120 hours
Students successfully completing the Kinesiology – Teacher Education program at UNG will be recommended for a Georgia Teaching License in Health & Physical Education. This license will qualify the student to teach both health and physical education from pre-kindergarten through the 12th grade. Before UNG can recommend a student for a teaching license, the student must provide evidence of a passing score on the GACE Content examination and successful completion of all ofther Educator Preparation Program key assessments.
Accreditation
The Kinesiology - Teacher Education Program of the University of North Georgia has state program approval through the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) and Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
Admission Requirements
To be eligible for progression to upper division or major courses, a student must meet the following requirements.
- 2.50 cumulative grade point average
- a grade of “C” or better in BIOL 2251K
- a grade of “C” or better in BIOL 2252K
- a grade of “C” or better in KINS 3360
- a grade of “C” or better in EDUC 2110, EDUC 2120, and EDUC 2130
- completion of the GACE Ethics Assessment for Educators
- submission of an application for progression to the College of Education before enrolling in upper division courses
Note: Student applicants should be aware that a cumulative 3.0 grade point average is required to graduate.
Retention in the College of Education Programs
One important aspect of the College of Education programs is the constant vigilance exercised by the faculty to ensure that standards of quality are maintained. The following minimum standards must be maintained to remain in the program:
- compliance with rules and regulations prescribed for all students at UNG
- adherence to the Code of Ethics of the Georgia Professional Standards Commission
- a grade of “B” or better in KINS 3400
- a grade of “C” or better in all other courses in the academic major
- satisfactory performance in all field and clinical experiences, including the ongoing demonstration of dispositions required of teachers as professionals
Students dismissed from the program are welcome to reapply in a future application cycle.
Field and Clinical Experiences
In the Kinesiology – Teacher Education program, field experiences begin in the first semester at the elementary level, continue in the second semester at the middle and high school level, followed by a fully-immersed clinical experience,or student teaching internship in the third semester.
The College of Education has contractual agreements with designated systems and schools for placement of education majors for field and clinical experiences. Field and clinical placements are limited to those public school sites. All placements will be arranged through the College of Education Director of Field and Clinical Placements.
Education majors will not be placed for field or clinical experiences in which they have immediate family employed or enrolled.
Clinical Placement/Internship
The clinical placement or internship is that part of the education program in which the prospective teacher works full time in a cooperating public school with an assigned teacher that mentors and supervises the student. The clinical experience will take place during the last full year or the last entire semester of the program. During the clinical experience, students are expected to assume all responsibilities of a classroom teacher. Additional coaching opportunities must be approved by the Kinesiology – Teacher Education program coordinator.
The following are prerequisites for the Clinical Experience:
- completion of all professional education courses and courses appropriate to the teaching field (exceptions must be approved by the academic advisor) with a grade of “B” or better in KINS 3400 and a “C” or better for all other program courses.
- maintenance of a minimum grade point average of 2.75
- satisfactory completion of all the previous semester’s field-experience assignments
- attempting the appropriate GACE Content Assessments examination
For a complete listing of clinical placement policies, see the Field and Clinical Experiences Handbook on the College of Education website.
Program Probation, Suspension, and Expulsion
Due to the highly sensitive nature of working with children and youth in public school settings, the following policy applies to the College of Education program initial certifcation programs: Any faculty member or administrator of UNG and/or the cooperating school system who has supervisory responsibility for the on-site university student may immediately remove the student from the school site if in that person’s professional judgment:
- the university student has acted in an inappropriate manner involving children, youth, staff, or parents, 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 university student intern may also be removed, prior to the completion of her/his assignment in that school, should the university or personnel of the cooperating school judge that the university student does not perform her/his assignments adequately or conform to the policies and procedures of the school. Removal from a school placement may result in a failing grade for the field experience and expulsion or suspension from the program. If a candidate breaches the Georgia Code of Ethics for Educators, the infraction will be reported to the Georgia PSC.
Appeals
Students unable to progress into the upper division courses to or continue in the College of Education programs may appeal the decision to the Office of the Dean for the College of Education. Appeals must be made in writing and should clearly state why an exception should be made. If the appeal is not granted, and that decision is upheld by the dean, the student may appeal in writing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs or a designee, whose decision shall be final.
