Admission to the Teacher Apprenticeship Program

The final courses in the professional development sequence involve supervised teaching, an associated seminar, and the instructional technology course. Undergraduates enroll in the Teaching Apprenticeship, a one-semester experience of supervised teaching in conjunction with a Teaching Apprenticeship Seminar and Technology in Education.

Students must apply for Teacher Apprenticeship the semester BEFORE they plan to apprentice. The Dreeben School of Education, the university-wide Teacher Education Advisory Council, and the State Board for Educator Certification all recommend that students applying for apprenticeship must have completed, or be in the process of completing, all required course-work prior to making application. On a case-by-case basis, the Director of Teacher Education may give approval for registration in only one three-credit course along with the Apprenticeship coursework; students must request this consideration in writing.

Students wishing to complete the Apprenticeship in the fall semester should apply in the previous spring. Students wishing to do the Apprenticeship in the spring semester should apply the previous fall.

Applications for Teacher Apprenticeship are accepted each fall and spring semester. Specific application dates are announced at the beginning of each semester. Applicants are responsible for adhering to all deadlines. The students must submit application packets containing the following information by the specified deadline:

1. Documentation of full acceptance and good standing in the Teacher Certification Program.
2. A passing score for the content area TExES exam.
3. A transcript issued by the Registrar's office (an unofficial transcript is acceptable) verifying:
   1. All coursework on degree plan has been completed or is in progress, with the exception of the apprenticeship coursework and seminar, and the option of one additional three-hour course (if approved by the Director of Teacher Education).
   2. The student has a cumulative grade point average of a 2.75 or greater at the time of application. Students are responsible for maintaining a minimum GPA until program completion. All courses taken at all institutions will be calculated to determine the cumulative grade point average. In the event courses are re-taken at the same institution, only the last attempt will be included in the calculation.
   3. For undergraduates, a grade of “C” or better must have been earned for every course taken in the major and associated coursework; undergraduate students are responsible for maintaining grades of “C” or better in each course until the program is complete. Students must earn grades of "B-" or higher in professional development courses.
4. An updated degree plan or planning guide verifying the completion of all courses. This includes all transfer credit/work, all courses waived, or all courses substituted, if any.
5. Submission of two separate faculty written recommendations. Forms are provided in application packet. Whenever possible, students should seek recommendations from non-education content area faculty members who have had the student in class and can attest to performance in academic course work.***SEE NOTE BELOW***
6. Submission of a formal paper describing the applicant's philosophy of education. This essay must be typed and must reflect the applicant's experiences and attitudes toward individual teaching style, methods, and goals. This essay may also be included in the applicant's portfolio.
7. A portfolio demonstrating the applicant's experiences and work within the education program. These portfolios are designed to reflect and assess the applicant's growth and expertise within their chosen fields throughout their educational experiences.

NOTE: Additional data regarding fitness for teaching - maturity, independence, responsibility, interpersonal relations, etc., - are solicited from UIW members of the community who have come in contact with the applicant; this data will be considered in the application review as described below. This information is of great significance to the decisions made by both the Dreeben School of Education and the university-wide Council regarding acceptance into the Teacher Certification program. Additional information about Professional Disposition guidelines and procedures can be found in the Teacher Certification Handbook and the Apprenticeship Handbook.

After all application requirements are submitted, interviews are scheduled. These interviews usually consist of one hour sessions with five to eight applicants in each session. Members of the Dreeben School of Education faculty and administration, as well as university faculty and administration from other disciplines, will comprise the interview teams. Recommendations from the interview teams will then be presented as a component of the application packet. Both the Dreeben School of Education faculty and the Teacher Education Advisory Council will review the application packets in their entirety and make a recommendation for program admission. A formal letter of acceptance or denial will be mailed to each applicant by the end of the semester. The committees may also decide to "hold" an application in the event an application requirement is lacking. The Certification Office will not make any announcements as to the status of any applicant until such letters are sent.

In addition to the successful completion of the Teacher Apprenticeship, students must also complete additional requirements to be certified by the State Board for Educator Certification. The Certification Office will provide information to candidates at the time of their application to SBEC.