School of Education and Psychology
Debbie Muthersbaugh, Dean; Austin Archer, Maria Bastien, Peter Gleason, Brian Hartman, Linda Ivy, Neria Sebastien.
Mission: The School of Education and Psychology at Walla Walla University supports the mission of the University and assists students as they acquire knowledge and expertise in their fields of study within the context of Christian faith. To this end our faculty and students are committed to:
• Quality in scholarship and research;
• The development of social, moral, and spiritual values;
• The integration of learning, faith, and service.
Undergraduate Degrees
Majors
- B.S. Elementary Education
- B.Ed. Secondary Education – double degree
- B.A. Psychology
- B.S. Psychology
- B.S. Forensic Psychology
Minors
- Education
- Special Education
- Psychology
Graduate Degrees
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
• All of the University's teacher preparation programs are approved by the State of Washington 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 regarding writing up a plan of remediation, ie., ENGL121 C-, ENGL121 D (same course) and/or ENGL121 C-, HIST 122 D (combination of two different courses).
Field experiences and clinical practice require an eCertification Pre-Residency formal application, law enforcement background check, and moral character clearance. Contact the School of Education and Psychology for details.
Approved Washington State Assessments:
- American College Testing – (ACT)-currently formally just called ACT
- Educator Teacher Performance Assessment – (edTPA)
- National Evaluation Series (NES)
- Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) -currently formally just called SAT
- Washington Educator Skills Test-Basic (WEST-B)
- Washington Educator Skills Test-Ednorsement (WEST-E)
Washington State Assessment Instructions:
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Deadline
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Assessment
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Requirement
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Outcome
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Before / During Phase 1
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WEST-B or ACT or SAT or combination
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State required
acceptance scores
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Apply for Phase 2
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During Phase 2
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WEST-E or NES
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At least one attempt required
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Completion of Phase 3 application and student teaching
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During Phase 3
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WEST-E or NES
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Optional Retake(s), if necessary, with State required acceptance scores
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Apply for Certification
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During Phase 3
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edTPA
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State required acceptance scores
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Apply for Certification
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If a candidate does not pass the NES, after attempting twice, and/or the current Washington State Assessment, he/she may submit a signed statement of understanding (available from certification officer) that since he/she did not pass the NES but completed all other requirements, the B.S. Elementary Education degree will be granted without Washington state teacher certification. Candidates must pass the NES and any other required Washington state assessment instrument in elementary education to receive 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.
- Passing scores must be officially documented for the WEST-B, all sections, or the ACT/SAT tests, or a combination thereof.
- Application for full admission to the TCP Phase 2 is required during the last quarter of pre-candidacy courses.
- A minimum of a B- average is required in the College Writing sequence (ENGL 223 Research Writing may be used to meet B- average).
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 earn a passing score on the Washington Educator Skills Test-Basic (WEST-B) and/or submit official documentation of current Washington State passing scores 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) 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. 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. Note: The School of Education and Psychology will contact all potential placements; however, placements cannot be guaranteed.
According to Washington State guidelines (WAC 181-78A-300), candidates seeking student teaching placement are required to take the National Evaluation Series (NES) in elementary education and provide evidence to the certification officer by August 1. Teacher candidates will not be allowed to enter the clinical practice classroom without this documentation. Candidates are required to pass the NES and the current Washington State assessment instrument in order to obtain Washington State certification. In addition, candidates desiring to pursue graduate studies in education are encouraged to take the Graduate Record Examination (general).
For a complete description of the teacher preparation program, see http://www.wallawalla.edu/TCP
Notes on Washington State Certification
The school attempts to provide current information on certification requirements in this bulletin. Because of frequent changes in state requirements, however, the candidate must consult with the School of Education and Psychology certification officer periodically for updated information that might affect certification status.
Meeting graduation requirements as specified in this bulletin does not guarantee state certification. An application process, including fingerprint clearance and a Dean’s Affidavit regarding the candidate’s fitness, and passing of the current Washington State assessment instrument is required.