Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 16, March 25, 2024
Professional studies requirements for early/primary
education, elementary education, and middle education: 21 semester hours. These
requirements may be taught in integrated coursework or modules.
1. Human development and learning (birth
through adolescence): 3 semester hours.
a.
Skills in this area shall contribute to an understanding of the physical,
social, emotional, speech and language, and intellectual development of
children and the ability to use this understanding in guiding learning
experiences and relating meaningfully to students.
b. The interaction of children with
individual differences - economic, social, racial, ethnic, religious, physical,
and cognitive- should be incorporated to include skills contributing to an
understanding of developmental disabilities and developmental issues related
to, but not limited to, low socioeconomic status; attention deficit disorders;
developmental disorders; gifted education, including the use of multiple
criteria to identify gifted students; substance abuse; trauma, including child
abuse and neglect and other adverse childhood experiences; and family
disruptions.
2.
Curriculum and instruction: 3 semester hours.
a. Early/primary education preK-3 or
elementary education preK-6 curriculum and instruction: 3 semester hours.
(1) Skills in this area shall contribute to
an understanding of the principles of learning; the application of skills in
discipline-specific methodology; varied and effective methods of communication
with and among students; selection and use of materials, including media and
contemporary technologies; and selection, development, and use of appropriate
curricula, methodologies, and materials that support and enhance student
learning and reflect the research on unique, age-appropriate, and culturally
relevant curriculum and pedagogy.
(2) Understanding of the principles of online
learning and online instructional strategies and the application of skills to
deliver online instruction shall be included.
(3) Instructional practices that are
sensitive to culturally and linguistically diverse learners, including English
learners, gifted and talented students, and students with disabilities, and
appropriate for the preK-3 or preK-6 endorsement shall be included.
(4) Teaching methods shall be tailored to
promote student engagement and student academic progress and effective
preparation for the Virginia Standards of Learning assessments.
(5) Study in (i) methods of improving
communication between schools and families; (ii) communicating with families
regarding social and instructional needs of children; (iii) ways of increasing
family engagement in student learning at home and in school; (iv) the Virginia
Standards of Learning; and (v) Virginia Foundation Blocks for Early Learning:
Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds prepared by the Virginia Department
of Education's Office of Humanities and Early Childhood shall be included.
(6) Early childhood educators
shall understand the role of families in child development and in relation to
teaching educational skills.
(7)
Early childhood educators shall understand the role of the informal and
play-mediated settings for promoting students' skills and development and shall
demonstrate knowledge and skill in interacting in such situations to promote
specific learning outcomes as reflected in Virginia's Foundation Blocks for
Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds.
(8) Study in child abuse recognition and
intervention in accordance with curriculum guidelines developed by the Virginia
Board of Education in consultation with the Virginia Department of Social
Services and training or certification in emergency first aid, cardiopulmonary
resuscitation, and the use of automated external defibrillators shall be
included. The certification or training program shall (i) be based on the
current national evidenced-based emergency cardiovascular care guidelines for
cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated external defibrillator,
such as a program developed by the American Heart Association or the American
Red Cross, and (ii) include hands-on practice of the skills necessary to
perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
(9) Pre-student teaching experiences (field
experiences) should be evident within these skills.
b. Middle education 6-8 curriculum and
instruction: 3 semester hours.
(1) Skills in
this area shall contribute to an understanding of the principles of learning;
the application of skills in discipline-specific methodology; varied and
effective methods of communication with and among students; selection and use
of materials, including media and contemporary technologies; and evaluation of
pupil performance.
(2)
Understanding of the principles of online learning and online instructional
strategies and the application of skills to deliver online instruction shall be
included.
(3) Instructional
practices that are sensitive to culturally and linguistically diverse learners
including English learners, gifted and talented students, and students with
disabilities, and shall be appropriate for the middle education endorsement
shall be included.
(4) Teaching
methods shall be tailored to promote student engagement and student academic
progress and effective preparation for the Virginia Standards of Learning
assessments.
(5) Study in methods
of improving communication between schools and families, ways of increasing
family engagement in student learning at home and in school, and family
engagement with the Virginia Standards of Learning shall be included.
(6) Study in child abuse
recognition and intervention in accordance with curriculum guidelines developed
by the Virginia Board of Education in consultation with the Virginia Department
of Social Services and training or certification in emergency first aid,
cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the use of automated external defibrillators
shall be included. The certification or training program shall (i) be based on
the current national evidenced-based emergency cardiovascular care guidelines
for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated external
defibrillator, such as a program developed by the American Heart Association or
the American Red Cross, and (ii) include hands-on practice of the skills
necessary to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
(7) Pre-student teaching experiences (field
experiences) should be evident within these skills.
3. Classroom and behavior
management: 3 semester hours.
a. Skills in
this area shall contribute to an understanding and application of
research-based classroom and behavior management techniques, classroom
community building, positive behavior supports, and individual interventions,
including techniques that promote emotional well-being and teach and maintain
behavioral conduct and skills consistent with norms, standards, and rules of
the educational environment.
b.
This area shall address diverse approaches based upon culturally responsive
behavioral, cognitive, affective, social and ecological theory and practice.
c. Approaches should support
professionally appropriate practices that promote positive redirection of
behavior, development of social skills, and of self-discipline.
d. Knowledge and an understanding of various
school crisis management and safety plans and the demonstrated ability to
create a safe, orderly classroom environment shall be included.
e. The link between classroom management and
students' ages shall be understood and demonstrated in techniques used in the
classroom.
4. Assessment
of and for learning: 3 semester hours.
a.
Skills in this area shall be designed to develop an understanding and
application of creating, selecting, and implementing valid and reliable
classroom-based assessments of student learning, including formative and
summative assessments. Assessments designed and adapted to meet the needs of
diverse learners shall be addressed.
b. Analytical skills necessary to inform
ongoing planning and instruction, as well as to understand and help students
understand their own progress and growth shall be included.
c. Skills shall also include the ability to
understand the relationships among assessment, instruction, and monitoring
student progress to include student performance measures in grading practices,
the ability to interpret valid assessments using a variety of formats in order
to measure student attainment of essential skills in a standards-based
environment, and the ability to analyze assessment data to make decisions about
how to improve instruction and student performance.
d. Understanding of state assessment programs
and accountability systems, including assessments used for student achievement
goal-setting as related to teacher evaluation and determining student academic
progress shall be included.
e.
Knowledge of legal and ethical aspects of assessment and skills for developing
familiarity with assessments used in preK-12 education, such as diagnostic,
college admission exams, industry certifications, and placement assessment
shall be included.
5.
Foundations of education and the teaching profession: 3 semester hours.
a. Skills in this area shall be designed to
develop an understanding of the historical, philosophical, and sociological
foundations underlying the role, development, and organization of public
education in the United States.
b.
Attention shall be given to the legal status of teachers and students,
including federal and state laws and regulations; school as an organization and
culture; and contemporary issues and current trends in education, including the
impact of technology on education. Local, state, and federal governance of
schools, including the roles of teachers and schools in communities, shall be
included.
c. Professionalism and
ethical standards, as well as personal integrity shall be addressed.
d. Knowledge and understanding of Virginia's
Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for
Teachers shall be included.
6. Language and literacy: 6 semester hours.
a. Early/primary preK-3 and elementary
education preK-6 - language acquisition and reading and writing: 6 semester
hours. Skills listed for these endorsement areas represent the minimum
competencies that a beginning teacher shall be able to demonstrate. These
skills are not intended to limit the scope of a beginning teacher's program.
Additional knowledge and skills that add to a beginning teacher's competencies
to deliver instruction and improve student achievement should be included as
part of a quality learning experience.
(1)
Language acquisition: 3 semester hours. Skills in this area shall be designed
to impart a thorough understanding of the Virginia English Standards of
Learning, as well as the complex nature of language acquisition as a precursor
to literacy. Language acquisition shall follow the typical development of
linguistic competence in the areas of phonetics, semantics, syntax, morphology,
phonology, and pragmatics.
(2)
Reading and writing: 3 semester hours. Skills in this area shall be designed to
impart a thorough understanding of the Virginia English Standards of Learning,
as well as the reciprocal nature of reading and writing. Reading shall include
phonemic and other phonological awareness, concept of print, phonics, fluency,
vocabulary development, and comprehension strategies. Writing shall include
writing strategies and conventions as supporting composing and written
expression and usage and mechanics domains. Additional skills shall include
proficiency in understanding the stages of spelling development and the writing
process, as well as the ability to foster appreciation of a variety of fiction
and nonfiction texts and independent reading.
b. Middle education - language acquisition
and reading development: 3 semester hours and literacy in the content areas: 3
semester hours.
(1) Language acquisition and
reading development: 3 semester hours. Skills in this area shall be designed to
impart a thorough understanding of the complex nature of language acquisition
and reading, to include phonemic and other phonological awareness, phonics,
fluency, vocabulary development, and comprehension strategies for adolescent
learners. Additional skills shall include proficiency in writing strategies, as
well as the ability to foster appreciation of a variety of fiction and
nonfiction texts and independent reading for adolescent learners.
(2) Literacy in the content areas: 3 semester
hours. Skills in this area shall be designed to impart an understanding of
vocabulary development and comprehension skills in English, mathematics,
science, history and social science, and other content areas. Strategies
include teaching students how to ask effective questions, summarize and retell
both verbally and in writing, and to listen effectively. Teaching strategies
include literal, interpretive, critical, and evaluative comprehension, as well
as the ability to foster appreciation of a variety of fiction and nonfiction
texts and independent reading for adolescent readers.
7. Supervised clinical
experiences. Supervised clinical experiences shall be continuous and systematic
and comprised of early field experiences and a minimum of 10 weeks of
successful full-time student teaching in the endorsement area sought under the
supervision of a cooperating teacher with demonstrated effectiveness in the
classroom. The summative supervised student teaching experience shall include
at least 150 clock hours spent in direct teaching at the level of endorsement
in a public or accredited nonpublic school. One year of successful full-time
teaching experience in the endorsement area in a public or accredited nonpublic
school may be accepted in lieu of the supervised teaching experience. For the
Online Teacher License only, one year of successful online teaching experience
in the endorsement area in a public school, an accredited nonpublic school, or
an accredited virtual school or program may be accepted in lieu of the
supervised teaching experience. A fully licensed, experienced teacher shall be
available in the school building to assist a beginning teacher employed through
the alternate route.
Statutory Authority: §§
22.1-16
and
22.1-298 of the Code of
Virginia.