College of Education and Human Services

The College of Education and Human Services offers programs leading to Bachelor of Science degrees in criminal justice and exercise science, and a Bachelor of Social Work. It also offers undergraduate students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Science in Education degree and to qualify for certification to teach in the public schools of Pennsylvania. Students can choose programs leading to a degree and certification in either Early Childhood/Elementary Education: PK-4 or Elementary/Middle Level Education: Grades 4-8, Secondary Education. Teacher education candidates may also earn Environmental Education Certification.

The Military Science Department (Army Reserve Officers Training Corps) provides the opportunity for students of all majors to earn a commission in the United States Army. Available to men and women, the Army ROTC program develops students’ ability to organize, motivate, and lead others.

Graduate programs in counseling, criminal justice, educational leadership and special education, social work, and teacher education are presented in the Graduate Catalog, which may be obtained by writing to the dean of Graduate Studies or visiting the website www.ship.edu/catalog.

Certification of Teachers

To insure a consistently high quality of instruction in the public schools of the Commonwealth, all teachers are required by law to have a teaching certificate. This legal permit to teach is issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to an individual who has completed certain specific course requirements in the area or areas of instruction indicated. Specific undergraduate curricula of the university prepares students to be sponsored for initial teacher certification. Early Childhood/Elementary Education: PK-4 or Elementary/Middle Level Education: Grades 4-8, and secondary education programs prepare teachers for the Commonwealth.

Pennsylvania Standards for Teacher Certification require that teacher certification candidates must achieve a QPA of 3.0 at the accumulation of 48 credit hours of college level work and must pass all mandated state required assessments (i.e., Praxis, PAPA, PECT) prior to achieving Professional Standing. Once Professional Standing is achieved, students may enter 300 and 400 level education course work and are officially teacher candidates.

To complete an approved course of study for teacher certification at Shippensburg University, all teacher candidates must achieve passing scores in all sections of the required assessments prior to student teaching. Ninety-seven percent of students who complete the Shippensburg University program pass all aspects of these tests. In addition, to be recommended for certification, a 3.0 QPA for all course work at the university must be attained prior to graduation.

Teacher Education

Teacher education programs at Shippensburg University prepare competent professionals for teaching and for leadership positions in a variety of educational settings and institutions. They can systematically design, implement, and continually evaluate and revise instructional programs to meet the lifelong learning needs of the communities they serve. The responsibility for an effective program is a shared one that relies upon the cooperation and enthusiastic participation of the wider university community. Each certification program includes a balanced offering of a foundation in general education, an intensive study of a teaching specialty and a planned sequence of professional experiences designed to explore the theory and practice of teaching.

On completion of a teacher education program a student should have attained the following:

Understanding of the teacher as a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community) and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.
Knowledge of the scope and basic principles of the natural sciences and mathematics, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts as these disciplines represent human achievement and enlightenment.
In-depth knowledge in at least one academic discipline or teaching specialty and ability to identify, select, and/or develop materials of instruction, which provide data needed for the development of basic concepts and generalizations in the discipline/specialty.
Effective communications skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing, perceiving) and human relations skills that promote human worth, dignity, and ethnic understanding.
Skills in assessing and evaluating the affective, cognitive, and performance needs of students and the ability to implement materials and methods of instruction, which can be used by students with different abilities, interests, learning styles, personality characteristics, and ethnic backgrounds.
Understanding of the world of work and the process by which students identify the relationship between dimensions of self (heredity, interest, values) and future (potential) work roles.
Ability to work effectively with parents, paraprofessionals, other professional personnel, and community groups in developing a sound instructional program for all students.
Ability to participate effectively in professional, political, and service groups concerned with the solution of contemporary professional, social, political, and economic problems.

Intergroup Education

The State Board of Education “… encourages all school districts in the Commonwealth to provide a long-range program of intergroup and human relations education designed to improve each pupil’s knowledge of and sensitivity to the social groups that make up our pluralistic society. In addition, the board requires all teacher education institutions provide similar instruction for all prospective teachers.”

The faculty and administration of the College of Education and Human Services at Shippensburg University firmly support the position teachers must be knowledgeable about the societal issues created by cultural pluralism and skilled in working with multi-ethnic groups. As a result, students in the teacher education curriculum are expected to build into their academic programs opportunities to learn about cultural diversity in the United States and the world and to plan supplementary field and work experiences to develop the skills needed to work with culturally mixed groups.

Students are required to take at least one three-credit course which is devoted primarily to the study of some aspect of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, or the non-white peoples of North America and which incorporates a diversity of perspectives on culture. Such a course is intended to extend the students’ informational background and develop sensitivity to cultural differences. If properly planned, the course(s) selected could be fitted into the general education requirement each student must complete.

Suitable field experiences in education and summer work experiences should be used to supplement such course work.

Secondary Education Curriculum

The College of Education and Human Services provides programs for the preparation of teachers in the secondary schools in cooperation with the College of Arts and Sciences. Policies and guidelines for teacher education programs are developed by an all-university Teacher Education Council. Here, representatives from all colleges concerned with teacher preparation work together to develop integrated training programs involving total university participation.

The secondary student’s program is cooperatively planned and supervised by the College of Education and Human Services and by the college of the student’s academic major. The faculty advisor is assigned from the student’s major field. The student must meet graduation requirements and the requirements for admission, retention, and graduation in a teacher certification program as specified by the College of Education and Human Services and by the college of his/her major. Faculty from academic departments assigned to teach secondary professional education courses and supervise student teachers must have the approval of the dean of the College of Education and Human Services.

A student in the secondary education curriculum is educated in depth in at least one area of knowledge which he/she is then licensed to teach. This area of concentrated study is supplemented with studies in related fields which are selected with advisement. Through consultation with advisors and the department chair, students are responsible for choosing the proper course combinations to qualify them for admission to professional standing, admission to student teaching, and for graduation and Instructional Level I certification.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires a 3.0 quality point average must be maintained throughout a student teacher’s preparation program. The PDE requires a 3.0 quality point average for certification candidates. Additional requirements for majors in secondary educational fields may be found in the curricular material of the separate colleges indicated as follows:

Arts and Sciences

Biology
Chemistry
Earth and Space Science
English
French
Mathematics
Physics
Social Studies-Geography
Social Studies-History
Spanish

Interdisciplinary Additional Certifications

Environmental Education
General Science

Required Professional Education Courses

Required Courses

Required Field Experiences

Field service hours are an integral part of our teacher preparation programs. It is the responsibility of students to work with academic advisors to fulfill requirements for all field experiences. Stage One field experiences begin during freshman and/or sophomore years. Foundational courses in all programs include observation strategies and protocol for working in school districts. Several education courses require observation hours. Students observe, tutor, and assist teachers in assigned schools.

Students apply for Professional Standing during junior and senior years. To achieve Professional Standing, students must maintain a 3.0 QPA, complete Stage One field work, pass Praxis I basic skill assessments, have the recommendation of academic advisors, and apply to become a teacher candidate. Once Professional Standing is achieved, students begin Stage Two field placements. During Stage Two field work, students plan lessons and units, co-teach classes, and have more intensive classroom involvement.

Stage Three field experience is student teaching, which is 16 weeks in classrooms. To enter student teaching, students must complete all teacher preparation program requirements as well as pass all Praxis exams.

Assignments for student teaching are completed with the approval of the Director of Field Services for the College of Education and Human Services. Students attend a Student Teaching Application meeting held in October of each year. Students apply one academic year prior to when they plan to student teach. Prerequisites for student teaching are published by the Office of Field Services, are available in departmental offices, and listed on the website www.ship.edu/COEHS/Field_Services/Office_of_Field_Services. Graduates of other universities or others desiring certification or international student teaching and others who need special assignments must contact the Office of Field Services (717-477-1487) to schedule an appointment for program planning and approval by the dean and/or associate dean of the College of Education and Human Services.