School of Education

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.

The School of Education, in collaboration with the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the School of Science and Engineering, and the School of Music, offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Music degrees 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), and Special Education: Generalist (K-12+/ages 5-21). School of Education graduates of the Special Education Licensure Program are also eligible to apply to the Colorado Department of Education for an endorsement in Elementary Education. School of Education graduates in the Elementary Licensure Program, will also be eligible to apply to the Colorado Department of Education for an endorsement in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education. The School of Education provides a carefully planned sequence of courses and clinical practice in CCU Partnership Schools that leads 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 Clinic that will serve students from Denver Public Schools and JEFFCO Schools in the area of reading intervention.

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 the 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

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. The elementary and secondary licensure programs are ranked in the top 2% of elementary and secondary licensure programs in the country by the National Council on Teacher Quality: https://www.nctq.org/

Teacher licensure programs are performance-based with content, activities, and assessments aligned to the Colorado Teacher Quality Standards, the appropriate Colorado Licensure Endorsement Standards, 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.

Three semesters prior to the Student Teaching Internship, 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. Some students will find this website helpful in understanding state licensure requirements: https://www.ecs.org/50-state-comparison-teacher-license-reciprocity/

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: 246 students were enrolled in the teacher licensure programs offered by the College of Undergraduate Studies and the College of Adult and Graduate Studies during the 2016-2017 academic year (Source: CO Department of Higher Education, 2017 Educator Preparation Report). The SoE, within the College of Undergraduate Studies, served 182 Teacher Candidates during the 2018-2019 academic year (Source: CCU enrollment data system).

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.

Title II Program Completer Licensure Exam Pass Rate: The most recent public data is from the 2016-17 academic year and shows that Colorado Christian University Program Completers demonstrated a 100% pass rate on state licensure exams as reported by the United States Department of Education.

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 in their chosen program of study in the School of Education. 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, or Teaching and Learning), and 3) SoE Professional Education Courses.

Please note that 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 Standards; standards-aligned criteria of an Action Research Project; document a positive impact on the academic achievement of K-6/7-12/K-12 classroom 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 recommends that Teacher Candidates take and pass their designated Colorado teacher licensure PRAXIS exam(s) three semesters prior to the 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. Current PRAXIS exam requirements may be found on the Colorado Department of Education website here: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeprof/endorsementrequirements

Progress and SoE Policies

For graduation, students must have a cumulative 2.50 GPA or higher, across all courses taken at Colorado Christian University.

Students must demonstrate patterns of professional behavior/dispositions appropriate for an individual preparing for a position of public trust. Teacher Candidates who fail to maintain professional dispositions, or fail to resolve identified issues may be placed on a professional development plan or dismissed from the 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 who do not receive passing grades for the field component 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.

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, 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 may also be restricted.

Students may not submit passing CLEP exam scores for MAT 202: Teaching Mathematics in the Elementary Classroom 1 or MAT 302: Teaching Mathematics in the Elementary Classroom 2 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 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;
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.