Historical Background:
On October 2, 2002 the Michigan Department of Education approved Siena Heights University’s Undergraduate Teacher Education Program to offer an experimental program for the purpose of providing an alternative route to teacher certification for post-baccalaureate secondary level certification candidates. This program is considered experimental under Rule 53 of the Administrative Rules Governing the Certification of Michigan Teachers because is provides for temporary exemption from the requirement to obtain a teachable minor for post-baccalaureate secondary level certification candidates in identified areas of high need.
Individuals interested in this program must be aware that the exemption from a certifiable minor is only temporary – addition of a certifiable minor is required by the Michigan Department of Education and must be completed within 6 years of the issuance of the secondary provisional certificate. Failure to add a minor within this time frame will result in the expiration of the teaching certificate.

Rationale for the Program:
As reported to the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce (May 13, 1999), teacher supply and demand projections indicate that the nation will need to hire 2.2 million people as teachers in the next decade.

The Michigan State Board of Education Report of the Ensuring Excellent Educators Task Force (April 11, 2002) states

A review of school data makes teacher supply a matter of great urgency in Michigan. Our schools are experiencing growing school enrollment, reduced class size, and rising standards during a time of increasing teacher retirements and waning interest in teaching. This has resulted in critical teacher shortages in specific areas in both urban and rural districts…Like many other states, Michigan has found it necessary to look beyond traditional undergraduate preparation programs to meet its staffing needs. (p 13)
The task force goes on to encourage the “review and revising of relevant policies that support alternative routes to teacher certification while providing greater access to the teaching profession for non-traditional teacher candidates.” (p 15)

The population of non-traditional candidates wanting to become teachers has grown significantly. At Siena Heights University, 6-10 calls per week requesting information on post-baccalaureate teacher certification are received weekly. The National Center for Education Information (March 5, 2002) reports that nearly 45 of 50 states now offer an alternative route to teacher certification for non-traditional certification candidates. They report that these programs have opened the teaching profession to people from other careers and the military, as well as to liberal arts graduates and early retirees.

In light of both this data, and the commitment of the Michigan Department of Education to innovative programs that assist non-traditional teacher candidates to transition faster into the teaching profession, the Siena Heights University Undergraduate Teacher Education Program has designed, and been approved to offer, the Post-Baccalaureate Intensive Certification Program.

Program's Design:
This program is designed for teacher candidates who:

1. hold existing bachelors degrees and
2. are seeking secondary provisional teacher certification

This program is an undergraduate teacher preparation program. All coursework will be completed at the undergraduate level. It is not the intent of this program for any coursework to be applied to eventual masters degree programs, however, students may find that some colleges/universities will find the content of the coursework to be equivalent and thus transferable.

Prior to acceptance to this program, students are required to have successfully completed the coursework equivalent to a content area major in the field they wish to teach. All content area majors and minors, or their equivalencies, must correspond to those content areas approved by the Michigan Department of Education for Siena Heights University. Siena Heights University is currently authorized to offer the following majors for secondary certification: Art, Biology, Business Education, Chemistry, English, History, Mathematics, and Spanish.

What will the program actually look like?
A cohort group of 15 students will be selected to begin the program during the summer of 2008. Acceptance to the cohort group will be highly competitive. Completing transcript evaluations, interviews, and meeting application requirements will not guarantee acceptance to the program. Program acceptance will be determined by the members of Siena’s Teacher Education Committee.

In essence, the program consists of 30 semester hours, a combination of hands-on field work and 5 university courses. A full- time commitment by students to the program is required. Financial aid possibilities are available through the Siena Heights University Financial Aid Office.

The program begins with an Introduction to the Teaching Profession course that will meet four times during the summer of 2008 (class will meet from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on the following dates: May 10th, June 7th, July 5th, and August 2nd). The fall semester will run from the end of August 2008 through the end of the fall semester. The winter semester will begin in January 2009 and run through the end of the spring semester. Successful completion of the coursework and fieldwork will result in students applying for secondary provisional certification in May 2009.

Coursework/Field Experiences for the Post-Baccalaureate Intensive Certification Program:
Summer 2008:

Students will take ICP (Intensive Certification Program) 201. The class will meet from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on  May 10th, June 7th, July 5th, August 2nd.  

Summer 2008:
ICP 201: Introduction to the Teaching Profession……………………3 sh
A course that actively involves prospective teachers in the real issues of schooling and education – issues such as curriculum, lesson planning, methodology, politics, global perspectives, classroom management, governance structures, ethics, diversity, developmental stages of children, and rules and policies governing teacher preparation and certification. The history of American education will also be studied with a particular focus upon its impact on eight micro cultures: African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, women, those with exceptionalities, the impact of religious education and education as it differs by social class. Students will be introduced to Michigan’s Entry Level Standards for Teachers, the Michigan Curriculum Framework, and the Revised School Code.

Fall Semester 2008:

Students complete their first semester student teaching placement along with methods coursework that will compliment, inform, and enhance the student teaching experience.

ICP 480: Mentored Internship ………………….………………………6 sh
Supervised observation, participation, and teaching in Lenawee County middle and high schools. Michigan’s Entry Level Standards for Teachers are the focus of the assessment tool used for this field experience.
Students will spend two full days per week in their student teaching classrooms (14 clock hours x 16 weeks =224 clock hours)

ICP 372: Methods and Materials for Secondary Teaching………….6 sh
A course designed to assist teacher candidates with the identification, analysis, and application of effective secondary (grades 7-12) teaching methods and materials. Topics to be explored include: classroom management, motivation, short and long term lesson and unit planning, learning styles and multiple intelligences, developmentally appropriate curriculum, authentic assessment, students with exceptionalities, technology as an enhancement to the teaching/learning process, and teaching as an art. Special focus will be given to the methods and materials needed to teach specific content disciplines. Students will be required to join professional organizations within their content areas.
Students will meet once a week on Thursday from 6-9p.m. and possibly “attend” one online class another night (90 clock hours)


January 2009 (completion of a two week course):

ICP 312: Understanding Today’s Youth………………………….……3 sh
An overview of the needs of today’s youth and a study of the developmental stages of secondary students ages 12-18. Coursework and activities focus on examining attitudes and adaptations to enhance instruction and the learning environment for youth with exceptionalities, including those with handicapping conditions, the gifted and talented, and those with cultural differences. Students will also examine urban education and the needs of students who are part of the urban teaching and learning experience. Students will be required to observe and participate in secondary urban, special education, and inclusion classrooms. They will search for connections between these field experiences and their student teaching placements.
Students will meet December 9thand 11th, Saturday January 17th, and Saturday February 14th. All session will run from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. (36 clock hours)

January – April 2009

Student complete a full-time mentored internship experience along with the state-required 3 semester hour reading course

ICP 490: Student Teaching ………………………………………………8 sh
Supervised observation, participation, and teaching in Lenawee County middle and high schools. Michigan’s Entry Level Standards for Teachers are the focus of the assessment tool used for this field experience. University content area and teacher education faculty will actively be involved as mentors in this experience
Students will be in their field placements all day M- F  for 15 weeks.

ICP 495: Mentored Internship Seminar……… ………………………1 sh
Seminar will include group discussions and analysis of problems/challenge
and joys/successes encountered during the mentored internship experience.
Class will meet one day a week for one hour.

ICP 335: Teaching of Reading Through the Content Areas……………..3sh
This course deals with secondary content reading instruction with an emphasis on reading to learn. Various strategies for content area reading instruction will be presented and students will be given instruction on how to recognize, instruct, and support students with reading disorders. Students will examine the social, cultural and dynamic nature of language, the processes of second language acquisition, and the strategies utilized in the reading and writing processes.
Students will meet one evening a week – 6-8:45 p.m.

Prior to Formal Application:
Students wishing to apply to the Post-Baccalaureate Intensive Certification Program will need to meet with Sally Rae, Program Director of the Undergraduate Teacher Education Program, to discuss their major and determine whether additional coursework is necessary to complete program requirements in those majors.

While meeting with Sally, students will also need to discuss the details of Michigan’s teacher testing process. Passage of the Michigan Tests for Teacher Certification is required prior to application to the program. Students will need to pass both the basic skills test and the content area test within their majors. Students interested in the Intensive Certification Program are urged to register for the appropriate tests as soon as possible. Registration materials are always available in the Undergraduate Teacher Education office or on line: http://www.mttc.nesinc.com/   
These tests are only given four times a year (January, April, July, and October) and are given at 11 testing locations around the state of Michigan.

Application Materials to the Program:
Application to the Post-Baccalaureate Intensive Certification Program requires:
• Completion of Siena Heights University Admission’s Application;

• Completion of an existing bachelors degree; official transcripts must be attached to the application packet; a meeting with faculty must take place prior to application to determine status of certifiable major; undergraduate grade point average and/or quality/quantity of work experience in the field will be considered as part of the acceptance process/criteria;

• Completion of all coursework within the certifiable major;

• Passage of all appropriate Michigan Tests for Teacher Certification;

• Two letters of recommendation from:           

           a. either a college/university faculty member from where candidate’s bachelors degree was earned or from someone in the career field/profession where candidate was previously employed and
           b. an individual who has seen/supervised candidate’s work with teenagers/youth sometime within the past two years;

• A professional resume accompanied by a written statement of intention explaining why the candidate is interested in this program and how the program will assist in achieving the candidate’s personal and professional goals, and

• Passage of a criminal history check from the Central Records Division of the Michigan Department of State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

There will be an acceptance notification before May 15, 2008. Once accepted into the program, students must maintain a Siena G.P.A. of 3.0 in order to enroll in the next semester’s coursework.