Education
The Dwight Schar College of Education
Programs are offered through the Department of Teacher Education and Doctoral Studies and Advanced Programs
Dean
Lisa Vernon-Dotson
Director of Fields and Partnerships
Laura Kanney
Elyria Field Coordinator
Neely Powell
Coordinator of Data Analytics, Blackboard and Test Preparation
Mitchell Slater
Director of Quality Assurance and Accreditation
Peter Ghazarian
Director of Licensure and Student Success
Rick Breault
Faculty by Department
Department of Teacher Education
Chair, Maria Sargent, Professor
Carla Abreu-Ellis, Professor
Jason Ellis, Professor
Fredrick Burton, Associate Professor
Amy Crawford, Assistant Professor
Sathiyaprakash Ramdoss, Assistant Professor
Terri Jewett, Professional Instructor
Department of Doctoral Studies and Advanced Programs
Chair, Amy Klinger, Professor
Judy Alston, Professor-Director of Doctoral Program
Cathryn Chappell, Associate Professor
Jennifer Groman, Associate Professor
Rosaire Ifedi, Associate Professor
Stephen Denney, Assistant Professor
Peter Ghazarian, Assistant Professor
Erik Kormos, Assistant Professor
Sharon Russell, Assistant Professor
Michael Short, Assistant Professor
Patricia Farrenkopf, Professional Instructor
David Karl, Professional Instructor
Amanda Klinger, Professional Instructor
Mission of the College
The Dwight Schar College of Education guides all students through innovative and diverse field-based experiences that are grounded in theory and result in skilled and responsive practitioners, well-prepared to meet tomorrow’s challenges.
Values
Accent on the Individual – Candidates in the Dwight Schar College of Education (DSCOE) understand how individuals are shaped by social, economic, and psychological factors as well as gender and other characteristics. They appreciate the diverse talents, cultural understanding, and experiences of all individuals.
Collaboration – Candidates in DSCOE listen carefully to other members of the learning community (faculty members, students, school personnel, and human service professionals). They share information and insights in order to clarify and deepen their understanding to improve society.
Knowledge – Candidates in DSCOE continually pursue new understandings about the world and communicate the humanistic and spiritual value of learning. They draw on this knowledge to create meaningful learning experiences that employ appropriate technology and are differentiated to respond to the wide diversity among students.
Reflection – Candidates in DSCOE use reflection as a tool to find stability in the midst of change. They demonstrate reflection by identifying professional strengths and needs and by planning for professional growth to improve future performance.
Ethics – Candidates in DSCOE assume responsibility to be active in improving their profession. They can articulate a moral framework from which they derive standards of professional behavior in teaching, in research, and leadership studies.
Student Learner Outcomes
Guiding Principle 1: Practitioner- and Field-Based Experiences, Core to All Programs, Link Theory and Practice
Candidates apply theory and practice within a professional environment.
Guiding Principle 2: Partnerships with External Stakeholders Broaden Insights and Support Student Success
Candidates collaborate with stakeholders to impact the success of diverse individuals and organization.
Guiding Principle 3: Pedagogical and Content Expertise Lead to Positive Outcomes within Diverse Learning Environments
Candidates demonstrate pedagogical and content expertise when working within a diverse professional environment.
Guiding Principle 4: A Culture of Assessment Creates Avenues for Reflection, Leading to Excellence
Candidates make data-driven decisions within a professional environment.
Guiding Principle 5: Ethical Development
Candidates apply principles of integrity and ethical decision making within a professional environment.
Degree Offered
Bachelor of Science in Education
Accreditation of the College
The teacher education programs have been approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education. The Dwight Schar College of Education at Ashland University is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) 1140 19th Street, N.W. Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036. This accreditation covers initial teacher preparation programs and advanced educator preparation programs. CAEP is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation to accredit programs for the preparation of teachers and other professional school personnel.
These two agencies serve to (a) assure the public that Ashland University offers an educator preparation program that meets national standards of quality, (b) ensure that children and youth are served by well-prepared school personnel, and (c) advance the teaching profession through the improvement of teacher education programs. Licensure requirements are subject to the authority of the Ohio State Department of Education and Ohio law. Course and field experiences may change, subject to requirements approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education and/or Ohio law.
Title II, section 207, of the 1998 Amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965, requires that institutions of higher education that conduct teacher preparation programs must report their licensure test pass rate to the public. The Ashland University and Ohio licensure test pass rate information is available at this website: https://title2.ed.gov/Public/Report/StateHome.aspx.
Student Honor Society
Kappa Delta Pi, an international honor society in education, honors education majors who have maintained a 3.0 average overall, a 3.5 in education courses, who have completed 30 hours, and who are outstanding in campus leadership.
Policies related to Maintaining Good Standing in the Teacher Education Program:
The student is expected to achieve a minimum 2.5 GPA for the Institutional and Major GPAs for all programs; and Concentrations GPAs for Middle Grades licenses.
If, at any time, the student’s Institutional GPA, Major GPA, and/or Concentrations for Middle Grades GPA’s fall below the 2.5 requirement, the student must meet with his or her faculty advisor and complete the "Student Interview and Action Plan Form." This form requires that the student meets with their academic advisor and develop an action plan. This form is to be signed by the student, faculty advisor, and the department chair. This form is to be kept by the faculty advisor and a copy is to be submitted to the Director of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in the College of Education
A grade of C or higher is required in each professional education course required for the Licensure Program. Any teacher education student who receives a grade lower than a C must retake the course.
Admission to Field Experiences:
All education students are required to complete the field experiences as determined by their licensure prior to their student teaching. The departments have established an excellent working relationship with area schools to provide these experiences.
Before registering for the first field at Ashland University, students must satisfactorily complete one of the following College of Education Test or Academic Pathways for Reading, Writing, and Math.
Reading - One of the following:
ACT minimum score Reading: 20
SAT minimum score of Critical Reading: 490 (3/16/2021) or 530 (post 3/16/2021)
Praxis Core minimum score of Reading: 156
Reading Pathway*: An Accuplacer Reading minimum score of 263 and a minimum grade of B in Historical Reasoning (112, 113, 212, 213), Humanities Core Courses, or Religion Core (106, 107, 109). AYA Integrated Language Arts or Middle Grades Language Arts majors are not eligible for the Reading Pathway. All other licenses are eligible.
Writing – One of the following:
ACT minimum score of English: 19
SAT minimum score of Critical Reading: 490 (pre 3/16/2021) or 530 (post 3/16/2021)
Praxis Core minimum score of Writing: 162
Writing Pathway*: A minimum grade of B in English 101, English 102, or equivalent. AYA Integrated Language Arts or Middle Grades Language Arts majors are not eligible for the Writing Pathway. All other licenses are eligible.
Math – One of the following:
ACT minimum score of Math 18
SAT minimum score of Math 500 (pre 3/16/2021) or 520 (post 3/16/2021)
Praxis Core minimum score of Math 152
Math Pathway*: A minimum grade of B in any course with a MATH prefix of 108 or above. AYA Integrated Mathematics and Middle Grades Mathematics majors are not eligible for the Math Pathway. All other licenses are eligible.
*All Pathway courses must have been taken within ten years of admission to AU Teacher Education.
Praxis Core Tests: Students not meeting the ACT/SAT sub-scores requirement must take the corresponding Praxis Core test and achieve the minimum test score: Math 152, Reading 156, Writing 162 (or ACT English19). Students may retake any section(s) with scores below the minimum. Registration and preparation material for the Praxis Core tests are available at ets.org/praxis. The College of Education will accept the following Praxis Core test codes: 5712, 5713, 5722, 5723, 5732, 5733; and if the tests are combined the test codes: 5751 or 5752.
ACT/SAT/Praxis Core test scores should be submitted directly to Ashland University or the student must provide an official copy of test scores to the appropriate office.
Registration for fields and field blocked courses require passing test scores. Students will notice a field registration block if the Test Requirement has not been achieved.
Courses used for the Pathway must be taken within 10 years of being accepted into the program. Courses that will fulfill the Math, Writing or Reading Pathway are evaluated by the Coordinator of Data Analytics, Blackboard, and Test Preparation. Students interested in this Pathway should submit possible courses and transcripts to the Coordinator for consideration. Students may obtain a Pathway application from either their advisor or the Field office.
Field and Clinical Experience
Students must have achieved a current 2.5 GPA for the Institutional and Major GPAs for all programs; and Concentrations GPAs for Middle Grades licenses. Note; Transfer students must meet a 2.5 cumulative grade point average from their previous institution.
Students are required to have a baseline Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and FBI criminal background check prior to their first field experience at Ashland University. The BCI and FBI background checks must remain current for any additional field experiences.
Students enrolled in field experiences and student internship are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from the field site locations.
Education students are not permitted to request a school district in which he/she attended or the experience may be compromised by pre-existing relationships with other personnel or pupils (siblings, children, or relatives) who attend the school.
An online application must be completed for each field through the Field Office. Application for a field is separate and different from registration or admission to fields. The online applications can be found on the Field Experiences & Internship Webpage. Be aware of due dates.
All eligibility requirements must be completed prior to submitting an application in order to participate in a field experience.
Admission to Teacher Education:
Sign a “Good Moral Character” statement verifying his or her awareness of the law in order to become licensed in Ohio.
Apply for “Admission to Teacher Education” prior to the first junior level methods/field experience course block and comply with the following criteria:
a. Satisfactorily complete the Sophomore Field Experience course with a C or better;
b. Students must have achieved a current 2.5 GPA for the Institutional and Major GPAs for all programs; and Concentrations GPAs for Middle Grades licenses.
c. Demonstrate proficiency in written English, reading, and basic math skills by satisfactorily completing the College of Education Test Requirement.
d. Proficiency in oral communication (successful completion of a Core communication course with a grade of C or higher);
e. Meets dispositional guidelines as outlined by the College of Education.
f. Have a current BCI and FBI criminal background check.
g. Note to transfer students. While all students must meet the same criteria to be admitted to Teacher Education, those transferring in with an associate degree or a significant number of credit hours that places them at the level of a mid-sophomore year or above, are not officially admitted into the Teacher Education program, and may not take field or internship courses, until they have successfully submitted evidence of having met the College of Education Test Requirement.
h. Special note. Admission to Teacher Education is not an Application to the Junior Field.
At the conclusion of the screening process, the student's application will be categorized as one of the following: Approved or Rejected by the College of Education.
Admission to Student Teaching/Internship:
Complete all required field-based experiences in culturally, racially and socioeconomically diverse urban and non-urban settings:
Receive approval for student internship after fulfilling the following requirements:
a. Application for student internship should be submitted to the Office of Internship and Field Experiences and should be completed two months prior to course registration.
b. Students must have achieved a current 2.5 GPA for the Institutional and Major GPAs for all programs; and Concentrations GPAs for Middle Grades licenses.
c. Have a current Ohio BCI and FBI criminal background check
d. If a teacher education student is found to be deficient in any of the above, permission to enroll in student internship courses may be denied until the deficiencies are removed.
e. Students may not begin their student teaching/internship until all education coursework and/or concentration area courses are completed and approval from the Director of Fields and Partnerships has been obtained.
f. During the semester in which students complete their student teaching/internship, no additional courses beyond the block course will be permitted without approval from the Director of Fields and Partnerships.
Exit from Student Teaching-Internship
To successfully complete the internship, the candidate is required to:
Successfully complete the Impact on Student Learning assignment.
Successfully complete field requirements.
Successfully complete all other professional activities required by the College of Education
Recommendation for Licensure:
To be recommended for licensure students must:
Complete the prescribed program (including student internship).
Receive passing scores on the Teacher Licensure Examination.
Apply for teaching license within one year of licensure program completion. After one year, additional course work may be necessary.
BCI and background checks must be no older that one year at the time they are used for initial licensure.
Description of Majors
Majoring in a given field of education will enable students to become knowledgeable of the content and pedagogy needed to teach within various learning environments. The students must also complete additional requirements to obtain a teaching license. These requirements include passing appropriate licensure exams, completing background checks, and successfully meeting additional criteria as determined by the College of Education and the Ohio Department of Education.
Programs (Licensures unless otherwise indicated)
Primary Grades/Intervention Dual Program (PK-5)
Educational Studies (non-licensure)
Middle Grades 4-9 (Students choose two):
Language Arts
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Middle Childhood/Intervention Specialist Dual Program:
(By Cohort Only) (Choose Two)
Language Arts
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
AYA Grades 7-12
Integrated Language Arts/English
Integrated Science
Integrated Social Studies
Integrated Math
PreK-12
Art
Music
Intervention Specialist
Intervention Specialist Mild/Moderate (K-12)
Intervention Specialist Moderate/Intensive (K-12)
Intervention Specialist Mild/Moderate (K-12) & Intervention Specialist Moderate/Intensive (K-12)-Dual Licensure
Minor
Online Teaching and Instructional Technology Endorsements
Early Childhood 4-5 Generalist, limited to candidates in PK-3 licensure
Checklists of requirements for each program can be obtained from the Center for Academic Support Office, 7th floor of the Library.
Education Courses and Descriptions