Benchmark I

Admission into the Teacher Education Program

Application to Benchmark I is made as part of the requirements of the respective Best Practices course, in which the student cannot enroll until Praxis Core is passed. The preteacher candidate may complete a maximum of 16 hours of prescribed education courses, that is, courses identified with an EDU prefix, prior to application for entrance into the Teacher Education Program. These courses are limited to EDU 110 - Essentials of Teacher Candidacy ; EDU 111 - Foundations of Education ; EDU 206 - The Nature of the Exceptional Child ; EDU 211 - Educational Psychology ; EDC 215 - Best Practices in the Early Childhood Setting  (3); or EDU 216 - Best Practices for the Elementary Classroom/Field Experience I  or EDU 217 - Best Practices for the Secondary Classroom/Field Experience I ; and EDU 220 - Technology for the 21st Century Classroom . The following criteria must be met to successfully complete this Benchmark:

• complete the application for admission to Benchmark I as part of the requirements for the respective Best Practices course;
• complete 45 hours of the courses, one of which must be EDC 215 - Best Practices in the Early Childhood Setting  (3); or EDU 216 - Best Practices for the Elementary Classroom/Field Experience I  or EDU 217 - Best Practices for the Secondary Classroom/Field Experience I );
• completion of a curriculum sequence proposal , in collaboration with the respective advisor, indicating that all course work will be completed prior to the semester the teacher candidate is enrolled in the Clinical Experience;
• achieve minimum passing scores as mandated by the South Carolina State Board of Education for Praxis Core in reading, mathematics, and writing, or qualifying scores on the SAT or ACT;
• achieve a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.75.
• sign a statement indicating adherence to a Code of Professional Ethics;
• submit a recommendation form from a College of Education faculty member who supports the candidate’s entrance into the Teacher Education Program;
• achieve competency on selected InTASC Standards/ADEPT Performance Standards as evidenced by artifacts presented in the e-portfolio;
• achieve passing scores on specified ADEPT Performance Standards/InTASC Standards resulting from teaching a lesson in a cooperating public school as a part of the requirements of the respective “Best Practices/Field Experience I” course; and
• achieve passing scores on specified ADEPT Performance Standards/InTASC Standards based on a Teaching Audition adjudicated by professional educators.