Application for Teacher Education Minor

Requirements for the TE minor and the college’s recommendation for certification in Maine as a secondary* school teacher include:

1) The seven Education courses below:

• EDUC 231. Perspectives on Education.
• EDUC 362. Basic Concepts in Special Education.
• One education elective course (does not include FYS).
• EDUC 447. Curriculum and Methods.
• EDUC 448. Senior Seminar in Teacher Education: Reflection and Engagement.
• EDUC 460. Student Teaching I.
• EDUC 461. Student Teaching II.

2) A major, or at least eight courses, in the teaching fields specified below.

• English
• Social Studies (see course requirements here.)
• Science: Physical or Life Science
• Mathematics
• Modern Languages: French or Spanish
• Visual Art

3) Fulfillment of the college’s General Education and other degree requirements.

4) Fulfillment of state requirements, including fingerprinting. Licensing teachers is a state function; requirements differ from state to state, and these rules change frequently. Courses and experiences other than those offered at Bates may be required for state certification. Students interested in certification should consult with a faculty member as early as possible to plan for required coursework. Applications must be completed by 1 March of the sophomore year.

The program is approved by the Maine State Board of Education, and students who receive Maine certification gain opportunities to teach elsewhere through reciprocity with approximately forty other states.  Some students may choose to enroll in the teacher education program even if they are interested in teaching in an independent school where certification is not required because they gain significant experience in the classroom and thus are better prepared for the challenges they will face when they enter a classroom on their own for the first time.

*At this time Bates does not offer an elementary certification program.

The Teacher Education program educates students to meet the Maine Standards for Beginning Teachers In the following general categories:

• Learner Development                                      
• Learning Differences
• Learning Environments
• Content Knowledge
• Innovative Applications of Content
• Assessment
• Planning for Instruction
• Instructional Strategies
• Reflection and Continuous Growth
• Collaboration
• Technology Standards

Title II “Report Card.” An amendment to Title II, Higher Education Act (HEA), passed by Congress in 1998, requires that states and institutions with teacher-preparation programs annually report to the public certain program information, including the pass rates of program participants on assessments required by the state for teacher certification. Maine no longer requires Praxis testing for successful completers of state-approved Teacher Education programs. Bates enrolls between 2 and 15 seniors in this program each year, with a faculty ratio of no more than 7:1, but more typically no more than 4:1. The current requirement for clinical experience in the program is 450 hours. Further information about the program’s annual report is available from the department and the director of the teacher education program.