School of Education Admission Requirements

Requirements for Admission to the School of Education

• • Successful completion of EDU 140 (minimum grade of 2.67) and the Professional Skills Lab (PSL) is the initial requirement for all students seeking admission to the School of Education Teacher Preparation Program. Passing all three portions of the PSL (Reading, Writing, Group Interview) is a critical requirement for admission to the School of Education and is a separate prerequisite for many 300 and 400 level courses.
    
    • It is expected that students will take and pass the PSL Group Interview scheduled at the end of their EDU 140 course. If an emergency deemed valid by the EDU 140 instructor prevents a student from participating in the PSL offered at the end of their section of EDU 140, the student may request permission to participate in the Group Interview Scheduled for the semester immediately following their EDU 140 course. This may mean the student will have to travel to another site at his or her own expense in order to participate.
    • If the Group Interview is not attempted by the semester following EDU 140, the student will be required to retake EDU 140 in its entirety as well as attempt the interview scheduled at the conclusion of the semester.
      
      
  • A completed application for admission to the School of Education.  A student will complete an application for admission to the School of Education during EDU 140.  Admission will be considered by the School of Education Executive Team when the following requirements are met:
    
    • A cumulative SAU GPA of at least 3.0.
    • A grade of at least 2.67 in EDU 202 Issues and Trends in American Education.
    • A grade of at least 2.67 in ENG 104 College Writing or equivalent.
    • A grade of at least 2.00 in each of the following courses:
      • SPE 212: Fundamentals of Speech.
      • PSY 100: Introduction to Psychology.
    • Recommendation initiated by the School of Education from the Office of Student Development and Learning (pertains to main campus students only).  For students attending at an off-site location, an acceptable professional skills and disposition form from the Teacher Education Student Advisor is required.
    • Official indication of having fulfilled the MDE Basic Skills Requirement.
      • The PRE and alternate measures will remain in place until October 1, 2017 as recognized Basic Skills Examinations.
      • The SAT may be used to fulfill the Basic Skills Requirement.  Information can be found at www.collegeboard.org.
      • Teacher candidates who have taken the SAT on or after March 5, 2016 may use their test results to fulfill the Basic Skills Requirement.
      • Students who have not yet fulfilled the Basic Skills Requirement will be required to register for the SAT test during EDU 140.
      • No 300 or 400 level education courses may be registered until the Basic Skills Requirement has been successfully completed and scores received by the School of Education directly from College Board.
    • Acceptable ratings in “Professional Behaviors and Dispositions” and “Pedagogical Knowledge, Skills and Dispositions” as evaluated by the School of Education.

Completing the requirement for admission to the School of Education as early as possible is imperative in order to complete the program in an efficient time frame.

Teacher Certification

Spring Arbor University recommends students to the Michigan Department of Education for Teacher Certification who have successfully completed all program requirements for elementary or secondary certification and have been cleared by the SAU Business Office.  Please note that all recommendations for certification are completed via the Michigan Online Educator Certification System and requires a fee to be paid directly to the State of Michigan. Even if a teacher education candidate plans on seeking a job outside of Michigan, the School of Education strongly recommends obtaining the certificate in Michigan first and transferring it to another state.