Teacher Education Policies

Acceptance into the Teacher Education Program

Admission to Carroll College does not automatically qualify a student for acceptance into the Teacher Education Program. All students pursuing academic programs that lead to teacher licensure must submit a Program admission application to the Department of Education, by the end of their sophomore year (not later than April 1). It is the student’s responsibility to seek admission to the program.

Students must meet the following criteria for acceptance:

1. Receive acceptable minimum scores on the Core Academic Skills for Educators Test or possess verified scores at or above the 60th percentile on an acceptable college entrance exam;
2. Grade of “C-” or better in CO 101;
3. Grade of “C-” or better in CORE 110 or ENWR 102;
4. Grade of "C-" or better in all program required courses;
5. A minimum of 2.50 cumulative grade point average (at the time of application);
6. An interview that has met program standards;
7. Positive faculty recommendations;
8. A clear background check; and
9. Positive previous K-12 field experiences

The candidate’s status will be evaluated by Department faculty based on the above criteria. The student will be accepted into the program, accepted on a provisional basis, or denied acceptance.

Students will be accepted on a provisional basis when they meet the following criteria:

1. Passed a minimum of one area (reading, writing, mathematics) of the Core Academic Skills for Educators Test or possess verified scores at or above the 60th percentile on acceptable college entrance exam in a minimum of one area (reading, writing, mathematics);
2. Participated in an interview but may not have met program standards;
3. All other areas have met program standards.

Those who are not directly accepted into the program will be informed of their deficiency(ies) and may be given further opportunity for acceptance following counseling and/or academic assistance. Students who have been accepted into the Teacher Education Program, but have not been enrolled in Carroll College for one semester or more, must seek readmission into the program. Transfer students at the junior level are accepted to the program conditionally for one semester. One month prior to the close of that semester, junior transfer students must submit an application for acceptance into the Teacher Education Program. Transfer candidates will be reviewed in the same manner as sophomore students.

All candidates will be informed of their status no later than June 30 of the admission year.

Acceptance to Student Teaching

Acceptance into the Teacher Education Program at the end of the sophomore year does not automatically permit one to pursue student teaching as a senior student. However, students who have not been admitted to the Teacher Education Program by March 15 of their junior year will not be considered for student teaching. All teaching candidates in K-8, K-12, and 5-12 programs must apply for acceptance to student teaching.

Students must meet the following criteria:

1. Receive an acceptable rating (2 or better) on the appropriate ETS Praxis Subject Knowledge Test on the Montana Assessment of Content Knowledge Assessment;
2. A minimum 2.65 grade point average (GPA) in Major Program Requirements and in Other Program Requirements, and a minimum 2.65 GPA in Professional Education Requirements.  A minimum 2.65 GPA in Minor Program Requirements and in Other Program Requirements, and a minimum 2.65 GPA in Professional Education Requirements in each 5-12 or K-12 minor area. Elementary Education (K-8) candidates must have a minimum 2.65 GPA in Elementary Education Content Coursework GPA on the Montana Assessment for Content Knowledge Verification;
3. All Major and Minor Program Requirements, Professional Education Requirements and Other Program Requirements must be completed, with a grade of “C-” or better.  (Students should note that if a majority of coursework in these areas have grades of C-, they will not likely meet the 2.65 GPA requirements addressed above.);

In addition, students will be assessed based on the following:

1. Application to student teaching;
2. Positive faculty evaluations; and
3. Positive previous K-12 field experiences.

Application must be made to the Teacher Education Program no later than March 15 of the year preceding student teaching. Failure to do so will cancel the student’s opportunity to student teach during the fall and spring semesters of the following school year. It is the student’s responsibility to seek admission to the student teaching program.

Student Teaching Placement

Candidates accepted to student teaching cannot be guaranteed a particular school district, building, or master teacher. The decision for placement is the responsibility of the Department of Education and school district personnel.

Student Teacher Placement Options

Option 1: Local area (no additional costs/fees)

The Carroll College local area placements are within commuting distance of the Carroll campus and include the following districts:

Helena School District #1

East Helena School District #9

Montana City School District #27

Other Lewis and Clark County Schools

Option 2: Out-of-area (may require additional costs/fees)

Teacher candidates requesting student teaching assignments outside the Option 1 placement areas must have a legitimate reason for doing so.   Out-of-area placements in other communities or settings will be made when:

1. Local area school districts (see Option 1) cannot provide an appropriate placement in the student’s area of licensing.
2. An out-of-area placement provides a more valuable experience in the student’s area of licensing.
3. A placement in the local area will impose extreme hardship and prevent the student from completing the student teaching experience.

For any out-of-area request to be approved, the faculty members of the Department of Education must judge that there is a very low probability that the student will require direct intervention of department faculty members during his/her student teaching experience.  For that reason, students minimally must possess a GPA 3.25 or better and have excellent previous field experience evaluations.

All out-of-area student teaching placements must be approved by the faculty members of the Department of Education prior to student teaching assignments.  A student seeking an out-of-area student teaching placement must submit a written request prior to or in conjunction with his/her Application for Student Teaching to the Director of Teacher Education explaining in detail the rationale for his/her request.  Appropriate documentation supporting the request should also be attached.

If the student teaching placement request is approved, the Department will determine the best possible supervision model.  Supervision may be fulfilled with Carroll College supervisors, with contracted supervision by another college/university, with another qualified individual, or with the use of technology.  All costs for supervision that would exceed those incurred during a Helena placement will be borne by the teacher candidate.  This may include the salary of the college supervisor and all expenses associated with travel, lodging and meals.

If the out-of-teaching placement request is not approved, the Education Department will place the teacher candidate in a local area school (Option 1 listed above).

Competency Requirement: All Education Options

In the event that a student in a student teaching or internship placement is not making growth toward competency, supervisory personnel of the Department of Education and the placement setting may decide to withdraw a student from student teaching or the internship program. If such a scenario occurs, every effort will be made to provide alternative routes to graduation.

Education Advisory Panel

In striving to provide quality education for Carroll College’s elementary and secondary preservice and in-service teachers, the Department of Education solicits input from people involved in the educational community. The Education Advisory Panel is a group of educational professionals from the Helena community and current Carroll students who gather annually to discuss and document ideas to support and improve the Carroll College Teacher Education Program. The Panel consists of members who represent diverse areas of interest and school settings. 

Transportation

Transportation to and from field experiences, internships, and student teaching locations is the responsibility of each student enrolled in education courses.