School of Education Faculty
When you enroll in the Foundations Quarter, you are considered a tentative candidate for admission to the School of Education. Before Methods Quarter, you will be required to prepare a formal application for full admission to the School of Education.
Upon the fulfillment of all required prerequisites and full admission to the School of Education, you may take the primary sequence of courses leading to certification.
Admission to the School of Education requires the following:
- Complete the Foundations Quarter, achieving a 3.0 GPA (“B”) average with no grade lower than a 2.0 (“C”) Your prerequisite coursework must be no more than five years old.
- Receive a favorable recommendation from SPU faculty and staff.
- Submit two letters of recommendation for review. You will receive directions on this from the Certification Officer prior to Methods quarter.
- Pass the SPU writing requirement or ENG 3301 with a grade of 2.0 ("C") or better.
- Achieve a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA or a 3.3 GPA in the last 45 credits of college or university work.
- Official passing score on the Washington Educator Skills Test – Basic (WEST-B) Testing requirement for teachers or official ACT/SAT scores meeting the minimum requirement for reading, writing, and mathematics.
- Accepted into a major.
- Take the appropriate Washington Educator Skills Test – Endorsement (WEST-E/NES/ACTFL) for each endorsement being earned.Taking the exams will allow you to register for methods; however tests must be passed with official scores sent to SPU prior to September 1 of methods year.
- Complete fingerprint and pre-residency clearance through OSPI.
- Complete a formal application for admission to the School of Education.
Registration in the Certification Program
Students will need School of Education permission to register for most classes in the Certification Program.
Before registering, contact the School of Education to confirm that you have passed the appropriate prerequisites.
Certification
All teacher certification candidates are subject to Washington state requirements for the Residency Certificate. These requirements are updated periodically by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and will take precedent over SPU policies. The School of Education will make every effort to keep students appraised of state changes. Students are also encouraged to visit the School of Education office in Peterson Hall for updates on state requirements.
Upon successful completion of the Residency Certification Program, the SPU School of Education recommends students to OSPI for their Residency Teacher Certification. Once OSPI receives program completion verification from SPU, students must complete the application process through the OSPI “e-Certification” system in order to receive their certificate.
The Residency Teaching Certificate allows you to teach in Washington state. All teachers must take action to maintain a current teaching certificate as per OSPI regulations. Students are strongly encouraged to monitor their certification status on the “e-Certification” system and keep appraised of current certification requirements on the OSPI Certification website.