Education

To be eligible to receive the initial four-year teaching certificate in Georgia, a student must complete an approved teacher preparation program designed to meet the needs of teachers in a specific teaching field and be recommended by the institution whose program has been completed.

The University of North Georgia offers undergraduate programs in middle grades education, early childhood care and education (birth to K), early childhood education (grades P-5), and a dual major in early childhood and special education (P-5). The university also offers secondary education programs (grades 6-12) in biology, chemistry, English, mathematics, and history and offers programs leading to P-12 certification in art, music, and physical education.

Course requirements for the education programs are found in each of the following sections. Academic requirements related to the Secondary (6-12) teaching programs in the other teaching fields are found in the area of the catalog devoted to that specific academic area.

The University of North Georgia offers a number of programs leading to the Master of Education (M.Ed.) and Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree. Specific information about the M.Ed. and MAT is found in the Graduate Bulletin.

Undergraduate Admission Requirements

Individual programs may require different admissions standards. These standards are available from the Teacher Education Department and are listed on the application for admission to Teacher Education. All College of Education Admissions Requirements are posted in the program specific description sections.

The Background Check

All Teacher Education students will be subject to a Fingerprint/Background check performed through a professional agency identified by UNG and will continue through the Senior year. The 3 “check-points” are listed below.

Fingerprint/Background Check performed on:

Students enrolling in EDUC 2110 Fall 2013 and onward.
As part of your enrollment in the EDUC 2110 course at UNG and prior to placement in the schools, students will be required to submit to a fingerprinting/background check.
Students applying and being accepted into the UNG Teacher Education Program.
Fee due before beginning the program. (Form included in application packet)
Seniors in the Teacher Education Program.
Fee due at beginning of senior year.

The Cohort Group

Eligibility for admission is based upon the criteria listed above. Students are admitted in the Teacher Education Program as part of a cohort group based on the evaluation of the Teacher Education Program Admission Committee. The cohort group completes the professional education sequential course work together. This provides each group of students with a common set of experiences. The College of Education limits the size of cohorts to the number that can be served in class and school settings.

All Teacher Education Programs are planned according to the semester that the student begins upper-division professional education course work. This requires that the student remain in sequence with a cohort group in order to complete the professional education program of study on schedule. Please note that some programs require attendance during summer terms. A student must complete a Plan of Study by the end of the second semester in the Teacher Education program.

Teacher Education Policies

The College of Education polices applicable to all students are posted on the College of Education web site.

Retention in the Teacher Education Program

One important aspect of the Teacher Education Program is the constant vigilance exercised by the faculty to ensure that standards of quality are maintained. The following standards must be maintained for continued retention in a program:

compliance with rules and regulations prescribed for all students at UNG;
adherence to the Code of Ethics of the Georgia Professional Standards Commission;
completion of all courses in the academic major and professional education courses with an academic grade of “C” or better;
demonstration of competence in the use of oral and written language;
maintenance of an institutional grade point average of 2.75 as required for program admission; and
satisfactory performance in all field experiences.

Students whose institutional GPA drops below a 2.75 or who receive “D’s” in major courses will be placed on teacher education probation the next semester. If the problem is not corrected within the next semester of enrollment, the student’s admission to Teacher Education can be revoked.

Field Experiences

Teacher candidates in the Early Childhood/Special Education, Early Childhood Education, Middle Grades, and Secondary Education programs are asked to begin their public school placements during the August pre-planning sessions designated by the school district.

For all courses with a field component, a teacher education student must complete all requirements and earn a grade of “C” or higher in the field component in order to pass the course. Students must complete all courses with a field component with a grade of “C” or better before enrolling in any teacher education courses in a subsequent semester.

Only under extreme circumstances will a student be allowed to extend or repeat field-based coursework at the 4000 level. . A student who must extend or repeat pre-internship field courses will have only one opportunity to complete internship. However, a student who successfully completes pre-internship filed courses without extension will have one opportunity to extend or repeat internship.

The College of Education has contractual agreements with designated systems and schools for placement of teacher education students for field experiences and internships. Field placements are limited to those school sites.
Teacher education students will not be placed for field experiences in a school that they attended within the last ten years or in which they have immediate family employed or enrolled.

Student teacher placements are based on Georgia certification requirements for specific teaching fields, the availability of particular types of placements in the schools and national accreditation standards for teacher preparation programs.

Program Probation and Suspension

Due to the highly sensitive nature of working with children and youth in public school settings, the following policy applies to the Teacher Education Program: Any faculty member or administrator of the University of North Georgia and/or the co-operating school system who has supervisory responsibility for the on-site college student may immediately remove said student from the school site if, in that person’s professional judgment, the college student has acted in an inappropriate manner involving children, youth, staff, or parents of the school or if the student’s continued presence in the classroom is detrimental either to the intern or to the educational progress of the students in the classroom. The college student may also be removed, prior to the completion of her/his assignment in that school, should the university or school personnel judge that the university student does not adequately perform her/his assignments or conform adequately to the policies and procedures of the school. Removal from a field placement may result in removal from the program or delays in program completion.

Service Learning

Middle and Secondary education majors are asked to begin their Senior Field Experience during the pre-planning and opening of school phases of the local district calendar. Any student who is unable to complete this portion of the field experience will be required to complete 80 hours of service learning.

Technology

All Teacher Education candidates are required to successfully meet the state mandated technology requirement. A candidate can satisfy this requirement by completing a technology-embedded teacher education program. All North Georgia’s teacher education programs are technology-embedded programs.

The Internship

The Internship is that part of the pre-service education program in which the prospective teacher works full time in a cooperating school with an assigned cooperating teacher. Depending on the program, the Internship will take place during the last full year or the last entire semester of the program. Permission for employment or to take courses not included in the program during the internship must be obtained from the Director of Field Experience.

Appeals

Students denied admission to or continuance in the Teacher Education Program may appeal the decision to the Teacher Education Department’s Admission and Retention Committee. Appeals must be made in writing and should clearly state why an exception should be made. An adverse decision by the committee may be appealed in writing to the Dean of the College of Education or designee, whose decision shall be final.

Advisement of Teacher Education Students

The Department of Education has the responsibility of advisement for students admitted to Teacher Education Programs throughout their course work. Guidance of students in the secondary (6-12) and grades P-12 programs will be shared jointly between the Teacher Education Department and the home academic department, with the academic department advisor having primary responsibility. The overall responsibility for teacher education programs rests with the Teacher Education Department and the College of Education.

Accreditation

The Teacher Education Program of the University of North Georgia has state program approval through the Georgia Professional Standards Commission and national accreditation through the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Programs

Associate of Science

Bachelor of Science