Department of Educator Preparation

Dustin Hebert, Department Head

The Department of Educator Preparation provides graduate and undergraduate and degree and non-degree programs for certified teachers and individuals seeking teacher certification.

Curricula are included in the program listings of the catalog and on the Department’s Web site.

Teacher Candidacy

Teacher candidacy is an undergraduate student status that demonstrates official admission to an undergraduate teacher certification program and allows students to take specialized coursework in their academic programs. It is required for enrollment in most 2xxx, 3xxx, and 4xxx EDCI and EDES courses; it might also be required for some subject area courses outside the Department of Teaching and Learning.

Requirements for teacher candidacy:

Academic major in a program that leads to Louisiana teacher certification.
Minimum cumulative, unrounded GPA of 2.5.
Minimum grade of “B” in EDCI 1010 (or equivalent).

All three requirements must be satisfied at the time an application is submitted. Otherwise, the application will be denied. Once admitted, a student must maintain a related academic major (#1) and a minimum cumulative, unrounded GPA of 2.5 (#2) to retain teacher candidacy status. A student who does not satisfy these requirements in any semester may be 1) placed on a professional growth plan, 2) suspended from teacher candidacy, or 3) removed from teacher candidacy and the academic program leading to teacher certification.

Teacher Residency and Internship

All academic programs leading to initial teacher certification culminate with a 1-year teacher residency or internship. The internship is limited to alternate certification candidates who are serving as the instructor of record in an approved school setting. Details about internship eligibility are available from the Office of Clinical Practice.

Requirements for teacher residency:

Minimum cumulative, unrounded GPA of 2.5.
Passing scores on all Praxis examinations for the certification area being earned.
Teacher candidacy status.
Minimum grade of “C” in all required professional courses as appropriate to the area of certification.
Teaching residency application in the fall or spring semester immediately preceding the first teacher residency semester.
Successful background check as required by the district within which the teacher residency will occur.

Teacher residents follow the school district’s calendar and report to their assigned school sites the day teachers report in August and January; these dates may be prior to the university semester.

Teacher residents complete a minimum of 3 full days per week of experiences at the school sites during the first semester of teacher residency. During the second semester, this is increased to 5 full days per week.

Teacher residents are responsible for their transportation to and from school sites and to and from campus for classes.

To remain in teacher residency, teacher residents must maintain desirable professional standards consistent with those of in-service teachers. They must also demonstrate proficiency in instruction, management, and planning. Teacher residency courses must be passed with a “B” or better to count toward program completion.

Teacher residents who do not meet performance and professionalism expectations may be 1) placed on a professional growth plan, 2) suspended from teacher residency, or 3) removed from teacher residency and the academic program leading to teacher certification.

International Baccalaureate Programs

The Department offers courses leading to the International Baccalaureate (IB) educator certificate in the Primary Years Programme and the Diploma Programme.

After successful completion of courses, students may apply for the IB Educator Certificate from the IB organization.

Honors Diploma in the Discipline

For information on earning Sophomore Honors Distinction, Senior Honors Distinction, or the Honors Diploma, please consult The University Honors Program section of this catalog, the Director of the Honors Program, and/or your Department Head.