The Department of Secondary Education offers professional education programs which lead to recommendations to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for residency teacher certification in the State of Washington.  The secondary teacher education curriculum is a carefully sequenced professional program that is firmly backed by current research on effective teaching and reflects a conceptual framework which embraces three basic strands of education:

• artistic
• scientific
• professional

CERTIFICATION

Residency Teacher Certification
The Residency Certificate is awarded to new teachers by the State of Washington upon recommendation by a regionally accredited college or university following the completion of these requirements:

• A baccalaureate degree program in an endorsement subject area

• A State-approved, performance-based teacher preparation program

• Washington State Patrol/FBI fingerprint check and character and fitness clearance 

The Residency certificated teacher is endorsed to teach at least one subject matter area.  The Residency Certificate is valid for a period of five years and may be renewed one time only for a specified term, provided State criteria are met.  Application for the Residency Certificate is made to the Woodring College of Education Certification Office, Miller Hall 216, 360/650-4930 no later than three months prior to the start of student teaching.

Professional Teacher Certification
The Professional Certificate is required by the State of Washington and granted to candidates who demonstrate competency in the standards of effective teaching, professional development and leadership and provide evidence of making a positive impact on student learning.

Residency teachers are recommended for professional certification by a regionally accredited college or university following the completion of these requirements:

• Provisional status employment with a school district
• A State-approved, performance-based professional certificate program

For further information contact the Woodring College of Education certification officer at 360/650-4630, Miller Hall 202.

ENDORSEMENTS

An endorsement identifies the subject matter a teacher is authorized by the State to teach.  Secondary Education students are required to complete an endorsement major approved by the State Board of Education.  Students completing a major in Health and Fitness, Music, Special Education, Theatre, Visual Arts or World Languages will be prepared to teach grade levels P-12.  The remaining majors listed below under "Choosing an Academic Major" prepare students to teach grade levels 5-12.  Courses required for a State teaching endorsement must be completed with a grade of "C" (2.0) or better.  Beginning September 1, 2005, candidates must pass a content competency test, the Washington Educator Skills Test-Endorsements (WEST-E), in each area of endorsement.

Additional Endorsements

A additional endorsement can only be obtained by an individual who has already earned a first endorsement. Endorsements are offered by individual departments. 

CHOOSING AN ACADEMIC MAJOR

Secondary education graduates are in high demand as teachers in many fields and grade levels. Areas of greatest demand fluctuate. Students who are interested in a teaching career are encouraged to visit the Career Services Center, Old Main 280, for information as to which academic majors are in greatest demand. Certain academic majors require sequences of classes in the first two years of college in order to complete a baccalaureate degree in four years. All secondary education students are advised to speak with an academic department major advisor prior to beginning the secondary education program.

Western Washington University academic departments offer the following majors which have been approved by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and lead to recommendation by that department for a teaching endorsement.  Each department has a designated faculty advisor to assist secondary education students with major endorsement issues. 

• Anthropology/Social Studies
• Biology
• Biology/Chemistry
• Biology/Science
• Chemistry
• Chemistry/Mathematics
• Chemistry/Physics
• Earth Science
• Earth Science/Math
• Earth Science/Science
• Economics/Social Studies
• English/Language Arts
• General Science
• Geography/Social Studies
• Health and Fitness
• History/Social Studies
• Mathematics
• Music
• Physics/Mathematics
• Political Science/Social Studies
• Sociology/Social Studies
• Special Education
• Theatre
• Visual Arts
• World Languages

REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL PROGRAMS

• Admitted students must complete an online training session addressing sexual harassment prevention education. Admitted students must attend, as part of a new student orientation, a session addressing disease transmission through blood-borne pathogens.

• Admitted students are required by state law to be fingerprinted by the Washington State police agency or a branch of the United States military.

• Secondary certification requires a subject matter endorsement earned by completing an academic major in a subject normally taught in the public schools.

GENERIC PROGRAM STANDARDS

• Students must maintain at least a 2.75 quarterly GPA beginning the quarter they are notified of admission to Secondary Education. This requirement applies even to quarters when no education courses are being taken. Students who fail to meet this standard will receive a letter advising them they have been dropped from the program and that they must contact the secondary education departmental office.  The State of Washington requires students to earn a "C" or better in all major endorsement courses.

• Students must successfully complete a minimum of one certification course each calendar year and earn a "C" or better in each course.

• Students must demonstrate a high level of competence in use of the English language. Those who have difficulty in their verbal and/or written communications should expect to seek remediation before beginning their internship.

• Students are responsible for compiling a portfolio illustrating the quality of their work in each professional education class. This portfolio will be submitted to the instructor of the Sec 432 course prior to the internship and will be made available to the student's cooperating teacher.

• Students must complete all certification and endorsement course work.

• Students are required to conduct themselves in a professional manner, in terms of moral code, use of written or verbal language, abstention from sexual harassment, gender, ethnic and racial basis.

Successful attainment of these standards is necessary before beginning the internship. Students who, in the professional judgment of the faculty, fail to meet any of the above standards may be dropped from the certification program.

TIME LIMITS

While it is possible, in some majors, to earn a bachelor's degree and residency teaching certificate in four academic years, most students require closer to five years. Undergraduate students usually take certification courses while completing their academic major during their junior and senior years. Students who apply to the undergraduate certification program as juniors should have satisfied all of the General University Requirements (preferably have received an AA degree) and should have completed some coursework toward their academic major.

Students in the post baccalaureate program usually complete the certification sequence in three academic quarters, plus a one semester internship and any coursework required to meet State or department endorsement requirements. Applicants to the post baccalaureate program who have an endorsable major and a 3.0 GPA are strongly encouraged to apply, instead, to the Masters In Teaching program.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• Credits

  • Completion of at least 75 college quarter hour credits.

  • Post baccalaureate program requires a baccalaureate degree.

• Grade Point Average

  • A 2.75 cumulative grade point average (GPA) based on the student's most recently completed 45 quarter credit hours.

• Entrance Tests
  The State of Washington requires applicants to all teacher education programs to take and pass all three subtests of the WEST-B (Reading, Mathematics, and Writing) in order to be eligible for admission to the College of Education.

The WEST-B is offered only six times per year, so applicants will need to plan ahead to meet deadlines.  For information on test dates and locations, registration, and fees, check with WEST-B website at www.west.nesinc.com.

The application for certification requires candidates to answer questions regarding professional fitness, criminal history and personal conduct.  Applicants with "yes" responses must report to the WWU Certification Officer in Miller Hall 202 before registering for classes.  Applicants must also be fingerprinted by the Washington State Patrol and FBI.  There is a fee for this service.  The application and fingerprint results are used in the process of determining a candidate's character and fitness for serving in the role of a professional educator.  No certification student may participate in any university-sponsored activity in the public schools until cleared by the Washington State Patrol or, in some cases, investigated and then cleared by the Office of Superintendent  of Public Instruction.  Admission to the Woodring College of Education is provisional until the candidate has been cleared.  

When students complete the secondary education program, the dean of Woodring College of Education is required to forward an affidavit to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction affirming that faculty within the College, "have no knowledge of any relevant information related to the applicant's character or fitness that would adversely affect the applicant's ability to serve in a certified role."

ADMISSIONS PROCEDURES & DEADLINES:

Western students may obtain an application for admission from the Woodring College of Education, Admissions Office, Miller Hall 206, and submit the completed application, required transcripts and documentation by the following dates:

• April 10 - for admission fall quarter

• October 15 - for admission winter quarter

• January 15 - for admission spring quarter

Post-baccalaureate students must apply the same quarter to Western and to Woodring College. Applications for admission to Western may be obtained on-line at http://admissions.wwu.edu/ or by writing to Admissions Office, Old Main 200, MS 9009, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA. 98225.

Names of applicants who meet the above admission requirements to the Undergraduate or Post Baccalaureate Secondary Education program will be placed in a pool of qualified candidates. Each qualified candidate's application will be forwarded to his/her academic major department. Individual academic departments apply their own respective standards/criteria to determine which candidates will be recommended for admission to the Secondary Education program. Applicants should contact their academic major advisor for specific applicable criteria.

ORIENTATION

Newly admitted Secondary Education certification students are required to attend an orientation session prior to beginning classes in their first quarter.

CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

Course work: 40 credits

• Sec 410 Dynamics of Teaching (2)
• Educ 301  Educational Psychology I (4)
• Educ 302  Educational Psychology II (4)
• Educ 310 The Teacher and the Social Order (4)
• Sec 425 Developmental Reading (4)
• SpEd 363 Secondary Students with Special Needs (3)
• Sec 431 Instruction in Secondary Schools-Methods I (4)
• Sec 435 Middle School Practicum (2)
• IT 444 Classroom Use of Instructional Technology (3)
• Sec 432 Instruction in Secondary Schools-Methods II (4)
• Sec 436 High School Practicum (1)
• Sec 433 Peer Teaching Laboratory (1)
• Sec 411 Philosophical Foundations of Education (4)

Internship: 24 credits

• Sec 495 (see Internships)

MIDDLE SCHOOL EMPHASIS

An emphasis on middle schools is offered as a part of either the Elementary or Secondary certification programs. This set of courses leads to documentation from Woodring that the student has studied middle level issues. The College is currently developing a Middle School endorsement.

• Sec 450 Introduction to Middle Schools
• Sec 451 Curriculum and Instruction in Middle Schools (replaces Sec 431)
• Sec 452 Intensive Middle School Practicum (replaces Sec 435)

Preparing Thoughtful, Knowledgeable, Effective Educators for a Diverse Society

Page updated 8/08