Education

The mission of the Department of Education, within TLU’s community of faith and learning, is to prepare EC-12 educators who possess the knowledge and skills necessary to serve diverse students, families and communities in an ever-changing global society. To accomplish this mission, the Department of Education faculty will provide a learning environment that fosters caring, collaboration, creativity, technological competency, reflective thinking, ethical behavior, data driven decision making and lifelong learning in our candidates.

The department produces graduates who are “competent, caring and qualified professional educators”. To ensure that students meet these standards and earn a baccalaureate degree, they take coursework in (1) liberal arts general education, (2) the content area(s) in which they plan to teach, and (3) educational pedagogy which includes extensive field experiences in public and private schools. The students’ capstone experience is one semester of student teaching. Upon graduation and passage of the relevant Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES), the university recommends the students to the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC) which issues teacher certification.

The Texas SBEC certifies teachers at four levels: Early Childhood (EC) through 6th grade, grades 4-8, grades 7-12, and EC through grade 12. Students who plan to teach at the EC-6th grade level or at grades 4-8 will pursue a degree in Multidisciplinary Studies. Students who plan to teach at the secondary level will pursue a degree in the content area they plan to teach. Certifications currently offered through the Department at the EC through grade 12 are physical education, music, and LOTE- Spanish. Students planning to teach in any of these areas will earn their degree in the respective content area. More information on the education coursework and teacher certifications offered through the department can be found in the education student handbook, The Pathway to Teacher Certification at Texas Lutheran University. See www.tlu.edu/ftpimages/527/misc/ misc_84004.pdf.

Students seeking teacher certification should meet with their advisors on a regular basis as certification information changes and new programs are being added. Any changes made by the TEA or by the department in response to these changes may result in revisions to coursework requirements.

Our mission is shared by many departments in the university, as students must master content in subject areas as well as content in the department of education. Students take courses in the education department to meet three major goals:

Content knowledge which includes curriculum, pedagogy, and contemporary educational issues.
Performance objectives, which require students to demonstrate effective instructional planning, delivery, and assessment skills for diverse learners.
Professional identity as evidenced by students’ professional growth in several areas, including self-confidence, sensitivity to learners’ needs and awareness of classroom effectiveness.

The sequence of professional development courses and support courses promotes these goals through classes designed to develop teacher candidates’ skills and commitment to the education of children in an ever-changing, multicultural society. The department’s course curriculum challenges students to make connections among content, theory, and practice as they construct a knowledge base, become confident of their individual teaching styles through field-based experiences, and explore contemporary educational principles and practices. Many courses provide students the opportunity to apply theory in classroom practice. Extensive field experiences are required before student teaching.

The following section describes the teacher education program including required courses, procedures and conditions for admission to the program as well as to student teaching.

Admission Procedures to the Teacher Education Program

Admission to TLU’s Educator Preparation Program requires the following:

Completed application
Cumulative GPA of 2.75
At least one complete semester at TLU. Transfer students with an earned associate’s degree who meet all other EPP entrance requirements may apply to the EPP during their first semester at TLU.
At least a C in the following courses:
- COMP 131
- COMP 132
- FREX 134
- MATH 130 , MATH 133 , or MATH 241 (depends on the degree plan)
- PSYC 236
- 2 additional courses that demonstrate your ability to read, write compute, and think critically in academic settings
If you are seeking certification in 4-8 Mathematics, 4-8 Science, 4-8 Science & Mathematics, 7-12 Mathematics, or 7-12 Life Science you are required to have successfully completed 15 semester hours within your certification area prior to your application
If you are seeking certification in 4-8 ELAR, 4-8 Social Studies, 7-12 ELAR, 7-12 History, 7-12 Social Studies, EC-12 LOTE: Spanish, or EC-12 PE you are required to have successfully completed 12 semester hours within your certification area prior to your application
If you are seeking certification in EC-6 Core Subjects or 4-8 Core Subjects you are required to have completed 12 semester hours distributed across English/Composition, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science
Basic Skills (shown with COMP 131, 132, and MATH courses)
- Associates degree or baccalaureate degree (official transcripts required)
Two faculty recommendations (other than Education Dept. faculty)
Attendance at TEACH I meeting
Interview with Education Dept. faculty and an acceptable interview score
Completion of the written essays requirement and receiving an acceptable evaluation score
TOEFL score of at least 550 for international students and at least a score of 26 on the English proficiency section of the test.

Admissions Procedures for Student Teaching

There is a separate admissions process to move from participation in the Education Preparation Program into student teaching. Students must apply for admission to student teaching by the designated timeline prior to the semester in which student teaching is to occur. Students must:

Be admitted to the Teacher Education Program (see above).
Maintain an overall cumulative 2.75 grade point average throughout the program. (If a student falls below 2.75, the student will have one semester to restore the 2.75 GPA.)
Maintain a cumulative 2.75 grade point average in all EDUC and READ classes. EC-12 Music students include all MUED classes in addition to all EDUC and READ classes.
Achieve a “C” (2.00) or better in EDUC and READ coursework and other specified courses.
Have completed a minimum of 33 semester credit hours at TLU, including the final 24 semester credit hours.
Student must pass EDUC 421 with at least a C, complete all state required modules, complete all requirements related to the TExES test preparation, and pass all TExES certification tests prior to student teaching.
Student must have completed all coursework required for graduation except for EDUC 437/438/471, EDUC 460, and READ 436/475. If a student is missing any coursework, they will not be allowed to student teach until the coursework is completed which may delay graduation. This includes all courses in Music in which course credit is assigned. The deadline for completed coursework is August 10th for Fall student teaching and December 20th for Spring student teaching.
Complete required test preparation.
Student must earn at least a C or in EDUC 437/438/471, EDUC 460, and READ 436/475 to graduate if taken in conjunction with student teaching.
During student teaching, the student must earn at least a C, complete all requirements related to student teaching as identified by the Director of Student Teaching, and be recommended for a standard certification by the mentor teaching and the university supervisor in order to earn credit for student teaching..

Requirements For Texas Teacher Certification

Students are required to meet all requirements for Texas teacher certification in addition to all requirements for completing a university baccalaureate degree. Certification requirements for the state of Texas are subject to change at any time.
Students must successfully complete all necessary examinations for certification in Texas and pay all necessary fees.
Students must complete a certification application at TEA online and pay appropriate fees for each certification sought. The TLU certification officer will then recommend a student for certification upon verification of graduation and the successful completion of all requirements.

Programs

Graduate Programs

Master of Arts in Education, M.A.

Major

Post Bacaleareate Programs

Alternative Teacher Certification Program (non-degree program)

Courses

Education

Reading