Student Entry and Progression
Entry Into the School of Education
All of our undergraduate students accepted to Pace who have designated an interest in either the Childhood or Adolescent Education programs are called “Pre-Teach” students. During the Pre-Teach phase, students take the following required courses:
- UNV 101: Introduction to the Pace and School of Education Community
- TCH 201: Understanding Schools
- TCH 211A: Professional Seminar II: Keeping Children Safe
- TCH 301: Education II: Understanding Learning and Teaching
- TCH 211D: DASA Workshop
Before students progress to the Teach phase of the program, they must apply for admission to the School of Education during the second semester of their sophomore year. Once the student has progressed to the Teach phase of the program, they become a teaching candidate.
Progressing Through the School Of Education
Candidates who progress to the Teach phase of the program are required to remain in good academic standing (overall QPA of 3.0, grade of B or better in education courses, and QPA of 3.0 in academic major/concentration courses). In addition, candidates are expected to exhibit professional behaviors and dispositions both in and out of the classroom. The School of Education believes that all future teachers should take their academic experience seriously. To assist with student success, we offer a variety of academic support services:
Study Abroad
The School of Education is an advocate for the Study Abroad programs available at Pace. We believe the opportunities that a Study Abroad program provides helps prepare students for multicultural learning environments, as well as the chance to view a different part of the world first-hand.
Undergraduate education majors in both the childhood and adolescent programs are encouraged to study abroad during the first two years of their enrollment at Pace, though they may also complete the program during the junior or senior years. We urge you to access information through the Office of Study Abroad and the Pace University Student Handbook.
To plan your study abroad experience, we encourage you to speak with the Director of Student Success.
Fieldwork and Student Teaching
In the early semesters of your education program, you will be assigned to fieldwork as per your course syllabi. The supervised clinical experiences for our undergraduate educational programs are based on a two-year cohort model (Center for Professional Development Model) where Pace University School of Education students spend two years at partner schools. As an undergraduate, you will also have the option to pursue an MSEd through our five-year combined degree program. The time you spend in the classroom will increase each semester, concluding with a full-time student teaching experience at the end of the program.
For students pursuing the MST in Childhood or Adolescent Education, fieldwork will be assigned as part of your graduate courses until your final semester, where you will be placed for student teaching in one of our partner schools.
Student Teaching is the culminating experience for School of Education programs. Students will work with an advisor to ensure that coursework and certification requirements are met prior to commencing student teaching. Fingerprinting and certification workshops (child abuse; school violence prevention; and harassment, bullying and discrimination prevention) must be completed prior to beginning the student teaching experience.
Student Teaching Policy
During the student teaching semester, you will be assessed using the Common Student Teaching Rubric. Clinical supervisors will use the visitation log to conduct 4 formative observations. During each placement, you will be assessed with the Common Student Teaching Rubric, Mid-Semester Report, and End Semester Report. If a supervisor believes you may not be able to pass student teaching, they will conduct a fifth observation to address the areas of concern.
In order for you to pass student teaching, you must receive on the Common Student Teaching Rubric "Meets" or "Exceeds" across 9 of the 13 indicators AND No scores of "Does Not Meet." If you do not meet this benchmark, you will be considered to have failed the student teaching semester. If you fail student teaching, you must formally meet with your DSP and, if necessary, your clinical supervisor and/or Chair to discuss the next steps.
A passing grade on the work assigned in the seminar is a necessary but not sufficient condition for passing student teaching. You cannot fail the work of the seminar and pass student teaching.
Student Teaching Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA) Requirement
You must successfully complete the Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA) as part of the teacher preparation program. The TPA requirements will be introduced to you early in the program, and the TPA assignment itself will be due prior to graduation.
The TPA is designed to assess the teaching performance of Initial certification candidates across all grade bands through the lens of the New York State Teaching and Learning Standards (NYS-TLS) and the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining (CR-S) Framework. The purpose of the TPA assignment is to create an assessment framework for students enrolled in traditional programs leading to Initial certification.
Please see our Office of School Partnership page for more information on our expectations for student performance and professional standards as you enter into the field of education.
Certification Information And Resources
New students, learn about certification requirements here.
Forms
This page lists commonly needed forms by students. You may access the full library of forms available from the Registrar.