ADMISSION TO TEACHER EDUCATION

Admission to the college does not assure admission to programs in teacher education. Formal application must be
made to be admitted into the teacher education program. Admission and retention are based on criteria developed by
the Rust College Division of Education and the Mississippi Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education,
Certification, and Licensure and Development.

Application
Students who plan to enroll in courses of study in elementary or secondary education are encouraged to file an
application for admission as follows:

· Regular students, upon attaining the classification of first-semester sophomore; and

· Transfer students, upon official admission to the college with the classification of first-semester
sophomore.

Application forms are provided in the Division of Education Office all year and during each college registration
period. These forms are to be completed and filed with the Division of Education based on the deadlines as
published by the division. The standards which must be met to be admitted into the teacher education program
include:

Standards
· Completion of a minimum of 44 undergraduate hours in the Core Curriculum with a minimum GPA of
2.5 based on a 4.0 system;

· One letter of recommendation attesting to a satisfactory record of conduct, character and scholarship;

· One nomination from a professor at Rust College attesting to a satisfactory record of conduct,
character and scholarship;

· An application filled out and signed by all designated college officials;

· Meeting the qualifying scores on a standardized examination, which is at present:
o ACT Composite of 21 or higher with no subtest score below 18, or
o SAT score of 860 or higher, or
o Praxis I Scores at Mississippi acceptable levels for Reading 172/316, Writing 173/318 and
Mathematics 172/314;

· Evidence that the above scores have been submitted to the Office of Teacher Certification, Mississippi
State Department of Education.

Procedures
During the semester of the application for admission the faculty and/or Teacher Education Review Panel will review
the application and the student will be notified of the action taken. At this point in the admission process, the student
may be approved or denied on the basis of the standards. All program requirements are in response to Mississippi
Department of Education regulations and are subject to change. Please also note that the applicable program of
study (need sheet) for elementary and secondary teacher education majors is not based on the program of study in
the catalog for the year the student enters Rust College but is based on the approved program of study which is in
use at the end of the semester the student is accepted into the program.

Retention
Retention in the teacher education program is based on the following criteria:

· a cumulative grade point average of 2.50 or above in all coursework attempted;

· a grade of "C" or above in all professional and specialized coursework;

· evidence of satisfactory personal conduct;

· evidence that candidates are completing an interdisciplinary program of study that prepares them with
the knowledge, skills, and dispositions expected of beginning teachers to include 12 hours of English;

9 hours of Mathematics; 21 hours of a Mathematics and Science combination, 9 hours of Science; 3
hours of Computers; 12 hours of Social Science; 6 hours of Reading; a minimum of 3 hours of special
education and 6 hours of fine arts.

Teacher education majors whose GPA drops lower than 2.50 overall will be placed on probation for the next
semester. Students who do not raise their GPA after one semester may not take courses in education and must reapply
for admission to the Teacher Education Program after the GPA has been raised to 2.50 or higher. If any
student who was on probation and then readmitted allows his/her GPA to drop below 2.50 again or dispositions fall
below minimum expectations, that student will be permanently dropped from the program.

Field Experiences and Clinical Experiences
As part of the professional education component of Teacher Education Programs, all teacher candidates are required
to complete the Unit's Field Experiences Program. The Field Experiences Program at Rust College has three (3)
levels of supervised field experiences, Level I (Observation), Level II (Microteaching), and Level III (Clinical
Practice or Student Teaching). In addition, graduates and other program completers are provided with assistance
from the Division during their first year of employment. This is referred to as Level IV. This "Induction Year" or
"First Year Experience" is unsupervised by Unit faculty, but the Division works with school staff to provide
assistance to ease the experiences of new teachers during their first year of service. Field experiences are designed
to introduce the prospective teacher (degree seeking and post baccalaureate) to a variety of educational settings,
learners, and activities. Field experiences begin EDU 230-Foundations of Education- continue through methods
courses and culminate with Clinical Practice (Student Teaching).

ADMISSION TO STUDENT TEACHING

Student Teaching is the capstone course of the teacher education program at Rust College. It is the single most
important experience in the teacher preparation process as it ties together all the previous theory, strategies and skills
learned in the college classrooms to the field experiences in the public schools. During this sixteen week experience
the student teacher observes, assists, and gradually assumes responsibility for the classroom instruction under the
supervision of the cooperating teacher and the college supervisor. Through student teaching the pre-service teacher
experiences the many facets of a professional teacher's role and gains a deeper understanding of teaching students
and how classrooms and schools operate. The following requirements must be met to be considered for student
teaching:

Application
A meeting will be conducted during the third week of the second and fourth modules. A notice will be posted and
the meeting announced in all education classrooms. Applications will be distributed and explained at that meeting.

The procedures prior to being admitted to student teaching will be covered in detail. An application for admission to
student teaching may also be secured from the Division of Education office. Completed applications should be
submitted to the Division Chair.

The application may be filed up to two semesters preceding the term in which the enrollment will be sought, but no later than the following deadlines: April 1 for enrollment in student teaching in the following fall term, and November 30 for enrollment in the following spring term.

The faculty of the Division of Education will review all applications based on listed criteria and notify students of actions taken. Applications for student teaching may be approved unconditionally or conditionally, pending the completion of course work or the application may be deferred or denied on the basis of standards cited. Only students approved unconditionally for admission may enroll in student teaching. There is a $50.00 laboratory fee for student teaching.

Standards
Approval for admission to student teaching is based on satisfactory completion of the following criteria:

· a scholastic average (CGPA) of 2.50 or above in all coursework attempted;

· a grade of "C" or above in all professional and specialized coursework;

· completion of all coursework and requirements for graduation appropriate to the certification area;

· passing both parts of Praxis II and/or completion of all standardized examinations as described by the
Mississippi State Department of Education.

These examinations must be taken before a student may enroll for student teaching;
· a satisfactory record of conduct, character, mental and physical health verified by two letters of
recommendation and a statement of good physical health from the school nurse or private doctors;

· no full-time job or other major commitment of time or effort; and

· a satisfactory recommendation from the assigned advisor in the students' major field of study.
Placement for Student Teaching

While every effort will be made to place students in student teaching situations which will give them the best
training experiences, it should be understood that individual school districts have the right to accept or reject
students according to their standards and practices.

Students may be placed in public or private school systems. Schools used for placement must be accredited by the State Department of Education. These schools and districts should be within a maximum two-hour drive from the College. Student teaching consists of 16 weeks of coursework. A minimum of 16 weeks will be spent in a classroom under a trained cooperating teacher. Student teaching may be scheduled during students senior year only.

Performing Student Teaching
Candidates for student teaching shall arrange their program so as to remain in the student teaching training situation
for 16 weeks. In some cases, a special supervisory fee ranging from $50.00 to $100.00 may be charged by the
authority of the school district concerned. This fee is not to be confused with the $50.00 laboratory fee required by
the College. Students who bring discredit upon Rust College and/or the Division of Education by their conduct as
student teachers will be dismissed from the teacher education program.

Completion of Student Teaching
Every prospective teacher education major will be examined by the Academic Division in their respective
certification area to ascertain their readiness for teaching. Each candidate will submit a performance portfolio which
includes a multimedia presentation of the student teaching experience, an assessment unit and an electronic copy of
the portfolio. The guidelines for the portfolio are listed in the syllabus for the class but must include documentation
of student performance in compliance with Division of Education periodic evaluations, INTASC, NCATE, TIAI,
ISTE, MS Frameworks and Benchmarks and NBPTS standards.

Certification
The Teacher Education Program at Rust College is approved by the Mississippi State Department of Education
which uses the Mississippi State adopted standards of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher
Education (NCATE) for evaluation purposes. Requirements for each teaching area at Rust College are in
compliance with the regulations set forth by the Mississippi Department of Education and are subject to change.

To be recommended for certification, a candidate must meet or exceed the Mississippi established minimums on Praxis
II and the Specialty Area Assessments and all Rust College graduation requirements. When the approved teacher
education program and Mississippi State testing requirements have been met, students may apply for state
certification. Applications are signed by the certifying officer and all appropriate data are submitted to the State
Department of Education by the applicant.

Rust College graduates currently teach throughout the United States. When certification is desired in another state,
many state Departments of Education request a copy of the teaching certificate obtained from the state in which the
teacher education program was completed. Graduates may contact Department of Education in other states to
request an application for certification and/or may contact the Chair of the Division of Education at Rust College to
inquire about individual state certification requirements.