Education

Hope College’s Department of Education prepares students to teach in elementary and secondary schools.

About The Program

Hope College’s Teacher Preparation Programs are approved by the Michigan Department of Education. In addition, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) recognizes the Department of Education at Hope College as a nationally accredited program (CAEP: 1140 19th Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 or caepnet.org). This accreditation covers all preparation programs.

To fulfill the requirements for graduation and for certification, all teacher candidates planning on a professional teaching career must complete a major in an approved academic field/grade band, all general education requirements, and the professional education course sequence. This sequence introduces the theoretical foundations of rigorous and responsive teaching, while simultaneously providing clinical experiences where teacher candidates put theory into practice. Teacher candidates complete a minimum of five clinical experiences (minimum of 450 hours) in area schools prior to student teaching. Throughout the professional sequence, teacher candidates develop increasing competence and confidence in the professional abilities identified by education faculty. These abilities enable graduates to act as:

Ethical Educators
Skilled Communicators
Engaged Professionals
Curriculum Developers
Effective Instructors
Decision Makers
Reflective Practitioners

Student-led chapters of national organizations, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), offer professional development and service opportunities for teacher candidates. Teacher candidates are also given the opportunity and encouraged to engage in research projects with professors, as well as to attend and present at state, regional and national conferences.

Graduates of Hope’s education program teach in public, private, charter and parochial PK-12 schools across the country and around the world. Most graduates pursue advanced studies for continuing certification and complete graduate degrees in their majors or special areas of education (such as reading, curriculum development, special education, counseling and administration).

Graduates of our education program are currently serving as:

Classroom teachers in rural, urban and suburban PK-12 schools
Special education teachers in categorical, inclusive, or resource classrooms
Early childhood educators in Head Start and Michigan’s Great Start Readiness programs
Overseas teachers
Peace Corps volunteers
Intermediate School District professionals
Counselors in elementary and secondary schools
Curriculum coordinators and supervisors
Administrators in school systems throughout the United States (superintendents, principals, vice principals, curriculum developers and special education directors)
University professors and administrators

Information contained in this catalog is subject to change, due to mandates by the Michigan Department of Education or the Michigan State Board of Education. Teacher candidates should consult Department of Education faculty/staff and/or the department website to ensure that they have received updated information.

Teacher Preparation Programs

Teacher candidates planning to teach in elementary and secondary schools must be formally admitted to the Hope College Teacher Educator Preparation program. Application for admission to program is made following the successful completion of the required introductory courses and clinical experiences. Michigan law, as well as some other state laws, prohibit an individual from obtaining or maintaining a valid certification if the individual has any of several listed criminal convictions. The Hope College Department of Education will evaluate criminal convictions to determine an individual’s likelihood of obtaining a teacher certificate and whether this individual will be admitted into the program. Application information and procedures can be accessed online on the Hope College Department of Education website.

Teacher candidates are urged to plan their programs carefully and should begin that process early in their college careers. Teacher candidates are expected to meet individually with education faculty for advising. Teacher candidates typically begin the teacher education sequence with EDUC 200 /EDUC 201 , EDUC 225 /EDUC 226 , and EDUC 270 during their freshman or sophomore year and reserve at least one semester of the senior year for student teaching. Application for student teaching must be made two semesters before the student teaching semester. Information about required courses is available on the Hope College Education Department website.

All program requirements must be completed for teacher candidates to be recommended for a teaching certificate in the State of Michigan. Program requirements include:*

Formal admission to the Hope College Teacher Education program.
Satisfy the general education requirements for the B.S., B.A. or B.Mus. degree at Hope College.
Completion of the Professional Education Sequence which has been established.
Earn a C+ or better grade in each education professional sequence course in levels 1, 2 and 3 and corresponding clinical experiences.
Earn a GPA of at least 2.75 in each of the following areas prior to student teaching: the major course sequence, the minor course sequence, the education sequence and the cumulative GPA for all college coursework at Hope College.
Complete the requirements for a major and minor** approved by the Department of Education and affirmed by the Michigan Department of Education.
Pass the required Michigan Tests for Teacher Certification (MTTC) in appropriate areas.
Hold valid certification in CPR/First Aid at the time of application for Michigan teacher certification.

*State of Michigan requirements are subject to periodic change. Teacher candidates must meet State of Michigan and Department of Education requirements for teacher certification in effect at the time application is made.

**Specific requirements for all certifiable majors and minors are available on the department website.

Applications must include the following:

Completion of orientation sessions
Declared Education Major/Minor emailed to education@hope.edu
Three faculty recommendations (one in Education Department, two other Hope professors)
Successful completion of EDUC 200 , EDUC 201 , EDUC 225 , EDUC 226 , EDUC 270
Confidentiality, criminal background check, and Commitment to Professionalism Statement
Program Completion Plan (with advisor)
Overall GPA of 2.75 or higher

All policies that pertain to the application process to the Hope College Teacher Educator Preparation program, the continuation through the course sequence, the process for assignment to a student teaching placement, and final approval for Michigan certification can be found on the Department of Education website. Teacher candidates must read this information, become familiar with all expectations, deadlines and responsibilities, and comply with policies and regulations stated therein. Failure to do so may cause delays in the application process, in entry to courses in the professional sequence and to the student teaching semester.

Student teaching and clinical placement requirements

Teacher candidates completing requirements for a secondary teaching certificate must have clinical experiences (inclusive of student teaching) in both the major and minor areas of study and in both middle and high school.

Teacher candidates completing requirements for K-12 endorsement (special education, music,art, kinesiology and Spanish) must have clinical experiences (inclusive of student teaching) at the elementary and secondary levels.

Teacher candidates who complete requirements for an elementary teaching certificate must also have structured clinical experiences (inclusive of student teaching) in all of the necessary elementary grade bands.

All teacher candidates must complete a minimum of three different diverse clinical experiences(inclusive of student teaching). Diverse clinical experiences are defined as a classroom with at least 20% racial diversity, at least 20% low socioeconomic diversity and inclusive of students with exceptionalities (special needs or gifted).

Student Teaching Opportunities

In addition to a broad range of local student teaching opportunities, elementary and secondary teacher candidates may apply for off-campus student teaching through The Denver Program, The Chicago Semester Program, Liverpool (UK), Interaction International, Watts in Los Angeles, and the Rosebud Indian Reservation, and various international settings (as available). The Hope College Department of Education website has updated information about off-campus student teaching opportunities.

After approval from the Hope College Department of Education, teacher candidates can fulfill their student teaching experience in either urban, suburban or rural school districts.

Meeting Professional Standards

All teacher candidates in education courses must demonstrate that they have met the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC Standards), as well as the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) technology standards for educators to be designated as “highly qualified” teachers. Utilizing this past work, teacher candidates will develop their student teaching professional portfolios to demonstrate they have met these professional standards.

Certification

After successful completion of all program requirements and MTTC tests, graduates will qualify for a teaching certificate from the State of Michigan. Although teaching requirements vary among states, the Michigan certificate, through reciprocal certification agreements, is valid in many other states. Teacher candidates desiring to teach outside of Michigan should confer with the Hope College Department of Education’s Director of Certification for specific requirements.

Finding a Teaching Position

During the student teaching semester, candidates will create the professional resume and cover letter, practice interviewing and receive support regarding job searching. Special efforts are made by the Director of Student Teaching and the Boerigter Center for Calling and Career to help teacher candidates secure teaching positions, but the college does not guarantee the placement of graduates in positions.

Elementary Education

Teacher candidates are certified in two grade bands of PK-3 and 3-6, and may choose and an additional minor or endorsement area in one of the following:

Learning Disabilities
Emotional Impairments
Early Childhood
English as a Second Language
Spanish K-12
or certain combinations therein

Secondary Education

Teacher candidates select a content or group major and a minor. If an Emotional Impairments or Learning Disabilities major is selected at the secondary level, the candidate must declare an English or Mathematics secondary minor. An endorsement in ESL can be added to any track.

Special Education

The department offers majors in the areas of K-12 Emotional Impairments and K-12 Learning Disabilities. Teacher candidates follow either the Elementary or Secondary certification track.

K-12 Teaching Specialists

In the areas of Art, Music, Kinesiology, and Spanish, Hope College offers K-12 programs for teaching specialists. Teacher candidates majoring in Art, Music, and Kinesiology follow the Secondary certification track. Teacher candidates majoring in Spanish K-12 choose either the Elementary or Secondary certification track.

English as a Second Language Endorsement

Teacher candidates can add an ESL endorsement (K-12) to either an elementary or a secondary track.

Programs

Majors

Minors

Courses

Education

Education: Introductory

Education: Professional

Education: Professional Student Teaching