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English Education Certificate

This is a post-baccalaureate certificate to prepare graduates of English programs for teacher certification in English Language Arts at the secondary education level.

Teacher Certification

This sequence of courses is approved by the Illinois State Board of Education and leads to the Initial High School Certificate in English Language Arts.  To be recommended for certification by Governors State University, students must earn a grade of “B” or better in EDUC499: Student Teaching: English.

To be recommended for an Illinois State Board of Education teaching certificate, the student must present evidence of having passed the Basic Skills, Subject-Matter Knowledge, and Assessment of Professional Teaching examinations of the Illinois Certification Testing System.

Students must meet other requirements for certification through approved programs listed in the Teacher Education and Certification section in this catalog.

To be recommended by Governors State University, students must apply for the certificate within one year of completing the program.

Students choosing to pursue the middle school endorsement must take three (3) hours in Early Adolescent Educational Psychology and three (3) hours in Curriculum Methods for Middle School.  Students should contact the Office of Secondary Education for specific course numbers.

Admission to English Education

In addition to meeting all university admissions requirements for the certificate, applicants must meet the following requirements to be admitted to the English Education certificate:

  1. have a bachelor’s or higher in English from a regionally accredited college or university;
  2. have a cumulative average G.P.A. of 2.5 or higher in all lower division courses applied to the degree program; and
  3. submit a word-processed essay not to exceed 300 words explaining why the applicant wishes to be a teacher.

Continuation in the Certification

In order to continue in the certificate after the first term of enrollment, students must meet the following requirements:

  1. complete EDUC310 (Foundations of Education, or equivalent) with a grade of “B” or better.
  2. submit evidence of having passed the Basic Skills Test of the Illinois Certification Testing System; and
  3. submit scores from the Measure of Academic Proficiency and Progress (MAPP).

Some schools and/or school districts require criminal background checks in advance of any field experience undertaken by teacher preparation candidates in school settings.  Candidates may be required to comply with these requirements.  Consult with your advisor for information concerning the related GSU policies and procedures.

Student Progress

The faculty monitors and evaluates student progress continually. The section, Teacher Education and Certification, in this catalog provides a general descrip­tion of the standards used to evaluate student progress. A more detailed statement of the standards and processes followed by the secondary education faculty is available in the Secondary Education Undergraduate Student Handbook.

Conditional  Continuation

The faculty may permit a student to continue conditionally. In such cases, faculty reviews of the student’s records identify evidence that the student will likely be successful in the program. The status of all students allowed to continue under conditions is reviewed by the faculty each trimester, and the students are informed in writing of the conditions necessary for them to be transferred to good standing status. When conditions are met, the student is informed in writing of the transfer to good standing status. A student may not be admitted to student teaching without being in good standing status.

Student Handbook

The Student Handbook Undergraduate Degrees in Secondary Education referred to in this catalog is available online. 

Admission to Student Teaching

Before enrolling in EDUC499: Student Teaching, an application for admission to student teaching must be submitted to the director of Field Experiences in the College of Education. The application must be submitted by December 1 for the fall trimester and January 31 for the winter trimester preceding the academic year in which the student intends to teach (student teaching is not offered in the spring/summer trimester). This application for student teaching will certify that the student applying has or will have met the following requirements:

  1. completed general education requirements with a G.P.A. of 2.75 or higher in courses taken at Governors State University;
  2. completed professional education course requirements, except student teaching, including 100 clock-hours of field experience with a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher, with a grade of “C” or better in each course and EDUC465 and ENGL574 with a grade of “B” or better;
  3. must have completed methods courses no more than two years prior to the commencement of student teaching;
  4. must have no more than six hours (at the discretion of the advisor) remaining to be completed in the major, with a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher, and completing all courses with a grade of “C” or better;
  5. met all state requirements applicable to areas of student teaching assignments as outlined in the “Illinois Program for Evaluation, Supervision, and Recognition of Schools, Part I, Subject G: Staff Qualifications”;
  6. submit evidence of having passed the English Content Area Examination of the Illinois Certification Testing System; and
  7. receive a positive recommendation from the Secondary Education Student Progress Committee.

Degree Requirements

Students must meet all university requirements for a certificate, and in addition, students must complete the general education requirement for teacher certification Initial High School Certificate listed in the teacher education section of this catalog.

In addition, students must:

  1. have a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.5 or higher;
  2. earn a grade of “C” or better in all general education courses;
  3. have a G.P.A. of 2.75 or higher for all general education courses taken at Governors State University, if applicable;
  4. have a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher in English courses with a grade of “C” or better in each course;
  5. have a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher for EDUC440, EDCP500 and SPED510 with a grade of “C” or better in each course;
  6. earn a grade of “B” or better in EDUC310, EDUC465, EDUC520 and ENGL574;
  7. earn a grade of “B” or better in EDUC499: Student Teaching;
  8. complete a minimum of 100 clock-hours of supervised pre-student teaching experiences;
  9. provide evidence of successful completion of Illinois and U.S. Constitution examinations;
  10. complete at least one three-hour course in non-western or third world cultures;
  11. show evidence of having passed the Assessment of Professional Teaching;
  12. meet any additional requirements listed in the “Teacher Certification” section of this catalog; and
  13. receive a positive recommendation from the Secondary Education Student Progress Committee.

Professional Education ( Minimum of 24 Hours)

The following courses can be taken at either the lower-division or upper-division level:

  • EDUC 310 Foundations of Education (3)
  • SPED 510 Survey of Students with Exceptionalities (3)

The following courses must be taken at the upper-division level:

  • EDCP 500 Introduction to Educational Technology (3)
  • EDUC 440 Educational Psychology in Action (3)
  • EDUC 465 Methods of Teaching English (3)
  • EDUC 499 Student Teaching (12)

Additional Requirements

Students may need to complete additional general education or English courses if their degree requirements do not meet the state standards for the endorsement in English Education.

Minimum Total of 24 Hours