The Bachelor of Education in Middle Education with Special Education 6-8 prepares qualified candidates to become Middle Education 6-8 teachers with two academic concentrations plus the Special Education 6-8 Endorsement in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Concentration choices are English, history/social sciences, mathematics and sciences. Students who choose the Mathematics Concentration also earn the Algebra I Licensure Endorsement. Preservice candidates in this professional degree work with mentor educators teaching adolescents through multiple experiences in local schools. Middle Education with Special Education 6-8 candidates learn to combine knowledge, theory and skills from academic and pedagogy courses with effective, research-based instructional, management, assessment and reflection strategies practiced in field experiences to help middle school students with and without disabilities to achieve their best school careers.

Program Outcomes

Students completing the Bachelor of Education in Middle Education with Special Education 6-8 are able to:

• demonstrate an understanding of the curriculum, subject content, and the developmental needs of students by providing relevant learning experiences;
• plan using the Virginia Standards of Learning, the school’s curriculum, effective strategies, resources, and data to meet the needs of all students;
• effectively engage students in learning by using a variety of instructional strategies in order to meet individual learning needs;
• systematically gather, analyze, and use all relevant data to measure student academic progress, guide instructional content and delivery methods, and provide timely feedback to both students and parents throughout the term;
• use resources, routines, and procedures to provide a respectful, positive, safe, student-centered environment that is conducive to learning;
• maintain a commitment to professional ethics, communicate effectively, and take responsibility for and participate in professional growth that results in enhanced student learning;
• perform work that results in acceptable, measurable, and appropriate student academic progress; and
• demonstrate Program Outcomes 1-7 with appropriate adaptations, instruction, communication, documentation and evaluation of middle school students with disabilities.

State Requirements for Teacher Licensure

Students preparing to be teachers are expected to meet the requirements for teacher licensure currently in effect in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Most states grant teaching licensure on a reciprocal basis when the educating institution is approved by its own state department of education or when graduates of an institution are eligible for teaching licensure in the state in which they were educated. Teacher education programs at Shenandoah University are approved programs of the Virginia State Board of Education, and nationally accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP); thus, graduates will have met all educational requirements for Virginia licensure.

Admission

Students are admitted to the Bachelor of Education in Middle Education with Special Education 6-8 degree in Pre-Candidate status, based on the entrance criteria established by the University and School of Education and Leadership. After choosing their two academic concentrations from the four available, students follow the course of study published in the Shenandoah University Undergraduate Catalog for the year of entrance to the university.

Middle Education with Special Education 6-8 students must take and pass the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment test (VCLA) prior to the Candidate Screening interview. Bachelor of Education in Middle Education with Special Education 6-8 students are admitted to candidacy following successful completion of the Candidate Screening.  In addition, the ALEK placement is required for math and science endorsements.

Candidate Screening

Candidate Screening is conducted during the third and fourth semesters of study in the Bachelor of Education curricula, and all students in those programs are required to apply for Teacher Education Candidacy. Faculty will conduct screening interviews for students who apply during the sophomore year to assess whether their academic, personal and professional progress qualifies them for candidacy. Transfer students need to meet with the program advisor to decide on the individual’s best time to apply for candidacy.

Students must complete the following requirements:

1. complete the Teacher Candidate Education Application, available in the Bachelor of Education Teacher Education Handbook received in the EDU 310 class or from Program Advisors or the Office of Professional Licensure;
2. demonstrate a consistent level of academic success in all coursework during semesters previous to the application:  Submit official transcripts showing a grade point average of at least 3.0 in the education major and an overall grade point average of at least 2.5;
3. submit two recommendations (academic and non-academic dispositions), one from a professional in education and one from a professional in an academic endorsement field.
4. have taken the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (VCLA) and the ALEK placement (for math and science endorsements);
5. have completed at least 80% of  SHEN-ED course requirements;
6. completed EDU 310 The Profession of Teaching and PSY 222 Lifespan Development with a “C” or better, including
   1. completing the Child Abuse and Neglect Identification Training Module
   2. completing a criminal background check with no disqualifying offenses; and
   3. completing a minimum of 20 hours of practicum, meeting program criteria.

The University’s Mathematics, Academic Enrichment and Writing Centers assist students with preparation for PRAXIS and VCLA exams by providing study materials and sessions.

The Teacher Education Faculty Advisory Board reviews applications and recommendations for admission into the education program, and later into student teaching. A minimum GPA of 3.0 in the education major and 2.5 overall GPA are required. Additional requirements for the Candidate Screening are detailed in the Bachelor of Education Teacher Education Handbook.

Upon successful completion of the Candidate Screening interview, students will be admitted as candidates to the teacher education licensure program. Students who do not satisfy the Candidate Screening interview requirements will not be admitted into 300- or 400-level education methods courses.

Pre-Student Teaching Candidate Licensure Assessments

All initial licensure teacher education programs at Shenandoah University require that

1. the PRAXIS Subject Assessment exam must be passed prior to student teaching; and
2. VCLA must be passed before student teaching.

Shenandoah University has been entrusted by the Virginia Department of Education and our K-12 School Partners with the responsibility for determining the fitness of an individual to student teach.