Dr. Sharon Bixler, Dean of School of Education
Dr. Kim Brockman, Associate Dean of School of Education
Dr. Tim Crook, Chair of Undergraduate Education
Dr. David Riel, Director of Clinical Experiences
The School of Education also offers an online Elementary School Grades P-5 program (based on Kentucky licensure) through Online Programs.
Asbury University has a variety of teaching majors leading to either the Bachelor of Science or the Bachelor of Arts degree. The mission of the School of Education is as follows:
Our mission as the School of Education is to facilitate the preparation of professional educators who embody world-class academic excellence, spiritual integrity, and servant leadership.
The goal of the School of Education is to provide a strong academic Clinical-Based Preparation Program and to prepare quality educators who are committed to professional excellence and who positively impact P-12 student learning. It is the intent of the School of Education to provide educators who can design instruction, assess student learning, analyze the work of learners, diagnose pupil progress, and prescribe for student success. To accomplish this, candidates in education will have specific and intentional clinical opportunities in each course and will have extended clinical school-embedded experiences integrated throughout the preparation process. The entire program is designed to facilitate education candidates entering a student-centered profession for the 21st century.
This commitment is embodied in the School of Education’s model: “Facilitators of Student Success,” which seeks to prepare educators in response to the Kentucky Teacher Performance Standards.
An integral facet of the program is education in a Christian context with preparation for service in various educational settings. Addressing a broad range of contemporary educational issues, many courses offer opportunities for working with school-age young people. Cooperating officials of nearby school systems provide the School of Education staff and students access to practical educational experiences. The School of Education preparation programs are approved by the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board and accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
The Teacher Education Program is administered through a Performance Assessment System built on a continuous improvement cycle which includes four progress check points or “Gates” (see Bulletin for more detailed information):
Candidates seeking a recommendation for a teaching certificate must be accepted into the Teacher Education Program (Gate 1) in order to complete required professional courses (300 or above). Successful completion of Gate 3 is required to pursue the professional semester and obtain a student teaching assignment. Fulfilling the requirements of Gate 4 (exit from program) results in a recommendation for certification. Candidates must obtain a minimum GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale in the cumulative GPA (EPSB: or obtain a grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.0 scale on the last thirty (30) hours of credit completed) for admission into the Teacher Education Program. Upon admission to TEP, the following GPAs are monitored throughout the remainder of the program to assure a minimum GPA of 2.75 in cumulative and professional GPA.
Certification
When certification is desired in another state, keep in mind that most state Departments of Education request a copy of the teaching certificate obtained from the state in which the teacher education program was completed. Graduates can contact a state’s Department of Education to ask for an application for certification and can contact the Certification Specialist at Asbury University for assistance in interpreting individual state certification requirements.
Asbury graduates currently teach throughout the United States and in many foreign countries. Over 60% of the states, including Kentucky, belong to the Interstate Certification Compact.
Student Teaching Overseas – Asbury is affiliated with Interaction International/CCTECC (Christian College Teacher Education Coordinating Council) and SEND International. These organizations provide Asbury with an accredited framework to offer overseas student teaching. Dual placement is necessary, with candidates teaching stateside in a local school district with supervision by Education faculty during half of the professional semester and teaching overseas during the other half of the semester. Careful consideration needs to take place by anyone desiring to student teach overseas. There is an application and stateside training fee. Candidates must apply at least one full calendar year in advance of student teaching placement. Contact the Director of Clinical Experiences in the School of Education for details and application specifications.
The Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board mandates four levels of certification requirements which include Elementary (P-5), Middle School (5-9), Secondary (8-12), and all grade levels (P-12) Education. Students must meet the requirements of one of the prescribed certification programs. Fifty percent of the major must be taken at Asbury University to receive a degree, and student teaching must be completed in a school district with which Asbury has a contractual agreement. All program requirements are in response to Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board and are subject to change.
The Graduate Education Program of Asbury University is committed to preparing leaders for the schools of today and tomorrow. As part of the School of Education, the following mission statement applies to the Graduate Education Program: Our mission as the School of Education is to facilitate the preparation of professional educators who embody world-class academic excellence, spiritual integrity, and servant leadership.
To accomplish this end, the Graduate Education Program creates a community and learning environment conducive to individual professional growth while embracing an ever-widening educational partnership with schools both local and worldwide. As part of the clinical-based design in the School of Education, candidates in Graduate Education will focus on instructional design, student assessment, analysis of learning, diagnosis of student needs, and prescription of appropriate interventions. A Virtual Teaching School provides the foundation for delivering clinical preparation. To accomplish this, candidates will have specific and intentional clinical opportunities in each course and will have extended clinical school-embedded experiences integrated throughout the preparation process. The entire program is designed to facilitate education candidates entering a student-centered profession for the 21st century.
In keeping with the institutional commitment to evangelical Christianity in the Wesleyan-holiness tradition, a basic tenet of this program is the cherished preservation of our moral and ethical roots of educational inquiry and thought, content-specific and pedagogical knowledge, professional competence, and Christian caring with an intentional focus on preparation for educational leadership. Reflecting the institution’s commitment to develop the professional, the Graduate Education instruction targets individual areas of anticipated development and provides models for professional growth, clinical experiences, and leadership to accommodate specific educational paradigms. Within a framework of moral stewardship and through diverse and exemplary models of teaching, the Graduate Education Program strives to enable its students to become leaders and facilitators of the educational community. Recognizing the influence of our Wesleyan holiness roots and the need for professionals with strong moral and ethical character, the School of Education endeavors to prepare individuals who are committed to a lifetime of learning and will model servant leadership in support of the profession, society, family and the Church.
Foundations to this commitment the Graduate Education Program’s philosophy, Facilitators of Student Success, seeks to prepare graduate students in response to the Kentucky Teacher Standards for all graduate programs granting a license to teach. The three leadership programs have their respective standards which include the International Reading Standards, the Teacher Leader Model Standards, the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium, Kentucky’s Dimensions and Functions for School Leaders, and the Technology Standards for School Administrators. In addition, all candidates in graduate education programs must meet the expectations for the School of Education’s Disposition Standard XI, “demonstrate dispositions that facilitate student learning and success while fostering professional community.”
The Graduate Education Program offers the Master of Arts degree with opportunity for study in a number of certification areas. Options and specific requirements within these areas are listed below.
The Dean of the School of Education and the School of Education Administrative Council are responsible, within the School of Education, for all policies related to the Graduate Education Program including admission, graduation, academic policies, and appeals. The Provost and Registrar serve as policy and curricular consultants for institutional graduate issues. The School of Education is responsible for recommending candidates for education licensure.
Certification Examinations
All candidates seeking teacher certification are to take the appropriate PRAXIS II Specialty Area Examination(s) and Principles of Learning and Teacher Examination(s) in order to be certified. Contact the Graduate Education Office for a list of tests required for each program area. A bachelor’s degree is a pre-requisite to all of the Master of Arts degree programs. Additional prerequisites may be required for each program. All of these programs lead to Kentucky certification.