Education

The Education Department offers undergraduate degrees in Childhood Education, Adolescent Education, and Early Childhood/Childhood Education, with subject area Concentrations in English, Social Studies, Mathematics, Biology, and Spanish. The Department also participates in 4+1 degree programs, in which students earn their undergraduate degrees in a subject area and their Master’s in Teaching (MST). All programs are approved by the New York State Education Department and satisfy the academic requirements for the New York State Teaching Certificate for specific areas.

Faculty

Chair: C. Hardigree; Assistant Chair: K. Branson Gmuer; Professor Emeritus: P. Antonacci; Professor: M. Leipold; Associate Professor: C. Hardigree; Assistant Professor: K. Branson Gmuer; Director of Pre-Student Teaching Fieldwork: S. Plass

EDU Student Learning Objectives

All candidate/completers:

• demonstrate commitment to the teaching profession;
• are knowledgeable of content and pedagogy;
• apply educational research and learning theory to practice;
• engage positively with local and global communities; and
• use assessment to inform instruction.

Iona is a member in good standing of the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) and is working toward accreditation of its educator preparation programs under the AAQEP standards.

Admission to the Program

Candidates seeking admission to an undergraduate or five-year teacher certification program must fulfill the following requirements:

1. Submit completed application to preferred program.
2. Have completed a minimum of 30 credits for undergraduate programs; have 58 credits earned or in progress for the 5-year programs.
3. Uphold a minimum GPA of 3.0.
4. Have earned a grade of C or above in all EDU courses.
5. Have earned a grade of C or above in an English Composition course and a college-level Math course.
6. Demonstrate dispositions appropriate to the teaching profession, including professional demeanor and ethical conduct.

The Education Department’s faculty will evaluate all requests for admission to the program and monitor each candidate’s performance and professional dispositions throughout the program.

Probationary Admission

Undergraduate candidates who do not meet all of the admission criteria outlined above by the fall semester of their sophomore year may be admitted on probation with the following conditions:

1. The candidate’s academic record indicates that they will be able to meet all of the admission criteria within one additional semester.
2. The candidate may not declare Education as their major and will be advised to declare a major in their Concentration area (i.e., English, Math, Biology, History, or Spanish).
3. The candidate may take the Education courses required of their cohort during the spring semester of their sophomore year as a non-major.
4. If the candidate has met all the admissions criteria by the end of the spring semester of their sophomore year, they will be admitted to the program and may declare Education as their major.

Probationary admission does not apply to candidates to the 4+1 programs. Candidates to the 4+1 programs must meet all of the admissions requirements before they may declare the major and be permitted to take graduate level Education courses.

Continuation in the Program

1. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. If a student’s cumulative GPA falls below a 3.0, they will be put on probation for a single academic semester, during which they will be able to continue in their Education courses. They will not be able to register for any additional major courses, however, until their semester grades are submitted and they have raised their cumulative GPA back to the 3.0 minimum. If they fail to raise their GPA to a 3.0 by the end of the probationary semester, they will be dismissed from the program.
2. All students, including students in 4+1 programs, must earn a grade of C or above in all undergraduate Education courses, including student teaching. Students enrolled in the Adolescent Education programs must earn a grade of C or above in their undergraduate concentration area courses. If a student earns below a grade of C, the course must be repeated.
3. Students in the 4+1 programs must earn a B- or above in all graduate Education courses, including student teaching, and all graduate concentration area courses. If a student earns below a grade of B-, the course must be repeated.
4. Students must continue to demonstrate dispositions appropriate to the teaching profession throughout the program, including professional demeanor and ethical conduct. Students who fail to demonstrate appropriate dispositions will not be granted student teaching placements. Failure to demonstrate appropriate dispositions may result in immediate dismissal from fieldwork, student teaching, or the program.
5. Students are expected to take all of their required education (EDU) courses at Iona outside of extraordinary circumstances that may warrant an appeal for options.

New York State Teacher Certification

Students who successfully complete all program requirements and who demonstrate dispositions appropriate to the teaching profession will be recommended for New York State teaching certification in the area(s) appropriate to their degree program. Students are responsible for completing all other requirements for certification, including fingerprinting, mandated workshops, and teacher certification exams; students are responsible for the costs associated with all New York State teacher certification requirements, including transportation costs associated with clinical experiences. Information on the requirements of each certificate is provided here: https://eservices.nysed.gov/teach/certhelp/CertRequirementHelp.do Certification information is also available via the Iona Education Department homepage.

Programs

• Adolescent Education: Biology (Grades 7-12), BS (0401)
• Adolescent Education: Mathematics (Grades 7-12), BS (1701)
• Childhood Education: Biology (Grades 1-6)/Early Childhood, BS (0802)
• Childhood Education: English (Grades 1-6)/Early Childhood, BS (0802)
• Childhood Education: Mathematics (Grades 1-6)/Early Childhood, BS (0802)
• Childhood Education: Social Studies (Grades 1-6)/Early Childhood, BS (0802)
• Childhood Education: Spanish (Grades 1-6)/Early Childhood, BS (0802)

• Adolescent Education: English (Grades 7-12), BA (1501)
• Adolescent Education: Mathematics (Grades 7-12), BA (1701)
• Adolescent Education: Social Studies (Grades 7-12), BA (2201)
• Adolescent Education: Spanish (Grades 7-12), BA (1501)

• English, BA/Adolescent Education: English, MST (1501)
• History, BA/Adolescent Education: Social Studies, MST (2201)
• Mathematics, BA/Adolescent Education: Mathematics, MST (1701)
• Spanish, BA/Adolescent Education: Spanish, MST (1105)

• Biology, BS/Adolescent Education: Biology, MST (0401)
• Chemistry, BS/Adolescent Education: Chemistry, MST (1905)
• Mathematics, BS/Adolescent Education: Mathematics, MST (1701)