STCL Programs: Secondary Education

General Descriptive Overview: The Secondary Education Program at OSU leads to the B.S. degree in the College of Education and enables students to teach in grades 6-12. Secondary programs are offered in the following areas: English, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science. In addition, a K-12 program is available in Foreign Language (French, German, Spanish) and art. Students who complete the program and the professional portfolio process successfully and pass the state certification tests in their respective field meet the course requirements for an Oklahoma initial teaching license. Students can also complete the secondary certification program while earning a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Career Opportunities: An increasing demand for secondary teachers in middle, junior high, and high school exists both within Oklahoma and across the nation. The Secondary Education program enjoys a positive reputation for quality. Many out of state school districts aggressively recruit our graduates. Oklahoma has reciprocal certification agreements with 22 states, including Texas, Kansas, and Arkansas, allowing secondary graduates to transition easily into teaching positions in neighboring states.

Activities Beyond the Classroom: As a developmental professional program, secondary teacher education preservice candidates spend considerable time in schools working with students during their two year professional sequence. Successful completion of a semester longstudent teaching (internship) experience is required for graduation. Students are encouraged to seek opportunities to work with adolescents in both school and community settings.

Certifications: Students who successfully complete the degree requirements and who pass the state certification tests earn initial licensures in their respective disciplines. The Oklahoma receive an initial teaching license which is converted to a standard (secondary) teaching license upon successful completion of the Oklahoma Residency Year Program.

Faculty: The five secondary education faculty members are all experienced teachers and have earned doctorates in their field. Besides teaching, faculty are leaders in state and national professional organizations, present regularly at national meetings, and actively engage in research.

Curriculum: Secondary students meet course requirements in three areas: General Education Requirements, Major Requirements and Professional(Education) Core Requirements. Of the 124 credit hours required for graduation only the 29 hour Professional Core Requirements reside in the College of Education. Thus, secondary students take a majority of their course work in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students must be admitted to Teacher Education before they can enroll inthe senior year methods/student teaching sequence. Among other requirements, students must pass the Oklahoma General Education Test (OGET) and maintain a grade point average of at least a 2.5 to be eligible for admission to Teacher Education.
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Contact: Secondary education program chairs are as follows:

The philosophy of the Secondary Program is to prepare teachers who are lifelong learners, emerging professionals, and subject matter specialists with strong liberal arts backgrounds. In keeping with this philosophy, we arrange for a professional interview process for admission into Teacher Education which allows you to articulate your ideas about learning and teaching diverse students, your commitment to all students, your understanding of the importance of your subject area, your goals for a career in education, and which allows you to demonstrate your subject area strengths. Furthermore, reflecting the Professional Education Council's Core Concepts and Goals Statement, this process affords you the opportunity to integrate theory and practice, ideas and experiences, in conversation with practicing Oklahoma educators.
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Procedures

1. The professional Education Adminissions Interview is 15-20 minutes in length and will be conducted by a panel of OSU faculty and area educators.
   
   
2. The Professional Education Portfolio, with materials required for Submission I, must be accepted / approved prior to the interview. You will be notified if your Portifolio is in need of revision before you may need sign up for the interview.
   
   
3. Panel evaluation of the interview portion of the full admission requirements is based on the following criteria:
   • Subject matter knowledge must be demonstrated in the materials and discussion.
   • Written materials must follow directions, be complete and articulate, and have no grammatical or spelling errors.
   • Oral interview must be articulate and specific, answering questions with careful thought, demonstrating a commitment to the teaching profession.
   • Student's professional involvement must be documented through resume, letters, etc.
   • Student must present himself/herself in a mature and professional manner.
   • Student must demonstrate awareness of the college's Core Concept and Goals Statement.
   • Student will provide acceptable Professional Education Portfolio contents for the checkpoint.
     
     
4. Interview assessment forms will be sent to the CIED 3710/3450 instructor, to student's COE academic advisor, and to the Professional Education office. The student will receive an evaluation form to be included in the Portfolio.

Sample Interview Questions

• When did you decide to become a teacher and why?
• What are your strengths as a future teacher? Weaknesses or concerns?
• Why is your subject area important for students and why are you the one to teach it?
• What kinds of experiences have you had working with young people?
• What kind of teacher will you be? What will students say about you? What will your colleagues say about you?
• How will you work students for whom your subject quite difficult?
• How will you create a learning community in your classroom?
• What course(s) outside of your major has/have had the most effect on your knowledge about teaching?
• Where do you see your professional career in 5 years?
• What will it take to reach those goals?
• What does Professional Education Council's "Core Concept and Goals" statement mean to you? What do you find most interesting or challenging about that concept?
• Discuss the impact of technology on your own education, and describe how you think it will affect the education of your future students.
• If you could recommend one reform for secondary schools, what would it be and why?