English Teacher Certification Coordinator:

Overview of the Progam

Goals
The teacher certification program in the Department of English has as its primary objective the preparation of teachers who can function effectively in the secondary schools as they exist today and who can help provide the academic and curricular leadership needed to make the schools better tomorrow.  Such teachers must already know their subject well and must be dedicated to the life-long process of learning more.  They must know equally well how to help others learn their subject and must be committed to the proposition that everyone--their students, the families of their students, their colleagues, school administrators, and they themselves--can and will learn.  Such teachers take it as their responsibility to create and nurture environments in which learning can and does take place.

Cooperation
The teacher certification program in English wishes to establish long-term, cooperative, mutually beneficial relationships with schools which share our expectations about learning and teachers.  We seek opportunities to work closely with faculty and administration to improve our program and to help improve the schools.  We are especially concerned to place student teachers in schools where faculty and staff work actively to create an environment which rewards creativity, risk-taking, flexibility, and growth.

Admission
Typically, undergraduates apply for admission to the teacher certification program in English at the end of their sophomore year, four semesters before they student teach.  All applicants, whether undergraduates, post-graduates, students-at-large, or graduate students, must have taken at least nine hours of approved courses in this department with a GPA of at least 3.0 and a cumulative GPA for all work at NIU of at least 2.75.

Admission to the program is competitive.  As a consequence we are able to admit only those students who have already established strong records in the department and the university.

Retention
Students must maintain these standards each semester to remain in the program.  In addition, they must make a grade of B or better in each of the courses in the certification sequence.  All students are reviewed at the end of each semester.  Those whose GPA falls below the minimum are deferred until they meet the standard.  Those who make less than a B in the courses in the certification sequence are not allowed to proceed.  Before receiving the necessary permits for each semester, all students must have a satisfactory review conference with the coordinator.

For more detailed information about the English Teacher Certification Program at NIU, go to the program's homepage, linked below.

English Teacher Certification Homepage

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