintain professional standards or fail to resolve dispositions may be dismissed from the program. Criteria are further defined in the Teacher Portfolio.

Teacher candidates must earn a C or better in all professional education courses. Candidates may retake a professional course to achieve a C or better, but the candidate may only retake a given course one time. In addition, candidates must demonstrate and document proficiency in knowledge and skills aligned to the teacher performance standards in professional courses. Evidence is maintained in the Teacher Portfolio.

Colorado teachers are expected to integrate mathematics and reading/writing/communication instruction across all curriculum areas. Thus teacher candidates must earn a C- or better in ENG 102 , ENG 104 , and MAT 111 .

Student Teaching

During Student Teaching, candidates (Student Teachers) must earn a C or better; be assessed proficient in all forty-five Performance-Based Standards for Colorado Teachers; demonstrate proficiency on all standards-aligned criteria of an Action Research Project and Teacher Evidence Log; and document a positive impact on the academic achievement of K-12 classroom students. Student Teachers who do not maintain these standards may be dismissed from the program or will not be recommended for teacher licensure. Unlike other professional education courses, Student Teachers may not retake the Student Teaching Internship semester to achieve a C or better without permission from the dean.

Students are recommended to take and pass the designated Colorado teacher licensure exam PLACE or PRAXIS II three semesters prior to the Student Teaching Internship (see Teacher Licensure Programs above).

Due to the responsibilities of Student Teaching, School of Education policy restricts students from holding an outside job either full or part-time, paid or volunteer, during the Student Teaching semester. Extra-curricular activities on the CCU campus are also restricted.

Licensure

To be recommended for licensure, a student must complete the following:

Teacher Portfolio Defense
Successful Student Teaching - including evidence of assessed proficiency on all performance-based standards for Colorado teachers; assessed proficiency on the standards-aligned Action Research Project and Teaching Evidence Log; documentation of impacting K-12 student academic achievement through classroom instruction.
Documented 800 hours of K-12 clinical practicum.
Passing score on the Colorado Department of Education-adopted PLACE or PRAXIS II licensure test in the student’s licensure content area.
Completion of all courses with a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher, and a grade of C or better in all professional education courses.
Colorado Department of Education application for licensure.

Association of Christian Schools International Teacher Certification

All students completing the CUS teacher education programs are recommended for Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) teacher certification.

Course Requirements

Students must complete courses in three categories: 1) General Education, 2) Major [Liberal Arts, Special Education, English, Music, General Science, or History] and 3) Professional Education Courses.

Please note that the School of Education offers licensure programs approved by the Colorado State Board of Education; we are accountable and responsive to this outside accreditation body. Thus, on occasion a specific major or professional course requirement 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.