Teacher Candidacy

Teacher Education Undergraduate Candidacy Policy and Procedures

• Requirements for Candidacy

  In order to be eligible for candidacy, students must meet all of the following requirements:

  • Earned 48 credits or more. Credits may be Kutztown University credits or transfer credits.
  • Earned a 3.0 GPA or higher. We use the Kutztown GPA if a student has been at Kutztown for at least one semester. We use the GPA from a transfer institution for students transferring in 48 credits or more and without an established Kutztown GPA.
  • Earned a C or higher in an English composition course.*
  • Earned a C or higher in an English literature course*
  • Earned a C or higher in two college-level math courses*
  • Act 55 put the basic skills test requirement into moratorium and does not apply from July 8, 2022 to July 8, 2025.

  *See specific courses and info on basic skills testing sections below

• Specific Courses that Count for Requirements

  English Composition Course: must be a course that counts for the Kutztown University general education requirement for CMP 100 level or CMP 200 level courses (A1 / A2 of the general education curriculum). Students under the previous GENED curriculum could also count ENG 23 or ENG 24.

  English Literature Course: the general rule is any course offered by the English department with the word literature in the title meets this requirement. There are some additional courses that also count. Here is the complete list:

  English Literature courses that meet the requirement

  • Any course with a subject of ENG and the word literature in the title. This includes several courses that are frequently taken such as “Intro to Literature” and “World Literature” as well as courses such as ENG 229 Literature & Psychology, ENG 225 / ENG 349- Teaching of Adolescent Literature, and ENG 141 Literature and Film.
  • ENG 144 Comics Studies
  • ENG 171 Friendship in Western Cultural Texts
  • ENG 224 American Modernism
  • ENG 145 The Fairy Tale
  • ENG 108 Poetry and Poetics

  English Courses that do not meet the English Literature requirement

  • Composition courses do not count for literature requirement
  • ENG 021 English as a Second Language
  • ENG 100 Reading & Writing in Professions
  • ENG 200 History of the English Language
  • ENG 020 Intro to Film
  • ENG 319 Culture and Media
  • ENG 119 CTVL American Genre Film

  Math Courses: Any two math courses that count for college-level credit at Kutztown University. Please note that MAT 45 Women in Mathematics and WST 45 Women in Mathematics are the same course and either meets the requirement. However, education students should register for MAT 045 Women in Mathematics if possible to make verification of meeting the math requirement clearer to PDE.

• Reading, Writing, and Math Basic Skills Testing Requirement - Does not apply and is not required from July 8, 2022 to July 8, 2025.

  General Requirement

  Students applying for candidacy after July 8, 2025 must pass tests specified by PDE demonstrating competency in Reading, Writing, and Math. There are four different tests that can be used currently including SAT, ACT, PAPA, and ETS Praxis Core. Students may meet the requirement by combining scores from different tests. The requirements have changed multiple times and so the most current information should be accessed directly from PDE found at https://www.education.pa.gov/Educators/Certification/CertTestingRequirements/Pages/default.aspx. We especially recommend that students download the Composite Calculator that is available from this site. This calculator allows students to input their own scores from different tests and determine their status.

  CMP 200 with a B or Better Meets Requirement for both the Reading and Writing Tests

  Starting with the Spring 2021 semester PDE now recognizes Kutztown University’s CMP 200 or CMP 201 as equivalent to the Basic Skills Reading and Writing tests. Because the competencies in CMP 200 And CMP 201 align with the competencies on the Reading and Writing tests, students are considered to have passed both tests if they earn a B or better in CMP 200 or 201. This is specific to CMP 200 or 201 and does not apply to other CMP level courses. The grade must be a B or better; a “B-“ (B minus) would not count. Students who transfer in a course that is transcripted at Kutztown University as CMP 200 or CMP 201 and who earned a B or better at their transfer institution will also be considered to have met the requirement for Reading and Writing Basic Skills tests. Please note that a student using this option would need to also pass a Basic Skills math test with the required score.

  Math 103 and 104 as an alternative to Math Basic Skills Test

  As of December 2021, PDE now recognizes Kutztown University’s Math 103 and Math 104 as equivalent to the Basic Skills Math tests. Because the competencies in these two courses together align with the competencies on the math tests, students are considered to have passed their math test requirement if they earn a B or better in both Math 103 and Math 104. The grade must be a B or better; a “B-“ (B minus) would not count. Students who transfer in a course that is transcripted at Kutztown University as Math 103 and 104 and who earned a B or better in both classes at their transfer institution will also be considered to have met the requirement for Math Basic Skills tests. Please note that a student using this option would need to also pass a Basic Skills reading and writing test with the required score or earn a B or better in CMP 200 or CMP 201.

• Procedures for Being Reviewed and Approved for Candidacy

  Each semester prior to course registration and after grades are posted, the COE Dean’s office reviews student progress toward candidacy.

• Courses that Require Candidacy (As of Spring 2021)

  The following courses require candidacy. Students will be blocked from registering for these courses until they have been awarded candidacy.

  • ARU 310 Learning in the Visual Arts: Adolescence
  • ARU 330 Studio Thinking
  • ARU 390 & 391 Student Teaching

  • EEU 300 Early Literacy Development and Acquisition Pre-K 1
  • EEU 301 Teaching Literacy in Grades 2-4
  • EEU 303 Language Development and Teaching Language Arts In Prek-4
  • EEU 304 Teaching Social Studies for Pre-K 4
  • EEU 306 Integrating Principles of Learning for Pre-K 4
  • EEU 309 Teaching Mathematics in Grades 2-4
  • EEU 325 Assessment Methods II: Formative, Summative, Diagnostic, and Benchmark
  • EEU 390 & 391 Student Teaching

  • ELU 342 Teaching Writing at the Middle Level
  • ELU 353 Language Development, Reading Assessment and Interventions
  • ELU 344 Teaching and Assessing Social Studies for Middle Level Learners
  • ELU 347 Teaching and Assessing Mathematics for Middle Level Learners
  • ELU 349 Teaching and Assessing Science for Middle Level Learners
  • ELU 392, 393 Student Teaching

  • LLT 340 Management of Information and Technology Centers
  • LLT 350 Collecting and Curating Print and Digital Collections
  • LLT 360 Organization of Information, Metadata and Library Technologies
  • LLT 370 Educational Program of the Library
  • LLT 385 Digital Portfolios
  • LLT 398 & 399 Student Teaching

  • MUU 320 Instrumental Music Methods
  • MUU 322 Choral Music Methods
  • MUU 390 & 391 Student Teaching

  • SEU 312 Principles of Learning
  • SEU 313 Principles of Learning Lab
  • SEU 342 Principles of Teaching
  • SEU 343 Principles of Teaching Lab
  • SEU 410 Sci Inst Methods: Middle & HS
  • SEU 422 World Lang Instruct Methods: Middle & HS
  • SEU 425 English Inst Methods: Middle & HS
  • SEU 426 Soc Stu Methods: Middle & HS
  • SEU 430 Math Inst Methods: Middle & HS
  • SEU 390 & 391 Student Teaching

  • SPU 302 Adapt Materials /Methods of Inst Vi
  • SPU 317 Read Writing & Math Intervention
  • SPU 320 Special Education Process & IEP Development
  • SPU 322 High Incidence Disabilities
  • SPU 328 Pos Behavior Intervention +Support
  • SPU 330 Low Incidence Disabilities
  • SPU 390, 391, 392, 393 Student Teaching