Teacher Certifications Offerings
The School of Continuing Studies offers certification areas in Pre-K-4, grades 4-8, and secondary grades 7-12. Individuals seeking teacher certification in Pennsylvania must fulfill the requirements for a bachelor’s degree. Education is not offered as a major or minor at Muhlenberg but as a certification program.
| Certification Areas |
|---|
| Pre-K-4 |
| Grades 4-8 |
| Secondary 7-12 |
If a candidate has not yet completed an undergraduate degree, the major courses may be taken concurrently with the education courses. The academic major must be in one of those offered at Muhlenberg. Pre-K-4 candidates may select any of those majors; however, 4-8 and secondary certification candidates may only major in specific academic areas based on the subject area they wish to teach. For grades 4-8 candidates, the majors include American Studies, English or Mathematics. For secondary grades, the majors include Biology, Chemistry, English, French, History, Mathematics, Physics, or Spanish.
Field Experience
One of the many strengths of the Teacher Certification program at Muhlenberg is its strong commitment to field experience. Our candidates begin their fieldwork early in the sequence of courses and enjoy experiences in various settings and grade levels. These experiences can help clarify goals and give invaluable opportunities leading up to the student teaching semester. The student-teaching semester (15 weeks) comprises four courses: two different student-teaching experiences of six weeks each and three weeks of on-campus seminars. With this program, students have the opportunity to build upon their fieldwork experiences and expand their contact with various schools and school districts. Although all Education courses are available at night, the candidate must have daytime availability for fieldwork (approximately 3 hours one day per week) and student teaching (full-time for 15 weeks).
Certification
All students receiving Pennsylvania certification will take a series of exams, possibly including the Praxis Core Academic Skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. Additional specialty tests will be taken according to the area of certification and major. The timing of various tests will be discussed during the interview process, but no test is needed before application.
To become certified, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania requires an overall GPA of 3.0 and passing scores on the required test(s). In addition, the Education Department at Muhlenberg requires a 2.75 GPA in education courses and a 2.5 GPA in the major; however, foreign language certification requires a 3.0 GPA in the major. If a candidate has not yet reached this requirement, the School of Continuing Studies will evaluate your transcript and indicate the courses needed to reach this level.
Testing Requirements for Pennsylvania Certification
| PRE-K-4 | Grades 4-8 | Secondary 7-12 | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
BASIC SKILLS TEST (REQUIRED FOR FORMAL ADMISSION TO THE PROGRAM AND CERTIFICATION |
PRAXIS Core Academic Skills* | PRAXIS Core Academic Skills* | PRAXIS Core Academic Skills* |
|
CONTENT TEST (REQUIRED FOR CERTIFICATION) |
PECT Pre K-4 Modules 1, 2, 3 |
EST Middle Level |
ETS PRAXIS II |
|
CONTENT TEST (REQUIRED TO ADD GRADES 5 & 6 TO PRE-K-4 CERTIFICATION) |
Grades 4-8: Module 2 - English Language Arts & Social Studies (5154) Grades 4-8: Module 3 - Mathematics & Science (5155) |
*A qualifying SAT or ACT Plus writing score meets the basic skills required for program admission.
Visit the following sites for registration:
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