FAQ : Educator Preparation Program : Hanover College

FAQ

The Hanover College Education Department offers an Elementary Education Major, Certification for Elementary Education Teacher Certification for grades K - 6, multiple Secondary Education (5-12) certification programs and All Grade (P-12) programs with a prestigious Secondary Education Major, along with Dual Certification in Special Education (Mild Interventions for grades P-12 that can be completed along with either Elementary Ed or Secondary Ed.

WE ENCOURAGE ANY STUDENT INTERESTED IN TEACHER CERTIFICATION TO REQUEST A CHANGE OF ADVISOR TO ONE OF THE EDUCATION PROFESSORS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE - GOOD PLANNING IS CRUCIAL TO MEETING YOUR GOALS!

Change of Advisor Form (Registrar's Office Handouts)

FAQ #1 - When can I start taking Education courses?

EDU 172 - Exploring the Arts (for Elementary Ed students who have not taken EDU 171 or EDU 216)
EDU 206 - Special Education Assessment: Literacy
EDU 207 - Special Education Assessment: Mathematics
EDU 221- Education & the American Culture *prerequisite course for admission to the Educator Preparation Program
EDU 231 - Education Law & Ethics
EDU 240 - Children's Literature
EDU 226 - Technology in Education

EDU 252 is recommended to begin the first of the special education courses - the others, EDU 206, EDU 207, EDU 254, EDU 255, EDU 256 may then be taken in any order and without Program admission. Even if students do not plan to get the Mild Interventions dual certification, these courses are so very valuable as electives for any future teacher! Try to fit in as many as you can.

Other 300/400 level EDU courses may not be taken until formal admission to the Educator Preparation Program has been attained.

FAQ #2 - How and when do I apply to the Education program at Hanover College?
The application is submitted within Standard for Success under the Decision Point 1 Checklist. It must include the following items by the annual deadline of October 1 for sophomores or higher. There is a limited possibility of a formal appeal for late admission with the written support of an education faculty member.

Students should take EDU 221 during the first year at Hanover if at all possible. 221 is usually offered in both Fall and Winter terms. Completion is required prior to admission. Check with the instructor if the course shows it is full. The Education Department will "hold" applications that have not completed EDU 221 and TEC will consider the application after the end of the term.
Minimum GPA is 2.67 or admission with a copy of the unofficial transcript to be uploaded into the application in Standard for Success. Applications that do not meet the required GPA will be "held" by the Education Department if or until the GPA benchmark is met. The application will not move forward to TEC for admission until the GPA is met or surpassed. Furthermore, please note that admitted candidates must achieve a 3.0 GPA in their major by Decision
Point 2.
Applicants must have two faculty recommendations to the program from a professor who has taught the student in a Hanover College class. This is done within the SFS application.

A Philosophy of Education essay must also be uploaded into the SFS application and is scored by the members of the Teacher Education Committee (TEC) using the Hanover College W1 Writing Rubric within SFS. W1 tutoring in the Gladish Center is available. The essay must address the following questions/prompts:

Why are you drawn to teaching as a career?

 What attitudes and characteristics make a teacher effective?

 What principles and beliefs about teaching and learning will guide your practice as a future teacher?

 How will you strive to engage your students in content knowledge and subject matter?

 How can and should a teacher create a positive classroom environment?

Members of the Teacher Education Committee (TEC) will interview the applicant to discuss their essay.
Members of our Clinical Educator Advisory Council also interview applicants with regards to the applicant's teacher dispositions. Both of these interviews are scored via a rubric in SFS. The unofficial transcript from My Hanover, the admission exam score reports, the essay, and the recommendations are scored within SFS.

*Students can be admitted the following year if they later reach the admission exam score requirements or benchmark GPA may be admitted during the same year by petition to TEC that is supported by an EDU faculty member. Please meet with your education advisory to discuss your personal situation.

FAQ #3 - How early in Education coursework am I exposed to a real classroom?
Our entry level courses, EDU 221 as well as EDU 252, have required field experience in real classrooms with real children/adolescents. Students in courses with fieldwork must pay for a national background check and have an annual subscription to Standard for Success.

FAQ #4 - Do I have an opportunity to be in urban school setting?
Our teacher candidates can choose to do their 14 weeks of student teaching in an urban school in Indianapolis, IN; Louisville, KY; or in southeastern Indiana near Cincinnati. Programs are also available to complete a student teaching assignment through The Philadelphia Center or through Wartburg College West in Denver, Colorado. Ask your EDU faculty advisor about these options. Some financial assistance may be available through the Spicer Phillips Endowment.- see the RESOURCES AND DOCUMENTS tab.

FAQ # 5 - What is the Special Education: Mild Interventions (Teaching All Learners) Program?
Hanover offers a dual certification program for P-12 Special Education (Mild Intervention) that is completed in conjunction with either a K-6 or a 5-1 or a P-12 teacher certification. Indiana licensed teachers may also complete this coursework as classes are held in the evening during the academic year and online in Hanover's two summer sessions. The Mild Interventions program is not a stand-alone program and must be paired with one of the above content area programs for certification.
Note: Special Education certification can substitute for the minor requirement for Elementary Education majors.

FAQ # 6 - What is the placement rate for Hanover's certified graduates?
Of the licensed graduates from 2004-2020, more than 99% were hired to teach in public or private schools beginning the fall after their graduation. Other program completers have chosen graduate school or to work for entities like the Boys and Girls Clubs, Purdue 4H Educators, our national parks, teaching abroad, working in education curriculum at museums and camps, teaching preschool, as well as a host of other teaching opportunities.

FAQ # 7 - If I decide classroom teaching is not for me, do I have to get a teacher's license?
We very strongly urge that all our certified program completers obtain Indiana licensing immediately following graduation. Licensing requirements do change frequently and at the time of your program completion you are qualified to obtain an Indiana teaching license after passing the Indiana licensing exams ETS Praxis in Development/Pedagogy "Principles of Learning and Teaching" for the appropriate grade levels, as well as in the content area/licensure subject.

Information on these licensure exams is available under the top tab EDUCATOR LICENSING. We have numerous grads who found licensing much more difficult to do later when their plans changed, and they pursued licensure at a later date. However, licensure is not a requirement for a Hanover College degree.

FAQ # 8 - Can I teach outside of Indiana?
Most states have some form of license reciprocity with Indiana. Many require a license from the state in which one completed their training first, some require some additional coursework, and some require another set of licensing tests. Please discuss your concerns with our licensing advisors early in your time at Hanover so that we can best guide you for
a particular state's licensing requirements.

FAQ # 9 - What is STANDARD FOR SUCCESS?
Standard for Success (SFS) is the cloud data management system adopted by the Hanover College Educator Preparation Program. It is used to submit and score all Education course assignments as well as Decision Points 1, 2, and 3 requirements resulting in the creation of the student's professional portfolio. The cost of the required subscription is $100 per academic year. Student may be able to use their financial aid to purchase the subscription and a re-payable Panther Loan may be available from the Chaplain's Office. Standard for Success is used in most school districts to evaluate k-12 teachers and our students gain familiarity with the software as part of their preparation.

APPLICATIONS TO BE ADMITTED TO THE PROGRAM ARE ONLY ABLE TO BE SUBMITTED BY STUDENTS
WITH A STANDARD FOR SUCCESS SUBSCRIPTION! APPLICATIONS ARE SCORED IN SFS AS WELL.

FAQ #10 - What is the Education Studies major?
In 2022, the faculty approved an Education Studies major and minor. The minor may pair well with other majors to provided knowledge on Educational topics. The major would be available for students who do not meet all the criteria to attain admission to the EPP but would give them a good background to achieve teacher licensing outside of Hanover College.

More general information is available on the RESOURCES & DOCUMENTS tab above.

Please contact any Education faculty member for more information. Even if you are not sure that you want to teach or if you meet the requirements, our faculty and staff members will work with you to guide you through keeping your options open as well as the decision-making process and meeting admissions requirements!