College of Education

The College of Education includes the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, the Department of Educational Leadership and Technology, and the School of Behavioral Sciences, which houses the Department of Psychological Sciences, the Department of Counseling, the Division of Child and Family Studies, and the Division of Sociology. The mission of the College of Education is to provide students in professional education and other behavioral sciences with a quality education through academic, cultural, and leadership experiences, and to provide leadership through scholarship and service to the community and professions. Programs in the College of Education prepare students for challenging, gratifying, and socially significant careers.

Degree programs offered include the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in Child Development and Family Studies, Bachelor of Science in Child Development and Family Studies, Bachelor of Science in Elementary Teacher Education, Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Bachelor of Science in Sociology, the Master of Education degree with majors in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Administration, a Master of Science in Applied Psychology, a Master of Science in Child and Family Studies, the Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership. Several teaching supplemental and professional certificates are also offered in conjunction with different academic departments.

* The following graduate degree programs are being phased-out by the University, and no new admissions will be allowed: Master of Science with a major in Counseling Psychology, Master of Education in Professional School Counseling, and Master of Arts in Teaching.

Teacher Education Program

Teacher Education (Elementary Teacher Education, Secondary Education), one of the major programs at Tarleton State University, emphasizes broad general education as a foundation for mastery of teaching skills and specialized knowledge in an academic discipline. The primary purpose of teacher education is to prepare highly qualified teachers for Texas and the nation. The goal of Tarleton State University’s Teacher Education Program is to develop teachers who:

1. possess appropriate knowledge and abilities in specific content areas or teaching fields;
2. communicate effectively with students, parents, and other professionals;
3. apply the principles of instructional planning in the development of curriculum;
4. use effective teaching practices;
5. formally and informally evaluate student performance and use results of such assessment in the instructional decision-making process;
6. promote critical thinking and participatory citizenship;
7. are skilled in the use of instructional technology;
8. are proficient in mathematical skills;
9. operate within the legal guidelines and uphold the ethics of the teaching profession;
10. demonstrate concern for students’ general welfare; and
11. are committed to continued professional growth and development.

Tarleton State University’s Title II Institutional Report may be accessed at https://www.tarleton.edu/eps/wp-content/uploads/sites/225/2022/10/21-22-Report-Card-1.pdf 

Admission to the Teacher Education Program ¹

www.tarleton.edu/EPS/TEP

Secondary and All-Level Certification

1. Formal application for admission to the Teacher Education Program should be made by the student during the first semester of the junior year while enrolled in EDUC 3321 Foundations of Teaching: Middle and Secondary Classrooms. Application deadlines are October 15 for the fall semester, February 15 for the spring semester, and July 1 for the summer. Formal admission to this program shall be a prerequisite to taking any professional development courses beyond EDUC 3321 Foundations of Teaching: Middle and Secondary Classrooms
   Applications are submitted to Educator Preparation Services, Suite 101, Mathematics Building, or online. Follow instructions found in the application. Applications can be found at http://www.tarleton.edu/eps/tep/apply-now.html.
2. The following criteria must be met for admission to the Teacher Education Program:
   1. Minimum GPA of 2.75 (on a 4.00 scale) on all courses in the following areas: professional development/education and certification field(s);
   2. Minimum GPA of 2.75 on all courses listed on the secondary certificate plan;
   3. Minimum GPA of 2.75 overall on the transcript or on last 60 hours by the end of application semester.  Last 60 hours is calculated using full semesters so hours total may be more than 60.
   4. No grade lower than a C in professional education course work block;
   5. No grade lower than a C in certification field(s) block(s);
   6. Satisfaction of basic skills as determined by admission requirements to Tarleton State University;
   7. Completion of EDUC 3321 Foundations of Teaching: Middle and Secondary Classrooms and PSYC 2308 Child & Adolescent Psychology, PSYC 3303 Educational Psychology or CHFS 3300 Child Development with a grade of C or better;
   8. Completion of 9 hours of required English with a grade of C or better in each course;
   9. Completion of 12 hours in certificate area (15 hours if Math or Science) with a grade of “C” or better and a minimum 2.75 GPA by the end of the application semester; 
   10. Evidence of good moral character and the mental, emotional, and physical ability to function effectively in a classroom;
   11. Successful completion of a departmental screening instrument;
3. Educator Preparation Program admission and course requirements are developed based on standards developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC).  A student must meet current requirements to obtain certification, which may mean program changes not reflected in the catalog.  For the current requirements, see www.tarleton.edu/eps/tep.
4. The applicant will receive email notification from Educator Preparation Services regarding his/her acceptance into the Tarleton Teacher Education Program. The student will have 5 days to either accept or reject the offer of admission into the Teacher Education Program.  For the most current admissions requirement, see www.tarleton.edu/eps/tep.

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Appeals of any admissions requirements must be made in writing to the Director of Teacher Education. Appeals are reviewed by the Educator Preparation Council at the next regular meeting.

Note: The State Board for Educator Certification may require disclosure of previous arrest, conviction and/or deferred adjudication and may refuse to issue an educator certificate for a person who has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor for a moral turpitude crime which relates to the teaching function. Pursuant to §22.082, Texas Education Code, the State Board for Educator Certification may access any criminal history information pertaining to you and held by any law enforcement or criminal justice agency. The State Board for Educator Certification may refuse to confer state certification based on such criminal history information.

Pursuant to §22.083, Texas Education Code, a school district or private school may access any criminal history information pertaining to you and held by any law enforcement or criminal justice agency. A school district or private school may refuse to provide a placement for field experience or employ you based on your criminal history. A school district or private school must report to the State Board for Educator Certification if the school district or private school obtains or has knowledge that an applicant or holder of an educator certificate has a criminal history.

Elementary Certification (Elementary Teacher Education)

1. Formal application for admission to the Teacher Education Program should be made by the student during the first semester of the junior year while enrolled in EDUC 3320 Foundations of Teaching: Elementary (EC-6) Classrooms or EDUC 3321 Foundations of Teaching: Middle and Secondary Classrooms. Application deadline dates are October 15 for the fall semester, February 15 for the spring semester, and July 1 for the summer. Formal admission to this program shall be prerequisite to taking any professional development courses beyond EDUC 3320 Foundations of Teaching: Elementary (EC-6) Classrooms. Applications are submitted to Educator Preparation Services, Suite 101, Mathematics Building, or online. Follow instructions found in the application. Applications can be found at http://www.tarleton.edu/eps/tep/apply-now.html.
2. The following criteria must be met for admission to the Teacher Education Program as an Elementary Certification major:
   1. Minimum GPA of 2.75 on all courses in the following areas: professional development/education, content block, and reading block;
   2. Minimum GPA of 2.75 on all courses listed on the certification plan;
   3. Minimum GPA of 2.75 overall on the transcript or on last 60 hours by the end of application semester.  Last 60 hours is calculated using full semesters so hours total may be more than 60;
   4. No grade lower than a C in professional education course work block; content block, or reading block;
   5. Satisfaction of basic skills as determined by admission requirements to Tarleton State University;
   6. Completion of EDUC 3320 Foundations of Teaching: Elementary (EC-6) Classrooms or EDUC 3321 Foundations of Teaching: Middle and Secondary Classrooms, and PSYC 2308 Child & Adolescent Psychology, PSYC 3303 Educational Psychology or CHFS 3300 Child Development with a grade of C or better;
   7. Completion of 9 hours of required English with a grade of C or better in each course;
   8. Completion of 12 hours in certificate area (15 hours if Math or Science) with a grade of “C” or better and a minimum 2.75 GPA by the end of the application semester;
   9. Successful completion of a departmental screening instrument;
   10. Completion of MATH 1314 College Algebra or higher with a "C" or better (a departmental requirement for course prerequisites);
   11. Evidence of good moral character and the mental, emotional, and physical ability to function effectively in a classroom;
   12. Compliance with the Texas Educator Code of Ethics; and
3. Educator Preparation Program admission and course requirements are developed based on standards developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC).  A student must meet current requirements to obtain certification, which may mean program changes not reflected in the catalog.  For the current requirements, see www.tarleton.edu/eps/tep.
4. The applicant will receive email notification from Educator Preparation Services regarding his/her acceptance into the Tarleton Teacher Education Program. The student will have 5 days to either accept or reject the offer of admission into the Teacher Education Program.  For the most current admissions requirement, see www.tarleton.edu/eps/tep.

Recommendation for Admission to Teacher Education:

Only those applicants who are selected by the Elementary Education  Admissions Committee and have maintained the above academic standards will be recommended for admission to the Tarleton Teacher Education Program. At the beginning of the semester following selection, the Tarleton Educator Preparation Council members will vote on those candidates recommended for admission to the Program. Should limitations on resources require restrictions to be placed on the number of students admitted in a given semester or year, the Educator Preparation Council will admit students based on a total score which is an aggregate of all the above criteria. Students not admitted must reapply.

Retention in the Teacher Education Program

Retention in the Teacher Education Program requires maintenance of standards required for admission, plus evidence of satisfactory academic progress and professional development. If the above-stated criteria for admission and retention are not maintained, a student will receive written notification from the Certification Officer, and he/she will be placed on probation for one long semester. If the deficiency is not corrected by the end of the probationary period, the student will be removed from the program and must reapply for admission to the Teacher Education Program to be eligible for enrollment in additional professional education courses. A student must be in good standing to clinical teach.

In order to retain full admission in the Teacher Education Program, students must maintain continuous enrollment in the university and demonstrate progress towards completing all certification requirements. Failure to attend for two consecutive long semesters or graduating non-certified constitutes automatic withdrawal from the program. If a student changes their major/concentration to one that does not lead to teacher certification at Tarleton, they will be removed from the program after one completed long semester under the new major/concentration. If a student is removed from the program for one of these reasons, the student must reapply for admission to the Teacher Education Program when reenrolling at Tarleton or changing their major/concentration back. Educator Preparation Services kindly requests that any student no longer planning to complete the Teacher Education Program at Tarleton submit a Request to Withdraw from the Teacher Education Program form

Tarleton State University reserves the right to monitor a student’s professional ethics according to those standards specified in the Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators (adopted by the Teachers’ Professional Practice Commission, revised December 2010) as it relates to the performance of his or her role as a clinical teacher, in a field-based activity in the elementary or secondary schools, or in a university classroom. Appropriate disciplinary action, which may include removal from the Teacher Education Program, may be instituted for violations of ethical conduct or professionalism.

Admission to Teacher Residency/Clinical Teaching 

www.tarleton.edu/eps/field

Prior to admission to teacher residency or clinical teaching, students must be admitted to the Tarleton Teacher Education Program (see “Admission to the Teacher Education Program” in this section of the catalog). Students are urged to study requirements for admission and retention in the program. Application for clinical teaching must be submitted to Educator Preparation Services no later than September 30 of the fall semester or February 3 of the spring semester prior to the corresponding fall or spring semester in which the student expects to clinical teach. (i.e. Application for clinical teaching must be submitted one year before the semester in which the student expects to clinical teach.) Application for teacher residency will be discussed in the beginning of the block 2 course and due shortly thereafter.

Candidates for certification who do not satisfactorily complete teacher residency/clinical teaching maybe dropped from the Teacher Education Program. In order to regain eligibility for clinical teaching and be recommended for certification, a candidate may need to reapply and be admitted to the Teacher Education Program.

To be admitted to teacher residency/clinical teaching, all admission requirements to the Tarleton Teacher Education Program must be maintained. Moreover, the following requirements must be completed:

Before being admitted to Teacher Residency/Clinical Teaching, each candidate must meet the following requirements:

1.      Senior classification and prior admission to the Teacher Education Program;

2.      All Teacher Education Admission/Retention requirements must be met;

3.      Any Teacher Education Program probation must have been rectified and the student returned to good standing;

4.      Formal approval of the Tarleton Educator Preparation Council;

5.      Removal of all incomplete grades prior to the teacher residency/clinical teaching orientation;

6.      All testing requirements completed (vary by semester and certification area)

In addition, each teacher resident/clinical teacher must meet specific program requirements found below:

Elementary Teacher Education majors:

ALL coursework required for degree, with the exception of EDUC 4335 and EDUC 4690, must be completed prior to yearlong residency.  Any exception to this requirement will require Department Head approval.  Yearlong residents will follow departmental protocols.

Secondary and All Level Certifications:

At least 75% of the hours in each certification field (right-hand side of certificate plan) must be completed prior to yearlong residency; however, it is highly advisable that candidates complete all degree requirements, with the exception of EDUC 4335 and EDUC 4690, prior to yearlong residency.

Placement of Clinical Teachers

Educator Preparation Services (EPS) governs the placement of yearlong residency teachers. Placements are full-day (expect 8 hours per day, 5 days per week), and 14-16 weeks in duration as determined by your program, accumulating a minimum of 640 hours. (Students are not allowed to take additional courses during their yearlong residency semester.) It is advised all students must request a placement location from a predetermined list of cooperating school districts and campuses within a 60-mile radius of the Tarleton campus where they attend classes. All placements are made by Educator Preparation Services and are subject to change based on district, campus, and cooperating teacher availability.

Placement of Teacher Residents

Educator Preparation Services (EPS) governs the placement of teacher residents. Placements are full-day (expect 8 hours per day, 4 days per week), and 28-32 weeks in duration as determined by your program, accumulating a minimum of 640 hours. All students will be placed with partner school districts that are in the general geographical area of the Tarleton campus where they attend classes.  All placements are made by Educator Preparation Services and are subject to change based on district, campus, and cooperating teacher availability.

Obtaining a Teaching Certificate

The Certification Officer must verify the following before a student will be recommended for certification online:

1. Degree earned;
2. Passing scores on all TExES tests required for initial certification;
3. Completion of all course work on certification plan;
4. Written documentation and advisor approval for course substitutions; and
5. All Teacher Education Program requirements continue to be met.

To apply online, please follow the instructions found at https://www.tarleton.edu/eps/certifications/tep.html

Testing for Certification

www.tarleton.edu/eps/testing

In addition to degree requirements, teacher education candidates must attain passing scores on the Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES) which are required by the state for teacher certification.  Because Tarleton State University must verify eligibility for the TExES, candidates should consult with their academic advisor, Department Head, Program Director, or the Coordinator for Certification Testing and Program Accountability to determine when they are eligible to begin testing and when exams need to be passed.  However, detailed information will be provided in designated education courses required for all candidates that thoroughly covers the testing requirements and process.

All traditional candidates currently and newly admitted to the Teacher Education Program and those in a yearlong residency are required to pass ALL TExES exams (including PPR, Content(s), Science of Teaching Reading for candidates seeking EC-6 and some 4-8 certifications, and any Supplemental (ESL) if applicable) related to the certification area(s) being sought. Passing scores results must be posted to the testing system by August 1st for fall semester yearlong residency and December 15th for spring semester yearlong residency. Candidates should keep in mind that score report availability typically ranges from 3-5 days from the exam date but can also take considerably longer depending on the individual exam.  It is important to plan accordingly and check each and every exam posting date at the time of registration. Failure to have posted passing scores for all exams by those dates will result in postponement of yearlong residency until a subsequent semester when passing scores have been obtained.

All traditional candidates completing a yearlong residency experience will be required to meet very specific test by, retest by, and pass by dates for all required TExES exams that are published and distributed during the Block 2 semester.  Candidates who may need to delay either the start of the Teacher Residency 1, Teacher Residency 2, or final yearlong residency semester will need to follow whatever requirements are in place at that point in time should they change.  Program continuation is contingent in part on meeting the established testing guidelines.  Failure to meet the testing guidelines will result in removal from the teacher residency experience and the candidate being changed to a traditional clinic teaching model once all exams have been passed and meet the score posting criteria.

Registration information for the TExES may be obtained by visiting www.tarleton.edu/eps/testing, or by contacting the Coordinator for Certification Testing and Program Accountability in Educator Preparation Services, Suite 101, Mathematics Building or by calling 254-968-1908. 

Transfer Students

Tarleton State University welcomes students who transfer credits from other universities or neighboring community colleges. Persons seeking elementary certification will work toward the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. Students will be assigned to a specific academic advisor to evaluate transfer credits and plan a course of study. Transfer students should contact the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (E.J. Howell Building Room 320; phone 254-968-9097).

Transfer students working toward secondary and all-level certification will be advised in the academic department of their major. Information about education courses may be obtained in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (E.J. Howell Building, Room 320; Phone 254-968-9097).

Policies governing the acceptance of transfer course work for credit toward teacher certification include the following:

1. All transfer students are required to submit official transcripts to the University Admissions Office for analysis. The Certification Officer will require official transcripts to develop certification plans for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree.
2. Transfer students from other Texas institutions and institutions in other states are expected to meet Tarleton’s program requirements for certification.
3. Department Heads reserve the right to accept or decline the use of courses on the certificate plan based on content alignment and currency. Such decisions are based on the background needed to be an effective public school teacher. General Education Requirements (core curriculum courses) do not have an age limitation.
4. Typically, students will not be allowed to transfer more than three hours of professional developmental (education) course work into the program at Tarleton and will be required to meet all institutional requirements for the degree and certification.
5. A minimum of one-third of the semester hours required in each teaching field or areas of emphasis sought must be completed at Tarleton.

Note: Individuals who have a degree and a valid teaching certificate from another state and who seek Texas teacher certification must apply directly to the Texas Education Agency to obtain their credentials.