Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education

Dean: Professor Bullock

Chair, Department of Education and Wellness: Senior Lecturer Winter

The Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education at Elon University prepares equity-minded leaders in the fields of education, physical activity, and wellness who enhance the learning and lives of children and adults. 

The School of Education has both licensure and non-licensure majors, as well as minors. Our minors include: Adventure Based Learning, Early Childhood, Environmental Education, Teaching and Learning, Teaching English to Second Language Learners, Coaching, Physical Education and Health, and Wellness and Health Education.

Elon’s teacher licensure education program prepares teachers for careers at the elementary, middle and high school levels. The program emphasizes practical hands-on experience in classrooms as well as educational theory and pedagogy. Field experiences in public school classrooms begin the first education class and culminate with a full semester of teaching in the student's licensure area.

Elon offers programs leading to N.C. licensure in elementary education, middle grades education (concentration in language arts, mathematics, science, or social studies), special education (general curriculum), special subject areas for grades K-12 (physical education and health, Spanish education, and music education) and high school history, mathematics, English, biology, and comprehensive science. North Carolina has licensure reciprocity with many other states.

There are five Transition Points in the Teacher Education Program. For the first Transition Point, Application & Admission to Teacher Education, a student must apply for admission. Application forms are available on-line on the  School of Education webpage and must be filed immediately prior to beginning their Professional Education coursework. There is no cost to apply for admission, but there are various criteria that must be met. Students must have a 2.7 or higher GPA, a clear background check, a grade of C or better in EDU 2110 or SOC 2430, a grade of C- or better in ENG 1100 and STS 1100, MTH 1510 or STS 2120, have no significant violations of Elon’s Academic and Social Honor Code, have positive recommendations from non-EDU faculty and be recommended by the appropriate major department. 

The basic testing requirement for admission to teacher education is the PRAXIS Core Academic Skills for Educators. The PRAXIS Core Academic Skills for Educators is a series of tests in reading, writing, and mathematics with minimum scores as established by the N.C. State Board of Education. Students must also complete Title IX training prior to being placed in any clinical setting.

SAT or ACT scores may be substituted for the PRAXIS Core Academic Skills for Educators tests as follows:

If the SAT or ACT was taken AFTER March 2016:

• Students who score at least 1170 on the SAT (combined verbal and mathematics) or score at least a 24 on ACT composite score are exempt from taking the Praxis® CORE tests for admission to the Teacher Education program. 
•  If a student’s score is less than 1170 on the SAT (combined verbal and mathematics) or score less than 24 on ACT composite score, Praxis® CORE tests are required for admission to the Teacher Education program as follows: Students who score at least 600 on the verbal SAT (or at least a 24 on English ACT) are exempt from Praxis® CORE Academic Skills for Educators: Reading and Writing tests.
  • If the student’s score is less than 600 on the verbal SAT (or less than 24 on English ACT) the student must take the Praxis® CORE Academic Skills for Educators: Reading test and receive a minimum score of 156 for admission to the Teacher Education program AND the student must take the Praxis® CORE Academic Skills for Educators: Writing test and receive a minimum score of 162 for admission to the Teacher Education program. Students who score at least 570 on the math SAT (or at least a 24 on Math ACT) are exempt from Praxis® CORE Academic Skills for Educators: Mathematics test.
  •  If the student’s score is less than 570 on the math SAT (or less than 24 on Math ACT) the student must take the Praxis® CORE Academic Skills for Educators: Mathematics test and receive a minimum score of 150 for admission to the Teacher Education program.

When the above steps have been completed and all requirements have been met, student’s application will be reviewed by the program coordinator, Department Chair, and the Director of Teacher Education. The Director of Teacher Education makes the final decision on all admissions to the Teacher Education program, and applicants will be notified of the Director of Teacher Education’s decision. Candidates must have a majority of satisfactory dispositions (meets expectations on the dispositions form). If not all dispositions are satisfactory, candidates must have the recommendation of their EDU 2110, EDU 2500, SOC 2430  instructor(s). Depending on the severity of the problem, a student may be denied admission to the program or admitted with probationary status. In some cases probationary status will require a contract. All students who are formally admitted to the program attend the Teacher Candidate Induction Ceremony. After admission, students are referred to as teacher candidates.

Admission to the Teacher Education Program 

If concerns are communicated during the process of applying to the Teacher Education Program, and/or during pre-requisite coursework, the following procedure is followed: 

1. The applicant/candidate is sent an email or letter describing the areas of concern and indicating that an interview is necessary with the program screening committee (which may include the Director of Teacher Education, Education and Wellness Department Chair and/or program coordinator, the candidate’s academic advisor, and relevant faculty). 
2. The program screening committee interviews the applicant, reviews all available evidence, and makes one of the following recommendations:
   • Admit to the program 
   • Deny admission 
3. Applicants may appeal the decision to the Teacher Education Committee by submitting a letter of explanation. The decision of the Teacher Education Committee is final. 

After admissions, there are 4 additional Transition Points. These are: Transition Point 2-Satisfactory Progress in Teacher Education, Transition Point 3—Entry into Student Teaching, Transition Point 4—Exit from Student Teaching, and Transition Point 5—Program Completion and Recommendation for Licensure. Certain classes and grades are required to matriculate successfully through the four remaining transition points of the teacher education program and remain in good standing in the Teacher Education Program. Failure to do so could result in removal from the program by the Teacher Education Committee.

• A teacher education candidate must maintain a 2.70 or higher cumulative GPA, demonstrate acceptable dispositions, and a clear background check throughout the program to remain in good standing.
• A teacher candidate must complete and earn a grade of C or better in all Education courses in order to be eligible to student teach.
• A teacher education candidate must earn a grade of C or better in PSY 3820 before enrollment in a methods class in any of the teacher education programs.
• Teacher candidates in Elementary and Special Education programs must earn a grade of C or better (or appropriate transfer credit) in both MTH 2080 and MTH 2090 to be eligible to student teach.
• Teacher candidates must apply and be approved for student teaching.

A teacher candidate must be unconditionally admitted to the program before being permitted to take education methods courses (EDU 3040, EDU 3100, EDU 3110, EDU 3120, EDU 4040, EDU 4100, EDU 4110, EDU 4120, EDU 4200, EDU 4210, EDU 4220, EDU 4230, EDU 4240, EDU 4250, EDU 4260, EDU 4280, EDU 4300, EDU 4410, MUS 4530, PEH 4980, and EDU 4970). Any exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Director of Teacher of Education.

To be recommended for teacher licensure, a teacher candidate must meet all academic requirements and have a minimum GPA of 2.7. A teacher candidate must also meet the North Carolina minimum score on the Specialty Area Test and Pearson tests (minimum scores for these tests vary with content area), and have a recommendation from the school system in which student teaching was completed. Teacher candidates must also successfully complete the edTPA performance-based assessment during their student teaching which is required for licensure by the state of North Carolina.

All students who are education majors or who already hold a bachelor’s degree and are seeking only licensure are subject to the decisions and regulations of the N.C. State Board of Education. These decisions and regulations are binding on the student on the date and time specified by the board. Admission to the Teacher Education program and student teaching does not guarantee recommendation for licensure.