Admission to the University:
Undergraduate
Graduate

• Cumulative GPA of 2.5 in all coursework in the education program for bachelor’s degree and non-degree certification programs. [Fall 1995]
• Cumulative GPA of 2.75 in the last 60 hours toward the bachelor degree for master’s degree initial teacher certification programs. [Spring 2000]
• Completion of all but 12 credit hours of coursework in general education [Fall 1995]
• Submission of one letter of recommendation from the department and one personal recommendation from outside Chicago State University projecting the student’s success as a teacher. [Fall 1996 – undergraduate / Fall 2004 – post-baccalaureate]
• Successful completion of the Illinois Certification Test of Basic Skills. [Fall 1998]
• Successful completion of the CSU qualifying examinations in English composition, mathematics, and reading. [Fall 1998 – undergraduate]
• Access to a laptop computer. [Fall 1996]
• No unresolved violations of the COE Professional Code of Conduct. [Summer 2005]
  
• Acceptable grades (usually ‘C’ or higher) in all program courses completed prior to admission to the COE professional course sequence. [Fall 2007]

Questions? Please check with the Office of Teacher Certification.

• Admission to Teacher Education. [Summer 1995]
• Completion of all course requirements. [Summer 1995]
• Minimum 2.5 GPA in all coursework satisfying program requirements and in each of the two areas of professional education and area of specialization or concentration. Specific programs may have higher GPA requirements. [Summer 1995]
• Successful completion of the Review course for the Illinois Subject Matter Certification Examination. [Fall 2004]
• Successful completion of the field-based internship.  [Fall 2002]
• Successful completion of the Subject Matter Certification Test. [Fall 2003]
• Successful completion of a minimum of 100 clock hours of pre-clinical field experience. [Fall 1998]
• Submission of a current tuberculosis test (PPD) and a signed copy of Article 21 of the Illinois School Code on file in the Office of Field Placement. [Summer 1995]
• Submission of proof of a “cleared” criminal background check. [Fall 2009]
• All students completing an initial teacher preparation program are required to submit an application for student teaching and attend the Student Teaching Application Meeting at least one semester before the anticipated student teaching semester, according to published deadlines. [Fall 2009]

Questions? Please check with the Office of Teacher Certification.

Admission to MAT/MS Ed. + Certification Programs:
Applicants must have a minimum 2.75 GPA in the last 60 semester hours of their bachelor’s degree coursework to be eligible for full admission to an MAT/MS Ed certification program.  Applicants who completed their bachelor’s degree program 5 or more years ago and do not have the required GPA in the last 60 semester hours can qualify for a master’s + certification program by taking 9 semester hours of graduate level program coursework and earning a grade of B or better in each of these courses.

Questions? Please check with the Office of Teacher Certification.

• Nine (9) semester hour graduate-level coursework must be completed within one (1) year
• Grades will be monitored by the OTC and the student’s file will be transitioned to the department only after eligibility is determined.
• S ED and LIMS program applicants who don’t qualify after taking the nine (9) semester hours of coursework will be counseled by the OTC to choose another teacher preparation program to pursue at the certification-only level.
• Grades of B or above in graduate coursework completed prior to application to a CSU certification program can be used toward eligibility.
  [Spring 2009]

COE Certification Policy:
Students are responsible for meeting the program requirements in effect at the time they officially register in a teacher education program leading to certification at Chicago State University regardless of when they entered the University. [Fall 2004]

College of Education Policy:
All professional education courses in initial certification programs have a 5-year shelf life at the time of beginning a major in an education program. [Fall 2000 – undergraduate / Spring 2000 – post-baccalaureate]

COE Certification Repeated Course Policy:
Courses taken at Chicago State University that are required in a teacher certification program may be repeated for a higher grade no more than twice. The highest grade will be included in computing the student’s GPA. Students who earn an acceptable grade in a required course after three attempts will be dropped from the program.  [Spring 1998]

COE Certification Repeated Course Policy:
No more than two (2) professional education courses can be repeated for a higher grade. The highest grade will be included in computing the student’s GPA. Students who earn an unacceptable grade in a professional education course after having repeated two other professional education courses will be dropped from the program.  [Spring 1998]

COE Certification Policy:
Students who are not admitted to the College of Education professional course sequence because their program GPA is below the 2.5 minimum requirement will be allowed to reapply for admission at any time within the next 20 semester hours of attempted credit and according to the requirements for admission in effect at the time they reapply. Students who do not raise their program GPA to a 2.5 after attempting 30 additional semester hours of credit will be dropped from the program. [Spring 1998]

COE Certification Policy:
Students who are dropped from a teacher education program are not eligible to pursue initial teacher certification in any undergraduate, graduate, or non-degree program at Chicago State University.  [Fall 2004]

Electronic Professional Portfolio:
All candidates in all education-related programs are required to prepare an electronic Professional Portfolio using the LiveText course management system in order to meet national accreditation requirements. The Professional Portfolio will consist of key assessment artifacts collected and evaluated via the LiveText course management system in all required professional education courses. The key assessments may include, but are not limited to, the following: COE 1: Licensure, COE 2: Content Knowledge, COE 3: Planning, COE 4: Effective Practice, COE 5: Impact on Student Learning / Learning Environment, and COE 6: Professional Portfolio and Dispositions. Programs may require additional key assessments that address standards for their Specialty Professional Associations or other accreditation organizations. [Fall 2006]

Dispositions Policy:
All candidates are expected to abide by the COE Code of Conduct and the University Code of Conduct. Each candidate is provided a copy of the Dean’s Expectations for Professional Dispositions. A self-rating version of these expectations is placed in the candidates Professional Portfolio in LiveText. In addition to rating their individual dispositions, candidates are required to complete entry-point, mid-point and exit-point dispositions assignments in selected courses and post completed assignments in their LiveText portfolio. A Dispositions Referral Form is available to report violations of the COE Code of Conduct. [Fall 2009]

Grievance Policies and Procedures:
Current University, College of Education, and Academic Department policies are found in the University Catalog and the College of Education Student Handbook.

Accountability Policy:
All candidates must perform at or above the acceptable level on all indicators for each key assessment in order to be eligible to complete the program. Programs are committed to providing an opportunity for candidates to address areas of concern that are identified at checkpoints that occur at specific intervals in the program (such as the mid-point or exit-point). Candidates who have unresolved issues at any checkpoint will not be permitted to move to the next stage of the program. [Fall 2009]

University Graduation Policy:
Students may not apply for graduation unless their degree requirements have been met, including proficiency examinations, capstone examinations, comprehensive examinations, state certification examinations, etc. Students who have one or two courses left to take or who have not passed their English, mathematics, and reading proficiency examinations or their constitution examinations may not apply for graduation. Students who have not completed their program requirements or who miss the deadline for submitting their graduation applications will be able to submit their applications for the next graduation and commencement ceremony. There will be two commencement ceremonies each academic year; one in May and one in December. [March 12, 2009]

Laptop Policy:
Students who make application for admission to the College of Education will be required to own, or have access to a laptop computer for class use. [Spring 2007]

The following courses are designed to develop technology skills among education personnel: PE/REC 2070, ED 4312/5312, T&ED 2120, & T&ED 4346/5346. Enrollees for these classes are expected to provide their own laptops (Either MAC or PC) for use in class. Instructors for these classes should be prepared to use both the MAC and PC platforms in every section of the course.
[5/27/05 COE Dean’s Council and Spring 06 Council on Teacher Education]

Laptop Purchase Specifications Policy:
Chicago State University has entered an agreement with Apple, Gateway and Best Buy companies to assist students in purchasing computers at discount rates. The minimum hardware and software requirements for computers to be used in classes in the College of Education include:

• CPU Type: Intel Core 2 DUO
• CPU Speed: 2 GHz
• Memory: 2 GB
• Hard Drive: 160 GB
• Ethernet Card: 10/100 Mpbs
• Wireless Card: 802.11n
• CR-RW/DVD-RW (Combo)
• 2 USB Ports
• 1 GB Flash/Travel/Pen Drive
• Microsoft Office 2008 Suite (Mac)
  or Microsoft Office 2008 Suite (Win) + Microsoft Publisher (Win)
• iMovie (Mac)
  or Movie Maker (Win)
• Firefox Browser and/or Sea Monkey Composer Suite
• LiveText Online Subscription

To enter the computer store, you must have a valid user account on CSU Online.

• Click on "CSU Online"
• Logon using your Blackboard username and password.
• Click on "Online Computer Store"

[Fall 2009]

Electronic Device Policy:
All cell phones must be silenced or set to vibrate during class time.  If you make or accept a call during class time, you must leave the classroom for the duration of the call. During testing, all electronic devices, such as cell phones, PDAs, palm pilots, etc. must be put away and not used. If an electronic device is visible during testing, or if you leave the classroom during testing for any reason, you may not complete the test. Any violation of this policy on the use of electronic devices will affect your grade and standing in the program according to course, Department, College, and University regulations and guidelines. [December 2, 2005]

Decision Regarding Variable Credit for Student Teaching Courses:
Student teaching courses should continue to carry 6 credit hours. Optional courses will be designated by each program and made available for registration with student teaching for those students who wish to enroll for up to 12 credit hours. This arrangement would not pose an additional cost for self-pay students who want to register for only the 6 credit hour student teaching course for financial reasons. [Fall 2009]

CSU Removal of Constitutional Exam Requirement:
CSU students no longer have to pass the Illinois Constitution examination or meet related requirements before graduation. [Spring 2009]

Office of Field Placement Clinical Experience Orientations:
The Office of Field Placement (OFP) will conduct several hour-long sessions to familiarize students with procedures needed for clinical experiences classes instead of visiting each class individually. Meeting will be advertised, and OFP stall will continue to conduct classroom sessions, if needed. [Spring 2009]

COE Criminal Background Check Policy
The College of Education requires that all students participating in field placement experiences with individuals under the age of 21, either on- or off-campus, submit to a fingerprint criminal background check before beginning the first field experience.  In addition, proof of a "cleared" background check will be required with the application for admission to the College of Education. This policy is consistent with the state law that requires Illinois school districts to conduct criminal background investigations of applicants for certified and non certified positions.

The COE Criminal Background Check Policy applies to all candidates in initial, subsequent, and advanced programs who enroll in courses that require participation in field placement experiences with individuals under the age of 21. This policy also applies to students enrolled in courses requiring field experience who are not in an education program. [Fall 2009]

COE Guidelines for Issuing Incomplete Grades in Student Teaching

CSU Abilities Office of Disabled Student Services

CSU Diversity (Employment and Education) and Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

CSU Drug/Alcohol Policy

CSU Ombuds Policy