Secondary Education (OU STEP)

Advising: 363 Pawley Hall, (248) 370-4182

Internet: http://www.oakland.edu/sehs/advising

Program description

The School of Education and Human Services (SEHS) and the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) offer a fifth-year secondary teacher education program (Oakland University STEP) leading to recommendation for Michigan secondary provisional teacher certification. This certification is valid for teaching content area majors and minors in grades 6-12, except art, foreign language and music, which are valid for grades K-12. The major areas in which Oakland program participants may become certified to teach are: art, biology, chemistry, English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, history, mathematics, music and physics. Students may also earn endorsements in Social Studies or Integrated Sciences. Students interested in music education need to contact the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance to learn about content-specific course and sequence requirements. Students interested in K-12 art education should see the requirements of the Department of Art and Art History included in the College of Arts and Sciences section of this catalog.

After completing requirements for graduation in their major and minor teaching areas and preliminary professional education course work, students engage in an academic year-long internship in the public schools that includes both courses and field experiences, and fulfills requirements for certification. Art & Music complete a 1 semester internship.

Professional Program

Retention in the program is based on student demonstration of the characteristics and conduct of members of the teaching profession.

Retention in the SEHS professional education programs

Retention in the SEHS professional education programs is based on the expectation that students will demonstrate the characteristics of and conduct themselves as members of, the profession as described in the Expected Competencies. Students may be removed from a program, removed from a field placement or may not be recommended for certification: (i) if they fail to fulfill any such expectations to Oakland University’s satisfaction, including without limitation the expectation that they demonstrate adequate and appropriate communication ability and character and develop, maintain and fulfill their professional relationships, responsibilities and competencies: (ii) academic misconduct; (iii) violations of the Michigan Code of Ethics for Teachers; (iv) failure to fulfill any Oakland University academic or conduct requirements; or (v) violations of any other program or Oakland University’s policies, rules, regulations or ordinances.

Students may also be removed from field placements: (i) upon request of a building administrator; (ii) for a failure to comply with the requirements of this Competency and Retention Statement; (iii) if  Oakland University determines that removal is in the best interests of the student, Oakland University, the professional education programs or the schools where the student is placed; (iv) inadequate planning, classroom management, and/or discipline; (v) lack of content knowledge; (vi) deficiency in oral or written communication skills; (vii) inappropriate personal or professional behavior; (viii) ethical impropriety; (ix) violation(s) of community standards or policies; or (x) failure to exercise appropriate; professional judgments.

Field experiences

SED 300 ; FE 345  taken with SED 427 , SED 426  or ENG 398  and RDG 338 ; and SED 428 , SE 501 and SED 455  require field experiences in the public schools, which must be arranged through the SEHS coordinator or director of field placement services, (248) 370-3060. Prior or current full- or part-time teaching will not satisfy this requirement. SED 300  requires 50 hours of field experience to be completed during the semester in which a student is enrolled.  FE 345  and SED 427 ,  SED 426  or ENG 398 , and RDG 338  or the equivalent course requirement for the K-12 Foreign Language or the K-12 Art endorsement programs require 30 hours of field experience to be completed during the semester in which a student is enrolled. (Modern language majors will be required to complete a 30 hour field experience during the semesters they are enrolled in FE 506, EED 420  and SE 355 .) If professional courses are taken out of this sequence in the summer semester, an additional field will be required. Sustained experience in diverse settings is required. Students will have experiences in classrooms of their major and minor areas of certification. SED 455  requires daily attendance in the field during the entire internship year, including half day participation at school for August through December, and full day participation at school for January through April.

Students may be required to be fingerprinted and have a state police and FBI background check, at their expense, before beginning a field placement depending on school district requirements.

Applicant eligibility

Eligibility to apply to the OU STEP requires:

1. Completion of SED 300  with a minimum grade of 3.0. This course must be taken at least one semester prior to the semester of application to the program. Student must have documented successful completion of the 50 hour field requirement.
2. Minimum GPAs of 3.00 in both liberal arts major and minor.
3. A minimum overall GPA of 2.80.
4. A minimum grade of 3.0 in WRT 160  – Composition II (or an equivalent course as approved by the registrar’s office or the Department of Writing and Rhetoric).
5. Passing scores on each of the three Basic Skills Test components of the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC).

Program admission

The process of admission is designed to identify and to select a number of well-qualified applicants who demonstrate high potential for success in the teaching profession. This number is determined by the capacity of the university to provide quality teacher preparation within its resources. Currently, a maximum of 60 applicants will be accepted per year with consideration given to an equitable distribution across major subject areas.

Factors considered in the applicant selection process include GPAs, written responses to a set of application questions, field evaluations, and letters of recommendation. Additional information or an interview may be requested to provide a more complete application profile. Second undergraduate degree applicants should note that admission to the OU STEP and to the university involve separate processes and should contact the undergraduate admissions office for information about admission to Oakland.

Internship and certification

To progress into the internship year, students admitted to the OU STEP must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.00 in their education course-work and in their major and minor course-work. In addition, no single education course grade may be below 2.8 and no major or minor course below 2.0. The program status of a student whose grades or GPA fall below these levels will be placed on hold until deficiencies are remedied.

Students must pass the MTTC subject area test for each major and minor in which they plan to be certified. The state requires one major and one minor for certification.

Successful completion of both of these tests must be documented by August 15, prior to the beginning of the internship. Students will be required to be fingerprinted and have a state police and FBI background check at their own expense.

In addition, students must receive a minimum grade of 2.8 in SED 455  to be eligible for recommendation by Oakland University for Teacher certification. The State also requires a certificate in first aid and adult/child CPR before certification may be recommended.

Successful completion of the STEP program and internship does not guarantee certification by the State of Michigan. Applicants should be aware that a conviction for a felony or a misdemeanor may constitute grounds for denial of a teaching certificate by the State of Michigan. (See complete policy on the School and Field Services web site.)

Application deadline

Applications to the OU STEP are considered once per year. The deadline is October 1 of the year preceding the intended internship year. Applications received after that date, or incomplete applications, will not be considered. Application packets are available on the secondary education web site.

Course Offerings

The department offers selected courses from this catalog as warranted by student needs and availability of faculty. Specific offerings for each term may be found in the Schedule of Classes.

Descriptions of courses designated FE and SE appear under the Department of Human Development and Child Studies. RDG courses appear under the Department of Reading and Language Arts. Courses above the 400 level are described in the graduate catalog.

Retention in the SEHS professional education programs

Retention in the SEHS professional education programs is based on the expectation that students will demonstrate the characteristics of and conduct themselves as members of, the profession as described in the Expected Competencies. Students may be removed from a program, removed from a field placement or may not be recommended for certification: (i) if they fail to fulfill any such expectations to Oakland University’s satisfaction, including without limitation the expectation that they demonstrate adequate and appropriate communication ability and character and develop, maintain and fulfill their professional relationships, responsibilities and competencies: (ii) academic misconduct; (iii) violations of the Michigan Code of Ethics for Teachers; (iv) failure to fulfill any Oakland University academic or conduct requirements; or (v) violations of any other program or Oakland University’s policies, rules, regulations or ordinances.

Students may also be removed from field placements: (i) upon request of a building administrator; (ii) for a failure to comply with the requirements of this Competency and Retention Statement; (iii) if Oakland University determines that removal is in the best interests of the student, Oakland University, the professional education programs or the schools where the student is placed; (iv) inadequate planning, classroom management, and/or discipline; (v) lack of content knowledge; (vi) deficiency in oral or written communication skills; (vii) inappropriate personal or professional behavior; (viii) ethical impropriety; (ix) violation(s) or community standards or policies; of (x) failure to exercise appropriate; professional judgments.