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School of Education Policies
Email Communication
Electronic mail (e-mail) is the official means of communication with candidates at IU South Bend. A candidate’s failure to receive or read official university communications sent to the candidate’s official e-mail address does not absolve the candidate from knowing and complying with the content of the official communication. It is recommended that candidates check e-mail messages at least once daily. The university provides a simple mechanism for candidates to forward e-mail from the official university e-mail address to another e-mail address of the candidate’s choice. However, candidates who choose to have e-mail forwarded to another e-mail address do so at their own risk.
Required Grades and Grade Point Average
In order to be a candidate in good standing at IU South Bend, candidates must earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.0. However, to be admitted into the Teacher Education Program candidates must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 and earn a C or higher in every required course. If a candidate earns a grade of C– or lower in a required course, the course must be retaken until a grade of C is earned. Candidates must also have a grade point average of 2.5 in their secondary education content courses. For example, if a candidate is earning a license in physics, the overall grade point average for all physics courses must be at least a 2.5.
Repeating Courses Policy
The following policy applies to students who enter the School of Education in fall 2011 or later.
If an undergraduate student withdraws after (4) four weeks, or receives a final grade below a “C” in an education course (i.e. any EDUC prefix), the student will be allowed to subsequently enroll in the course only one more time within 36 months of the “W” grade appearing on the transcript.
Laptop Requirements
Students are required to purchase a laptop when registering for EDUC-W 200. Please contact your advisor for specific information.
CASA Requirements
Prior to admission to a teacher preparation program, undergraduate and graduate students earning their initial teacher licenses are required to pass the Core Academic Skills Assessment (CASA), which measure proficiency in basic academic skills, or meet an approved alternative.
Undergraduate students must take three sections of the CASA and earn passing scores before they are admitted to the Teacher Education Program.
Graduate students earning their initial teacher licenses are required to take and pass the three sections of the CASA assessments prior to starting their program.
The following additional assessments/routes are acceptable to document basic skills competency at the time of admission to a teacher preparation program:
- ACT with a score of at least 24 based on Math, Reading, Grammar, and Science;
- SAT with a score of at least 1100 based on Critical Reading and Math;
- GRE with a score of at least 1100 based on Verbal and Quantitative prior to 8/1/11;
- GRE with a score of at least 301 based on Verbal and Quantitative after 8/1/11; or
- Praxis I composite score of at least 527 based on Reading, Writing, and Math taken before August 31, 2013.
For more information regarding the CASA, please visit the website at http://www.doe.in.gov/licensing/educator-testing.
Note | ACT, SAT, and GRE scores do not include writing. Anyone with a Master’s Degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution is exempt from this requirement.
Required Pearson Content and Pedagogy Tests
Candidates seeking a teacher license are required to achieve passing scores on required Pearson Content and Pedagogy examinations. Each program requires candidates to take examinations at various points in their academic career. For more information regarding Indiana licensure requirements, visit the Office of Educator Effectiveness and Licensing on the Indiana Department of Education website.
Pearson Content and Pedagogy Tests–Elementary Education Majors
To complete requirements for Checkpoint Three and certification requirements for the state of Indiana, elementary education majors must earn passing scores on the appropriate Pearson CORE Content and Pedagogy examinations.
More information can be obtained from the Education Advising Office in Education and Arts 2200.
Pearson Content and Pedagogy Tests–Elementary Generalists: Primary and Elementary Generalist: Intermediate
Students should check with the Education Advising Office in Education and Arts 2200 for current information about Pearson test requirements.
Pearson Content and Pedagogy Tests–Secondary Education Majors
Secondary education majors must submit passing scores on the appropriate Indiana CORE Content examinations before they are allowed to pass Checkpoint Two and begin their student teaching experience.
Secondary education majors must submit passing scores on the Indiana CORE Pedagogy examination prior to graduation.
More information can be obtained from the Education Advising Office in Education and Arts 2200.
Pearson Content and Pedagogy Tests–Special Education Majors
Special education majors, and students completing requirements for the mild intervention certification or intense intervention certification must attempt the appropriate Indiana CORE Content and Pedagogy examinations prior to graduation.
More information can be obtained from the Education Advising Office in Education and Arts 2200.
Pearson Content and Pedagogy Tests–School Counselor
School counseling majors must take and pass the Indiana CORE Content examination to be licensed as school counselors in the state of Indiana.
More information can be obtained from the Education Advising Office in Education and Arts 2200.
Limited Criminal History Check
School corporations require a limited criminal history check before participating in field placements and/or student teaching. School corporations may deny a field placement or student teaching assignment based on a misdemeanor or felony conviction that is on the limited criminal history check. Students may visit the Indiana State Police website to obtain a limited criminal history check.
All searches conducted using this website’s online service will be considered a completed request and are subject to associated fees regardless of whether or not a detailed record is found. A response of No Records Found is an official search result. Follow the directions on the website to complete the limited criminal history check, print out the response from the website, and take a copy with you on the first day of your field placement or student teaching.
According to the new IU Child Protection Policy, students participating in other IU sponsored projects involving work with children and youth under the age of 18 may need to have a more extensive background check. Any questions should be directed to the Director of Field and Clinical Practice.
Issues Resolutions
When a candidate has a concern about a class or instruction, advising, or a School of Education policy, the candidates should meet individually with the instructor of the course, the supervisor, or an academic advisor to discuss the concern in an attempt to resolve it in a satisfactory manner. If the concern is not resolved, the candidate can submit an Issue Resolution to address the concern at other levels. The candidate can obtain an Issue Resolution form and cover sheet from the Education Advising Office. The candidate should follow the directions on the cover sheet. All steps should be documented. Certain issues follow university policies. For example, any grade grievances follow IU South Bend procedures.
Professional Conduct and Letters of Concern
Candidates must maintain the highest level of professional conduct while completing field experiences in the schools or in agency settings. In these settings, improper conduct can have adverse effects on the lives of children, youth, or adults. Unsatisfactory professional conduct or performance on the part of an IU South Bend School of Education student may result in dismissal from the School of Education.
If a faculty member, classroom teacher, or other personnel have concerns about a candidate’s ability to become an effective teacher, administrator, or human services provider, a Letter of Concern may be filed. The letter is used to identify a candidate in the program whose professional performance or approach is questionable.
If there are two or more letters of concern, successful resolution of all concerns is required prior to admission to and retention in all phases of the teacher education program or in activities that are designated in graduate programs, most notably, but not limited to, field experiences and/or internships. The student is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the letters documenting successful resolution of concerns are available.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a serious infraction. All procedures in the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct are followed in all cases of plagiarism.
Plagiarism and academic misconduct include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Copying any other person’s work and submitting it as one’s own, whether as a written document or an oral presentation.
- Copying or paraphrasing passages, sentences, phrases, data, statistics, isolated formulas, and visual aids from print, oral, or Internet sources without proper acknowledgment.
- Using someone else’s ideas without giving credit to the source.
- Submitting a professionally prepared research paper as one’s own work.
- Submitting work that resulted from an unauthorized collaborative effort as individual work.
- Reusing or recycling a paper or research done for credit in a previous course without the permission and approval of all the professors involved.
- Offering material assembled or collected by others as one’s own project or collection.
- Fabricating or creating material (statistics, text, etc.) to cite as a legitimate source.
- Documenting a source inaccurately.
Visit the following links for additional information | sites.google.com/a/umail.iu.edu/plagiarism-tutorial/ or judicial.iusb.edu
Transfer Credit
Candidates transferring from other degree programs and/or schools must meet with an advisor who determines whether prior courses meet the requirements of their desired degree program. Candidates who transfer may not be able to complete the degree program in the usual number of hours and semesters.
If candidates wish to complete courses at other institutions, they should obtain approval for these transfers prior to registering for the course. Advisors in the Education Advising Office can assist with this process.
Pass/Fail Option
The university regulations for this option apply in the School of Education. A candidate may elect to receive a Pass/Fail rating in classes to fulfill General Education requirements, providing they are not in the major teaching areas or part of the requirements in professional education. The request for a Pass/Fail option must be completed during the first three weeks of fall and spring semesters, and during the first two weeks of a summer session by processing the prescribed request in the Office of Education Advising. This election is not reversible.
Note | Students should realize that an F in a credit-bearing course will be calculated in the GPA. Also, Pass/Fail courses do not count toward the required credit hours for the Dean’s List. If a passing grade is earned through this option, a grade of P is posted to the transcript.
Applying for Graduation
Resident candidates must file an application for graduation with the Education Advising Office.
Students graduating in December must submit their application for graduation by March 1; students graduating in May, June, or August must submit their application for graduation by October 1.
Candidates completing work for degrees in the School of Education in absentia must notify the advising office of the School of Education at least two months prior to the time the degree is granted. Candidates not in the School of Education must obtain an application from the dean of the school in which they are enrolled. No education degrees are conferred, nor teaching licenses recommended, without the candidate’s successful completion of all certification requirements, including satisfactory performance in student teaching and successfully completing Checkpoint Three.