Teacher Preparation Hub

Declaring a teacher education major does not mean you've been admitted to the Teacher Preparation Program. To continue toward a degree and certification, you must apply and be formally admitted.

• Successfully complete all freshman courses
• Earn at least a 2.5 overall cumulative GPA (transfer and institutional)
• Have a completed fingerprint-based criminal background check (CBC) and a posted "Clear Credential" on your Louisiana teaching certification record

Submit the Teacher Preparation Program admission application no later than the semester in which you will have attempted 45 credit hours — whether or not you've met all requirements. Change-of-major and transfer students who enter the college with more than 30 credit hours may attempt 30 additional hours before applying.

Until you're admitted, you can't enroll in 300- or 400-level professional education courses (EDCI, EDFL, IRED, READ, or SPED) or methods courses in HLTH or KNES. EDCI 308 and SPED 391 are exceptions.

Applications that don't meet every requirement go to the college's Committee on Selective Admission. There are no exceptions to the admission requirements, but you may request an extension to remain in the college while you complete them. Submit the Request for an Extension form by the last day to drop with a W each semester. Extensions aren't automatic, a new request is required for each one, and additional extensions are rarely granted. Students who don't apply on time or meet requirements may be counseled to change majors.

The Selective Retention Committee reviews every candidate's progress at the end of each semester and summer session. To make satisfactory progress, you must:

• Earn at least a 2.5 GPA each fall, spring, and summer term
• Maintain at least a 2.5 overall cumulative GPA
• Earn a C or better in all professional education courses and in the content-area and specialized academic courses your curriculum requires (see the Academic Catalog)
• Show the dispositions — personal and social qualities — necessary for effective teaching

Candidates who fall below these standards may be placed on probation or removed from the program. Students denied admission or removed may be reconsidered after earning a non-education degree with at least a 2.5 GPA.

Field experiences let you observe and work with teachers, students, principals, and staff in public and private schools across our seven-parish service area, helping you move from learning educational theory to applying it in the classroom. All teacher certification majors complete three levels:

• Level I — Early Field Experience: Begins in EDFL 106 Introduction to Education with 5 hours of observation, and continues through your freshman and sophomore years. Level I is observation only, with no student contact.
• Level II — Professional Education Methods: Begins once you're admitted to the Teacher Preparation Program. Methods courses are scheduled in blocks, and each block course requires at least 10 hours of field experience outside class. You'll develop lessons and take on some teaching responsibility.
• Level III — Clinical Field Experience: The yearlong teacher residency, with an emphasis on co-teaching, co-planning, and co-reflecting.

Follow the block sequence in your curriculum, and plan your block scheduling with your advisor well in advance.

Louisiana requires the Praxis Subject Assessments for initial teacher certification: the Praxis Content Knowledge test for your certification area and the grade-level Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) test. Find test names, numbers, and qualifying scores on ETS's Louisiana test requirements.

• Undergraduate candidates: Pass Content Knowledge and PLT before Teacher Residency I. Middle School Education majors must pass Content Knowledge tests in both focus areas. We recommend taking the PLT after you complete the Classroom Management course.
• Certification-Only candidates: Pass Content Knowledge before admission to the program, and PLT before registering for the academic internship or residency.

Prepare and Register

• Check out test prep books at the Instructional Materials Center in Maxim Doucet Hall, Room 101.
• Use the free Praxis Study Companion for your test.
• Take free practice tests from 240 Tutoring.
• Register with ETS and select UL Lafayette as your testing center.

All teacher certification majors must purchase a Watermark Learning & Licensure subscription in their first semester. You'll use Watermark to reflect on coursework, track your growth, store and showcase your work in ePortfolios, log field experiences, and share your best work with future employers. The college uses the same system to assess program quality and maintain its accreditation.

Find tutorials on the Watermark Moodle page in ULink. Need help? Contact the Watermark Learning & Licensure Helpdesk in Maxim Doucet Hall, Room 314, at 337-482-1422 or watermark@louisiana.edu.

• Pass all required Praxis tests. Official ETS score reports must be received by May 1 for a fall Residency I, or December 1 for a spring Residency I.
• Submit the Teacher Residency I application by the deadline in the semester before your residency.
• Attend the mandatory Teacher Residency I meeting, where you'll apply for a resident teacher certificate. The certificate is valid for one school year and lets you work as a paid substitute up to 10 days per semester; those hours count toward your residency.
• Have at least a 2.5 overall GPA and a 2.5 major GPA.
• Earn credit for all prior coursework, with no incompletes.
• Enroll in Residency I and all remaining coursework except Residency II. If necessary, one non-education course may be scheduled after school hours during Residency II.
• Submit proof of membership in a professional education organization that offers liability insurance, such as A+PEL, LAE, LAHPERD, or Kappa Delta Pi.
• Hold a posted "Clear Credential" criminal background check.

During Residency I, you'll co-teach at least 40% of your district's instructional time (aspiring to 50%) on a set schedule: at least 12 hours a week, in at least two visits of two or more hours. Residency I follows your school district's calendar, and your site stays the same for both semesters. You must earn a C or better to continue.

• Earn a C or better in Residency I in the preceding semester.
• Have at least a 2.5 overall GPA and a 2.5 major GPA.
• Complete all other required coursework, with no incompletes.
• Hold a valid resident teacher certificate.
• Attend the mandatory teacher certification meeting.

In Residency II, you'll spend full days at your school for 100% of the district's instructional time, from the first day of the district calendar through the last day of UL Lafayette's finals week. Residency II is graded credit/no credit; to earn credit, complete all required hours and submit all Residency II artifacts in Watermark. You can't graduate or be recommended for certification without credit for Residency II.

Certification-Only candidates complete 6 credit hours of either an academic internship or the teacher residency over two consecutive semesters. Health & Physical Education and Music Education candidates teach in both elementary and secondary settings.

• Academic internship: For candidates with a Practitioner License 2 (PL 2) and 0–2 years of teaching experience in their certification area. It begins in the fall only. Submit your teaching contract or a principal's letter confirming your subject, grade level, and full-time employment; your teaching schedule; your passing PLT score; and an academic internship application.
• Teacher residency: For candidates who aren't currently teaching. Submit your passing PLT score, proof of professional organization liability insurance, and the teacher residency application.

Both options require a C or better in all prescribed courses and at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA. Approval comes from the Director of the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences.

Secondary Education & Teaching minors: The minor doesn't include the residency. After graduating, apply to the Certification-Only Program to complete Residency I and II.

If you're starting the residency's final semester or the academic internship, you're required to attend the teacher certification meeting at the start of the fall or spring semester. There, you'll complete the Louisiana Department of Education paperwork for initial certification: the Application for Teacher Certification, the Professional Conduct Form, and the Summary Chart. Bring:

• A black ballpoint or rollerball pen
• Copies of every page of your passing Praxis score reports. Each report must list your Social Security number and UL Lafayette; if it doesn't, call ETS at 1-800-772-9476.
• Legal documentation, such as a marriage certificate, if your last name differs across your transcript and score reports
• A $50 money order, with no expiration date, payable to the Louisiana Department of Education