DR. HELEN MARSHALL CALDWELL Department of Education

Established in 1891 for the “specific purpose of teaching and training teachers of the colored race” Elizabeth City State University’s Dr. Helen Marshall Caldwell Department of Education continues a rich heritage of producing teachers to serve northeastern North Carolina. The Dr. Helen Marshall Caldwell Department of Education maintains its reputation for excellence and addresses the ever-changing needs of its many constituents. Candidates enter our program as consumers of knowledge, but they leave prepared to begin careers as professionals and/or to pursue graduate education, and to meet the demands of the 21st Century. The Dr. Helen Marshall Caldwell Department of Education remains committed through its undergraduate, graduate, and distance-learning programs to continue the heritage of serving northeastern North Carolina, the state, and beyond, maintain the highest standards in accordance with its accrediting bodies, and become a beacon of the Northeast that improves outcomes in P-12 Education.

Education Programs

Faculty and staff who teach in the Department of Education are committed to the mission of preparing competent practitioners who facilitate learning. The conceptual framework, 21st Century Professional Educator, is woven throughout coursework, research, and experiences so that candidates meet standards for high quality teaching and leadership in the 21st Century. The Department offers innovative specialty areas that are designed to prepare candidates who are global competitors, advocators for diversity, effective communicators and collaborators, critical thinkers and innovators, and educational technology users and healthy and responsible citizens who are capable of meeting the diverse needs of all learners. Candidates participate in a professional core with their specialty area preparation where they benefit from classroom instruction, field experiences, clinical practice and student teaching experiences that reflect current thinking and research.

The Education program offers programs leading to licensure and a Bachelor of Science in Education in the following areas:

Birth through Kindergarten (B-K)
Elementary Education (K-6)
Special Education (K-12)

Candidates majoring in Elementary Education are required to select an academic concentration from the list below:

Academic Concentration Options:

General Science
Mathematics
Social Sciences

The Education program also offers program areas that do not lead to a teaching license. Students can complete degrees in Education that focus on other endeavors in the Education field.

Birth through Kindergarten (B-K) Concentration: Child, Family, Community
Elementary Education: Concentration: Elementary Non-Teaching-Social Sciences
Special Education: Concentration: Community, Agency, Policy and Enterprise

Office of Educator Preparation

The Educator Preparation Programs are approved by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) formerly NCATE. Program coursework meets Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) Standards, North Carolina Teaching Standards, International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards, Specialty Standards and the Department’s Conceptual Framework.

Conceptual Framework 21st Century Professional Educator

The Conceptual Framework 21st Century Professional Educator, describes the vision and purpose of the Dr. Helen Marshall Caldwell Department of Education, Psychology and Health in preparing educators to work in P-12 schools. Consistent with the institution’s mission, the Department’s focus is to prepare educators to be global competitors, advocators for diversity, healthy and responsible citizens, critical thinkers and innovators, embedded technology users and effective communicators and collaborators who are capable of meeting the diverse needs of all learners. Supported by a strong knowledge base, the conceptual framework provides a system for ensuring coherence and a well-articulated professional commitment to student knowledge of content, teaching effectiveness, leadership, and learning. This coherence is reflected in the curriculum, instruction, and clinical experiences to develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that are valued in the professional educator. The conceptual framework is designed as the guiding force for program implementation, assessment, evaluation, and effectiveness.

Admission into The Educator Preparation Program

Admission into the Educator Preparation Program is open to both degree-seeking students and post-baccalaureate, non-degree (NC Residency/Licensure-Only) students who meet the requirements established by the University and the individual program in which they are seeking certification.

Initial Admission To The Program

According to the criteria established by the Department of Public Instruction and the Department of Education, students must complete the following for program eligibility

meet regularly with assigned advisor;
complete an application to the Educator Preparation Program;
complete a criminal background check with certified background.com and have a satisfactory record;
completed 15 hours of classroom field experience
undergraduate GPA of at least 2.80;
complete interview process;
acceptable writing sample; and
*satisfy Praxis Core

*Licensure Only candidates are not required to take Praxis Core. Each student who applies for admission to the Educator Preparation Program will be given written notification regarding admission or denial. A student is not considered admitted to the Educator Preparation Program until such notification is provided.

Program Retention

Students should attend all Education majors meetings
Meet with advisor(s) semesterly
Maintain a cumulative grade point average of a 2.80
Complete all major/minor/concentration requirements

Students are encouraged to meet all program requirements. Failure to meet requirements could compromise Educator Preparation admission status, requiring program reinstatement.

Prerequisites for Student Teaching

In order to qualify for student teaching, a student must:

be admitted into the Educator Preparation Program;
be in the final semester at the University;
have a minimum overall cumulative grade point average of 2.80 on a scale of 4.0;
complete all General Education courses and all required education courses except student teaching;
remove all deficiencies, if any, by the established deadline.

Requirements for Exit

Each student must satisfy the following requirements to complete the Educator Preparation Program:

Complete all major/minor/concentration courses
Successfully complete student teaching and submit all student teaching forms
Complete Exit Interview
Complete and submit an edTPA portfolio
Satisfy program licensure exams

Applying for a NC Teaching License

Students must apply for North Carolina teaching license or renewal using the North Carolina online licensing system. Students must submit the following:

An official transcript (including degree awarded date)
Certification of Teacher Capacity Form
Praxis II or NCTEL (NCTEL-Elementary & Special Education programs only)

Curriculum Center

The Curriculum Center provides a wide variety of books and instructional materials at levels ranging from Pre-K through secondary. Included are selected textbook series and supplementary materials for children and youth. Materials for lesson plans, unit development, exercises, testing, instructional aids, and teaching strategies are also available. Also included are reference books pertaining to children’s literature, instructional media, posters, art prints, recordings, and manipulatives for hands-on experiences.

University-Schools Educator Preparation Partnership (U-STEP)

U-STEP is designed to unite the educator preparation education program and the public school system. In this collaboration, ECSU and the public school systems work together to prepare university students to become skilled teachers. The partnership focuses on the mutual goal of quality teaching to foster learning and research in schools. Through U-STEP students engage in year-long student teaching.

Field and clinical experiences in Elizabeth City State University’s Educator Preparation Program are systematically planned to involve students in increasingly real teaching experiences. Students complete 15 hours of field experience prior to program admission. During the year-long, the clinical experience required for all methods courses is the basis for the time in the field during the first semester (clinical I) prior to candidates’ student teaching (clinical II) experiences. During the first semester, students will complete 25-60 hours. Students will complete 16 weeks of student teaching.

Academic Catalog