/Institutions/Walla-Walla-University/json/Current/Undergraduate-Bulletin-local.json

/Institutions/Walla-Walla-University/json/Current/Undergraduate-Bulletin.json

2024-2025 Undergraduate Bulletin > Programs of Study > School of Education and Psychology

School of Education and Psychology

Maria Bastien Valenca, Dean; Melody Ezpeleta, Brian Hartman, Linda Ivy, Amanda Ramoutar.

Mission: The School of Education and Psychology commits to teaching excellence and fostering equity and diversity, with the aim of promoting the development of Christ-like character and skills for success in all areas of life.

Undergraduate Degrees
Majors

• B.S. Elementary Education
• B.S. Science Education
• B.Ed. Secondary Education – double degree
• B.A. Psychology
• B.S. Psychology
• B.S. Forensic Psychology

Minors

• Education
• Special Education
• Psychology

Graduate Degrees

• Master of Education (M.Ed.)

• Master of Initial Teaching (M.I.T.)

For a description of programs leading to a master's degree in Education, see the Graduate Bulletin.

Accreditation:

•   Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges

•   Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools, Colleges, and Universities

•   Undergraduate programs leading to initial licensure in elementary and secondary education with majors and minors in endorsable content areas are approved by the Washington State Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB).

TEACHER CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

The Teacher Certification Program consists of required pre-candidacy courses, certification core courses, endorsement courses, cognates, and clinical practice all divided up into 3 Phases.

A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 is required in all pre-candidacy, certification, endorsement, and cognate courses that apply to these requirements. Any course graded lower than a C cannot apply. A total of two repeats are permitted in the Teacher Certification Program before the department must be consulted.

Field experiences and clinical practice require an eCertification Pre-Residency formal application, law enforcement background check (fingerprinting), and moral character clearance. Contact the School of Education and Psychology for details.

Washington State Assessments:

• American College Testing (ACT)
• National Evaluation Series (NES)
• Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT)
• Washington Educator Skills Test-Basic (WEST-B) or equivalent national and out-of-state basic skills assessments.
• Washington Educator Skills Test-Endorsement (WEST-E)

Washington State Assessment Instructions:

Candidates who do not pass the WEST-E/NES assessment required for endorsement may apply for a case-by-case review. Should the review not result in endorsement, the candidate may submit a signed statement of understanding (available from certification officer) that the B.S. Elementary Education and/or B.Ed. Secondary degree will be granted without recommendation for Washington state teacher certification.

Program of Study Phases:

Phase 1: Pre-Candidacy course requirements:

• Pre-candidacy courses must be completed with a minimum GPA of 2.75 before proceeding to the TCP Phase 2.
• Any course graded lower than a C cannot apply
• All sections (reading, math, writing) of the WEST-B/ACT/SAT, or a combination thereof, must be taken and officially documented with the certification officer.
• Application for full admission to the TCP Phase 2 is required during the last quarter of pre-candidacy courses.

Phase 2: Certification Courses

To be admitted into Phase 2 of the Teacher Certification Program (TCP), candidates must complete all Phase 1 classes, have a Phase 1 GPA of 2.75, and submit a completed application packet. (The application packet is available upon request in the School of Education and Psychology.) Candidates must demonstrate excellence in knowledge representative of scholarship, skills of professionalism and dispositions, and personal fitness appropriate for the teaching profession. These terms are defined and explained in the Minimum Competencies document distributed in EDUC 211 Introduction to and Foundations of Education. The document is also available upon request from the certification officer in the School of Education and Psychology.

Candidates applying for full admission to the TCP Phase 2 are required by state law to take all sections of the Washington Educator Skills Test-Basic (WEST-B) and/or submit official documentation of scores for all sections on the ACT/SATs, or a combination thereof, prior to full admission into the program. Test dates and locations are available at the following website, www.west.nesinc.com.

Phase 3: Clinical Practice

Student teaching (Phase 3) is combined part-time and full-time clinical practice in an elementary, middle school, SPED, or designated discipline-specific secondary classroom under the supervision of an experienced certificated teacher. The candidate must document 450+ hours, according to current Washington state requirements, in supervised clinical practice over the course of their student teaching experience. Check with the certification officer for possible changes. School of Education and Psychology requirements across three quarters may exceed Washington state requirements. 

 

Phase 3 requires formal application to the School of Education and Psychology. Student teaching application packets, available from the Education and Psychology office, are due by the first Friday of December, prior to the year in which the candidate plans to enroll for the experience. Teacher candidate placement is done in cooperation with school districts/principals and because it is a shared decision, placement is not guaranteed. Placement decisions are based on the applicant’s academic preparation, interpersonal relationship abilities, classroom management skills, and other factors outlined in Minimum Competencies for Teacher Candidates, available from the School of Education and Psychology.

Note: The School of Education and Psychology will contact all potential placements; however, placements cannot be guaranteed. Placements are generally made in the Walla Walla Valley region; while all efforts are made to take candidate needs into consideration, we cannot guarantee that placements will be within walking distance of Walla Walla University campus.

According to Washington State Certification guidelines, candidates seeking student teaching placement are required to take the Washington Educator Skills Test-Endorsement (WEST-E) and/or National Evaluation Series (NES) in their primary certifiable content area prior to entering the clinical practice classroom and scores must be received by the certification officer prior to August 1 of the student teaching year. Teacher candidates are required to have current fingerprints and pre-residency clearance. Teacher candidates will not be allowed to enter the clinical practice classroom without this documentation. Candidates are required to pass the WEST-E/NES – in all their content areas – and the current Washington State assessment instrument in order to obtain Washington State certification. Candidates who do not pass the WEST-E/NES assessment required for endorsement may apply for a case-by-case review.

For a complete description of the teacher preparation program, see http://www.wallawalla.edu/TCP

Notes on Washington State Certification