1. Center for Teacher Education
Entry Advising

2. Welcome to Teaching
Welcome to the teaching profession! —Dr. Blake Bickham, CTE Department Head
The Center for Teacher Education (CTE) is excited to work alongside you on your journey to becoming a teacher!
Today, we want to go over some of the necessary steps from being admitted to the teacher education program to becoming a licensed teacher.

3. Education Student Phases
Pre-Education Major
Education Student
Student Teacher
Education majors go through 3 phases as students.
There are different applications associated with each phase.
There are field hours and other requirements associated with each phase.

4. Application Phases
What are the three application phases on your way to becoming a teacher?
When are you placed in a classroom?
When do you become lead teacher of a classroom?
When do you get your teaching license?
—There are application processes associated with each of these phases.
CTE Admission Application
Application Packet
App, Praxis, DW, Skills, Philosophy, Recommendations
After about 60 hrs
Grade of B needed in most courses
After EDUC 115/215
EDUC 300+ classes require CTE admission
Background Check
Free; no fingerprints required; national
Student Teaching Application
EDUC 4XX
1 yr placement = methods + internship
Application Materials
Resume; Interest Letter; Field App; & DW
D51/District Background Check
Cost ~ $45; fingerprint info from District; CBI check
Teacher Licensure Application
CDE/CBI Background Check
Fingerprinting card info on CDE website; cost ~$50
Online Application
~$90; docs are uploaded; set up account at end of student teaching
—We will go over each of these application phases in more detail in this presentation.

5. Advising: Pre-Education
Students can gain advising assistance from a variety of resources, including DegreeWorks, Teacher Ed Program Support Staff, and Faculty Advisors
Initially, students are admitted as Pre-Education
Students can view progress toward the full requirements of an Ed degree using the What If feature in DegreeWorks
Once formally admitted to Teacher Ed, a student’s major is updated to a major with a Teaching emphasis by the content department
Example: History Pre-Teaching  History Secondary Teaching
Once admitted a History Pre-Teaching major would be update by the CMU Social Science Department to History Secondary Teaching

6. Advising: Program Support
Mary Kienietz: |
Assists students with initial application to the Center for Teacher Education.
Maintains student records.
Processes program verification/recommendation for state licensure.
April Cackler: |
Coordinates field placements, particularly student teaching placement.
Assists students with student teaching application and internship requirements.
Program Coordinators:
Dr. Lisa Friel – Elementary
Dr. Nancy Alex – Secondary
Mark Schmalz – K12
Dr. Ann Gillies – Early Childhood
Denise Hoctor – Distance Elementary

7. Advising: Faculty Content/Major Advisors CTE Program Coordinator
Students work with both a content/major advisor and a Teacher Ed program advisor at each phase of the program
Both: Course selection
CTE: Application advising
Both: Signatures for CTE application and graduation
Content: Letters of recommendation for CTE application
Both: Approval of degree plan
Both: Letters of recommendation for scholarships or employment
Content/Major Advisors
CTE Program Coordinator
Application Letters of Rec
CTE Application Advising
Advising Signatures-Ed courses or requirements
Advising Signatures-content courses
Course selection

8. Phase I: Application to Program
CTE Admission
Teacher Ed application required prior to taking 300-level education courses
After completing 60 credit hours
Course Pre-requisites:
EDUC 115 & 215
ENGL 111 & 112
MATH ___
PSYC 233
B or better required for many courses—see CTE Application
Typically, no Ds are permitted—see degree plan
2.8 GPA required
Application Packet:
Undergraduate Program Application at
Includes:
Application, skills check, and expectations forms
Teaching philosophy statement
Letters of recommendation
Background Check
Free; just requires authorization
No fingerprints required
Praxis Core Writing score of 162
Mary Kienietz is the primary support resource
Secondary majors apply at beginning of junior year
Elementary majors apply at end of sophomore year
K-12 Majors:
Art: beginning of junior year
PE: end of junior year
Music: beginning of senior year

9. 100% Requirement: Testing
“In accordance with our goal of providing teachers who are competent in subject matter, the Colorado Mesa University Center for Teacher Education (CTE) requires content testing prior to admission to the teacher education program and prior to beginning student teaching.” —CTE Website
What are the three application phases on your way to becoming a teacher?
Entry Exam: Praxis Core Writing (5722)
Required as a part of Teacher Program application
Demonstrates a teacher candidate’s authentic, on-demand writing ability
Score of 162 required
Licensure Exam: Praxis II
Required for state licensure
Required prior to start of internship
Content specific; examples:
Elementary takes the Elementary exams
History takes a Social Studies content exam
Music takes a Music content exam
Demonstrates teacher candidate’s proficiency in content knowledge prior to lead teaching experience
More information can be found on our testing pages:
CTE Admission Testing:
Required Content/Licensure Testing:
100%

10. Requirement: Background Checks
We all want to keep kids safe! Think of it as OSHA for K-12!!!
CTE Application Check
Free to students
National check
No fingerprints required
Student Teaching Check
May be required by district
Districts’ HR offices have their own directions/policies on the background checks
Required to student teach in D51
Fingerprint and CBI check required – costs ~$44.75
*Music students do this in their first year
Teacher Licensure Check
CDE Requirement
Licensure application requirement
Requires fingerprints & CBI processing fee

11. Requirement: Field Hours
Field hours are required at each phase for an education student
800 total hours required
20 prior to starting the program
200 while in the teaching program
600 for student teaching (internship)
Pre-Education Major
20 hours total are required for EDUC 115 & 215
Focus: unstructured—broad experiences with education and groups of kids
Examples: volunteering with CTE clubs to work with kids with disabilities and/or STEM literacy, tutoring, attending a school board meeting, coaching, etc.
Placement: arranged by student
Background Check: none formally required
Education Student
200 hours completed as a requirement for education classes
Focus: observing in a level/content appropriate classroom
Placement: arranged by Ed Professors and/or CTE staff
Background Check: completed by CTE
Student Teacher-Internship
600 hours completed as a requirement for EDUC 499
Focus: practical application and demonstration of teaching concepts
Placement: arranged by CTE faculty and staff
Background Check: completed at discretion of placement district

12. Phase II: Student Teaching
Student Teaching Field Placement Application
Required to complete field hours for methods courses
Year-long placement
However K12 majors rotate during methods
Application Materials
Field Application
Resume and Letter of Interest
DegreeWorks Report/Course Planning Sheet
Prior to starting internship:
CPR/FA Certification required
Licensure/Content Testing is required
District Background Check
Districts may require an independent background check
Each district’s HR office has it’s own directions/policies on the background checks
*Music students do this in their first year
April Cackler is the primary support resource for this application process

13. Phase III: Teacher Licensure
Teaching Licensure Application
Completed at the end of intern semester or after graduation
Application is done through a CDE online account
Required documents are uploaded, including:
Passing Licensure Exam – Praxis II
College Transcript, showing degree conferred
Program Completion Verification
Application Fee: paid online, currently $90
(The account must be accessed every few weeks to remain active)
Fingerprints/Background Check Required
Fingerprint procedures can be found at
Prints should not be submitted too early—prints submitted for licensure are now only good with CDE for one year  
Mary and April both assist students with this final phase

14. Teacher Ed Application
Certification Costs
There are costs associated with each phase in becoming a teacher.
Many professions have fees associated with becoming licensed or certified within a state: real-estate, investment banking, health professions, etc.
In teaching you encounter those costs more upfront; however, you are tracked for a specific profession for which these assessments help prepare you.
Teacher Ed Application
Student Teaching
Teacher Licensure
The following are components of your CTE Application
$90: Praxis (5722) Core Writing
Free background check
$44.75: District background check
$40.00: CPR & 1st Aid Certification –Child & Adult
$300: edTPA (book fee) National Performance Assessment Portfolio System
(*Licensure exam completed prior to internship)
$120 - $170: *Licensure Exam--see Praxis fee website**
$90: CDE Application Fee
$47.75: CDE Background Check **

15. Questions?? Feel free to contact us with questions at:
Mary Kienietz: |
April Cackler: |
Dominquez Hall 109 or 101
Questions??

16. What you do counts!
Thank You!