All students who wish to complete a Teacher Education Program for licensure, including clinical practice/student teaching, at Saint Xavier University must be officially admitted to the Education Division as a teacher education candidate. A teacher education program is a four-benchmark process. It starts when a student is admitted to the University and completes pre-candidacy requirements, continues through admission to the Education Division as a teacher education candidate and admission to clinical practice/student teaching, exit from clinical practice/student teaching and finally program completion (licensure).
Note: Requirements in teacher education, including portfolio and other assessment requirements, are subject to change within the time span of one's University career due to changing requirements at national, state and local levels. The terminology used and requirements described for earning a Professional Educators License (PEL) in Illinois are accurate as of the preparation of this edition of the catalog. Complete information can be found on the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) website.
Benchmark I: Admission to Candidacy in the Education Program -- Candidate Status
Candidate status is achieved by being approved for admission to the Education Division. Admission to candidate status is required of all undergraduate students majoring in a program in the Education Division or the College of Liberal Arts and Education that leads to a Professional Educator License (PEL). Admission is based on a student's knowledge, skills and dispositions. Full admission is a prerequisite to enrollment in level two coursework.
Requirements for meeting this benchmark include:
- Admission into an undergraduate program at Saint Xavier University.
- A high school or transfer cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
- Maintain a minimum SXU cumulative grade point average of 3.0
- Maintain appropriate professional dispositions
- Successfully complete the required fingerprinting/criminal background investigation
- Complete the required VIRTUS training
- A passing score on the appropriate ILTS content area test(s) prior to student teaching
Benchmark II: Admission to Clinical Practice (Student Teaching)
The process and requirements for meeting this benchmark include:
- Maintain a minimum cumulative SXU grade-point average of 3.0
- Successfully complete all level 1 and level 2 professional education courses, all general education courses, and all requirements in the major or in the area of concentration. A minimum grade of C must be earned in all courses
- Pass the Illinois Licensure Testing System content-area test(s) appropriate to the major at a time that assures reporting of results prior to the start of student teaching
- Submission of an online student teaching application, resume and student teaching agreement one year prior to student teaching semester
- Completion of all required school/district health screening requirements
- Completion of all required field-experience hours
- Completion of the CPS fingerprinting/criminal background investigation. A second fingerprinting/background check is required prior to student teaching as per a new State of Illinois law that went into effect January 1, 2016:
PA 99-021 became effective on January 1, 2016. Pursuant to this Public Act, each student teacher (defined to include those completing required internships) is required, prior to starting a student teaching or required internship experience, to authorize and pay for the school or school district where the student teaching is to be completed to conduct a fingerprint-based criminal history records check of that individual. Institutions should verify all student teaching candidates are aware of the background check (and its cost) prior to student teaching, and practice open communication with the school or district regarding the completion of the background check prior to the candidate beginning student teaching.
Licensure test dates, registration materials, study guides, and a practice diagnostic basic skills test are available on the Illinois Licensure Testing System website.
Benchmark III: Exit from Student Teaching (Clinical Practice)
The process and requirements for meeting this benchmark include:
- Maintain a minimum cumulative SXU grade-point average of 3.0
- Satisfactory ratings by supervisor and mentor teacher on student teaching evaluations
- Grade of C or better in Student Teaching
- Successful completion of student teaching seminar
Benchmark IV: Program Completion/Licensure
The process and requirements for meeting this benchmark include:
- Minimum cumulative SXU grade-point average of 3.0
- Successful completion of the student teaching (clinical practice) experience and student teaching seminar with a grade of C or better
- Completion of all degree requirements as required by the program and University
- Passing score on the program-specific edTPA
- Submission of all required documents and fees