Certificate in Transition to Teaching/Masters of Arts in Teaching
Benchmark
Students at the American College of Education must pass benchmarks in certain licensure programs. If the student is unable to pass the benchmark, they must go through a remediation process. If the student has not been successful through the remediation process, they must enter a program change.
Content Area Test
ACE requires for all Masters of Arts in Secondary Teaching and Certificate in Transition to Teaching in Secondary Education students to successfully take and pass their required content area test(s) prior to the start of their fifth term at ACE. If ACE does not receive proof of official passing scores prior to a student starting their fifth term, the student will be administratively withdrawn from the program. Information about approved tests can be found on the Indiana Department of Education’s website.
- Individual is admitted to ACE without content test results if they have a prior degree in the selected content area. If the individual does not have a degree in the selected content area, the exam is required prior to admissions.
- Content Test is marked as “Required when Eligible” or “On File” in the student’s record. This action will add students to a student group for tracking.
- Students will be contacted by Registration multiple times each term regarding the content exam requirement.
- Matriculating students without their content exams recorded in their files will be tracked in a student group with a “hold” so a message will show every time they log in the portal.
- Once a student has successfully passed their content area test, they will send official scores to [email protected]. These will be approved and placed “on file” in the student’s record. Students will be notified of this approval and will be removed from all tracking groups and efforts.
- If the official test scores are not received by the first day of a student’s fifth term, they will be administratively withdrawn from ACE.
- Students can appeal this removal through utilizing the appeal process.
Mentor Teacher Approval for Student Teaching
ACE requires for all MAT/T2T students to have an approved mentor teacher before beginning the student teaching experience. If a mentor teacher is not approved by the beginning of student teaching, the student will not be permitted to progress in the program until such a time as this requirement is met. To be approved, student teaching mentor teachers must meet the following criteria:
- Must hold a current U. S. teaching license and be a practicing classroom teacher with at least three years’ experience in the grade level or content area of the student teacher’s certification.
- Received an evaluation rated as effective or highly effective (or the equivalent) on the teacher evaluation system in the school district for the last three years.
- Located within the same school as the student teacher.
- Cannot be related to the student teacher.
Field Hours Requirement
Students are required to complete field hours as part of the degree completion, prior to student teaching. Field hours are embedded in the assignments within the course along with the field experience form. Students who do not complete the required field hours during the associated course will be required to retake the course. All field hours must be completed prior to the first day of student teaching. To successfully complete the field hours, students must gain access to classrooms upon enrollment into the MAT/T2T program which aligns with their selected degree area. Students must also submit an acknowledgment of the requirements and verification of classroom access in the admission application.
Remediation
MAT/T2T students at the American College of Education must pass two benchmarks with a score of 80% or better during their coursework to advance to student teaching. Once in student teaching, students must pass each assignment in the student teaching course with an 80% to complete the program. Students who are not successful in meeting these requirements are provided remediation to support growth in the areas of deficiency.
Students who do not pass the first or second benchmark during the first attempt are enrolled in a remediation course during the following term which provides support and guidance for the areas related to the benchmark. By the end of the term, students complete the benchmark a second time. Students who do not pass the benchmark after the second attempt will be moved to the non-licensure track. Students who do not pass a benchmark assessment may re-apply to the licensure track program after four terms.
Students must submit all completed field experiences to document the required hours. The field experiences are completed as part of the coursework during the program. Students who do not submit all the required field experiences will be dropped from student teaching and will be re-enrolled for the following term.
Students who are not successful in meeting the required score in student teaching on assignments are provided a personal remediation plan which identifies specific criteria and goals which must be met to pass student teaching. The remediation plan is signed by the student, mentor teacher, and field supervisor. This document acts as a formal contract and outlines the expectations which must be met to pass the student teaching course. Students who do not meet all identified criteria will not be able to pass student teaching and will be re-enrolled in the following term.
M.Ed. in Educational Leadership
Additional Internship Hours
The Educational Leadership program’s internship requirement is a minimum of 120 clock hours, regardless of the requirements for the state in which the student intends to seek licensure. The Ohio approved ACE M.Ed. in Educational Leadership version requires an internship of 200 clock hours. The Texas approved ACE M.Ed. in Educational Leadership version requires a practicum of 160 clock hours. Students are responsible for knowing and meeting their state’s licensure requirements.
Students seeking additional internship hours must complete a “Request for Additional Internship Hours” form. Upon receipt, the College will work with the student to:
- permit documentation of additional hours during the EL5983 course.
- allow the student to apply as a Student at Large after graduation in order to enroll in EL5981 to document the additional hours. All tuition and fees apply, and are not refundable.
Mentor Approval for Internship/Practicum
Students required to complete an Educational Leadership internship/practicum experience course must have an ACE approved mentor/site supervisor who will supervise their field experience.
Qualifications for mentors/site supervisors:
- Must be currently licensed and practicing principals or assistant principals assigned to accredited elementary or secondary campuses with at least two years’ experience as a principal or assistant principal, or equivalent campus level leadership title. Note: Three years of experience is required for Texas site supervisors.
- Must be assigned to the internship/practicum campus location.
- The internship/practicum location must be within 30 miles of the candidate.
The following individuals are not permitted to serve as mentors/site supervisors:
- Anyone related to the intern/candidate by blood or marriage.
- District level personnel.
- Departmental chairs/directors. (i.e. academic subject, athletics, curriculum, special education, fine arts, etc.)
- Colleague teachers/other employees with principal certification.
- Retired administrators.
Requirements regarding the timing of the mentor/site supervisor approval vary based on the student’s program and status:
- For new students:
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M.Ed. in Educational Leadership - mentor/site supervisor approval must occur prior to start of the student’s second course.
- M.Ed. in Educational Leadership (Texas) - site supervisor approval must occur prior to start of the student’s first term.
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Texas Educational Leadership Certificate or other certification-only programs - site supervisor approval must occur prior to start of the student’s first term.
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Florida Modified EL pathway Program for Students at Large - mentor approval must occur prior to start of the student’s first term.
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Students at Large - mentor approval must occur prior to start of the student’s first term.
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For returning students:
Texas Approval to Test
It is a requirement of the Texas Education Agency that an educator preparation program review eligibility of its graduates before allowing them to register for the Texas Educational Leadership (EL) Principal as Instructional Leader (268) examination and Performance Assessment for School Leaders (368) examination. To ensure graduates are prepared for these examinations, ACE requires they demonstrate competency through practice examinations or remediation as outlined in this policy.
To be approved by American College of Education to register for the Principal as Instructional Leader (268) examination and Performance Assessment for School Leaders (368) examination, graduates must meet the following requirements:
- Successful completion of the Texas Educational Leadership Program.
- Receipt of an 80% or better score on the practice examination available in ELX5983.
Any approval for testing granted by ACE will be valid for no more than six months from the date of issue. If the candidate does not meet a passing threshold, or if a prior test approval has expired after the six-month period of eligibility, or if the student has not successfully passed the certification examination, the student will be required to enter a remediation plan.
M.Ed. in STEM Education
Students in this program have two options: (1) ACE Route - Students complete all their courses at ACE, including ED5253 and CI5113. This route is available to all students, or (2) NISE Route - Students earn certification through the National Institute for STEM Education (NISE). The certification transfers into the program as credit for SCI5263 to meet program requirements. This route is only available to students with internet access in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.
RN to MSN
Matriculation
RN to MSN students are required to successfully complete all coursework in the BSN portion of the program, including all general education, elective, and required credits, prior to matriculating to the MSN portion of the program. The College defines successful completion as:
- Completion of all coursework listed in the BSN portion of the program.
- Achievement of a 3.0 cumulative GPA, at minimum.
- Earned grade of “B” or better in the Senior Capstone course.
- All general education competencies are passed.
- Official transcripts are on file in the student record for all general education requirements.
- The designated conferral fee has been charged, paid and no financial holds are on the student’s account.
Upon verification of the above criteria, the College will confer the BSN degree and the student will be permitted to progress with the MSN coursework as outlined in the program description.
RN to MSN and BSN to MSN
Preceptor Approval
ACE requires all RN to MSN Program students to have an approved Preceptor three terms prior to starting their Capstone/Practicum experience course at ACE. If a Preceptor and Practice Site are not approved prior to the graduate level practicum course, the student will not be permitted to take their graduate-level practicum capstone course until such a time as this requirement is met. To be approved, Preceptors must meet the following criteria:
- Professional Licensure: Qualified Preceptors must hold a current, unencumbered license as an RN in the state in which they practice.
- Educational Background: Preceptors must hold a master’s degree.
- Work Experience: Preceptors must be knowledgeable and experienced in the area the student is studying as demonstrated by having at least two years of experience related to the student’s focus of study.
- Location: Preceptors must be employed at the site where the student is completing the practicum capstone project.
- Relationship: Preceptors cannot be related to the student.
- Training Requirement: Preceptors must agree to participate in ACE’s training for Preceptors.
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